A $28.3bn ACE for Chubb makes it a global giant July 1, 2015 ZURICH-based insurance giant ACE will buy upmarket property insurer Chubb for $28.3bn (£18.1bn) so that it can gain access to higher premium revenue from its wealthy client base, as fierce competition has cut deeply into the industry’s profit margins. Chubb shares jumped to a record high of $129.31, above the offer price of $124.13, suggesting [...]
City Moves for 26 June 2015 | Who’s switching jobs June 25, 2015 Baker Tilly The professional services firm has appointed Kenny McLean as a director in its consulting practice. He joins from Certeco, where he was a director overseeing client change programmes. McLean has also held roles at KPMG, IBM, SAP and EDS. CBRE The commercial real estate services and investment firm has announced two appointments to [...]
Investors turn to cash for safety as Grexit and bond market woes leave fund managers scared June 23, 2015 Investors should raise cash levels while instability in the Eurozone rumbles on, top fund managers are warning. A combination of Greece worries, US rate hike uncertainty alongside recent changes in bond markets mean investors may be better off taking cash out of markets for the summer, says Chris Iggo from Axa Investment Managers. “The more [...]
London Stock Exchange Group appoints Royal Mail’s Donald Brydon to replace Chris Gibson-Smith as its new chairman June 19, 2015 London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) has appointed Donald Brydon as its new chairman. Brydon has an impressive CV, having served as chairman of Royal Mail as well as spending 15 years at AXA, where he occupied a number of roles. He will be replaced at Royal Mail by Peter Long, co-chief executive of travel company TUI. Read [...]
London space race takes off: City firms scramble for offices as demand hits highest level since 2000 June 18, 2015 Demand for office space in the capital has boomed to levels not seen in 15 years, new figures show, as companies, spurred on by the improving economic environment and stability following the General Election, pick up their search for space. The amount of space under offer in central London leapt by 25 per cent [...]
City Moves for 19 June 2015 | Who’s switching jobs June 18, 2015 Brooks Macdonald Group Ghislaine Perry has been appointed head of group marketing at the wealth management group. She joins from Brewin Dolphin, where she was divisional director of marketing. Perry has also held roles at Insight Investment, Merrill Lynch Investment Managers and Axa IM. VentureFounders The equity crowdfunding platform has announced three appointments. Jamie Beare [...]
Breaking new ground: Why the investment trust is offering unique – and growing – opportunities June 18, 2015 Investment trusts have been around since the 1860s, but a perception of obscurity and limited choice has meant that they have not been as well-regarded as their open-ended counterparts. In recent years, however, their popularity has been on the up. Indeed, in 2014, investment trust assets hit a record high of £122bn, with purchases by [...]
Applegreen IPO: Irish owners net €20m in petrol station listing June 16, 2015 Two Irish entrepreneurs are in line for a €20m (£14.37m) windfall after floating their petrol forecourt business on the London stock exchange. Bob Etchingham and Joe Barrett, who founded Irish petrol station group Applegreen 23 years ago, will net €15m and €5m respectively from the listing, according to regulatory documents filed yesterday. Both [...]
City Moves for 17 June 2015 | Who’s switching jobs June 16, 2015 CRUX Asset Management The fund manager has appointed Karen Zachary as chief operating officer. She has 20 years’ experience in asset management, and has held positions at Henderson Global Investors, Man Group, Fidelity International and New Star Asset Management. EY Chris Gould has been appointed partner and head of the professional services firm’s cybercrime team [...]
Applegreen IPO: City funds help fuel €300m listing of petrol station firm June 15, 2015 Irish petrol station group Applegreen is set to drive off with a €300m (£220m) valuation after winning backing from top City investors for the biggest European float on the junior stock market this year. The firm, which has 152 sites mainly in the UK and Ireland, has secured €70m of backing from investors, including City [...]