Why more and more fund managers are turning to shareholder activism January 6, 2020 According to Greta Thunberg, “the danger is when politicians and CEOs are making it look like real action is happening, when in fact almost nothing is being done.” She may find some unlikely bedfellows in the Square Mile. Active fund managers have endured a torrid time of late. The Woodford saga and M&G’s decision to [...]
Sports Direct auditor RSM informs regulator and replaces management after internal accounting error January 5, 2020 The new auditor for retail chain Sports Direct has cleared out its top management team and informed the audit regulator after discovering an error in its own accounts. Challenger accountancy firm RSM scored a coup last year when it was appointed as auditor to FTSE 250 retailer Sports Direct (now Frasers Group). However, accounts for [...]
Airbnb wins European court battle to dodge property rules ahead of public listing December 19, 2019 Airbnb received another boost today ahead of its public listing next year as Europe’s top court ruled that it is an online platform not an estate agent. The decision by the European court of justice will allow the company to dodge regulations faced by property brokers as it continues to expand. The company, which announced [...]
Brydon review finds UK audit industry in need of ‘urgent reform’ December 18, 2019 The UK’s audit industry is in need of “urgent reform”, according to the findings of a year-long review into the sector. The review, which was led by Sir Donald Brydon, a former chair of the London Stock Exchange Group, calls for the creation of “a standalone and transparent audit profession” split off from the accounting [...]
Ninety-six per cent of UK’s top law firms fear Brexit profit hit December 16, 2019 Ninety-six per cent of the UK’s top 100 law firms say that Brexit could hit their profitability in the coming year, a survey published today showed. The Thomson Reuters poll of finance directors at top 100 law firms showed that 42 per cent were worried that reduced inward investment in the UK could hit law [...]
Accounting watchdog ‘plots sweeping rule changes’ for company executives December 15, 2019 The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is lining up significant changes to corporate governance rules after a string of scandals at Patisserie Valerie, M&C Saatchi and Ted Baker. It is understood the accounting regulator is writing a British version of an American law passed in 2002 after Worldcom and Enron collapsed. Read more: FRC watchdog probes [...]
Freshfields partner exits after investigation in latest #MeToo case December 12, 2019 A Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer partner left the firm this week after an investigation into a suspected #MeToo case. Disputes and investigations partner Nick Williams left the firm on Wednesday following an investigation into his conduct. Website Legal Week reported that his exit was related to #MeToo concerns. A spokesperson for Freshfields said: “We can confirm [...]
Former SJ Berwin lawyer bags £23m fortune through float of consultancy MJ Hudson December 12, 2019 A former SJ Berwin private equity partner has today made a £23m paper fortune after the asset management consultancy he founded went public in a £100m float on London’s junior market. Matthew Hudson founded MJ Hudson in 2010 after a career as a private equity lawyer at now-defunct City firm SJ Berwin and US law [...]
Second law firm files multi-million foreign exchange class action against raft of banks December 11, 2019 A second law firm today launched a multi-million pound class action claim against a raft of banks which admitted rigging the foreign exchange markets. US litigation firm Hausfeld filed the claim in the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) today against Barclays, Citibank, the Royal Bank of Scotland, JP Morgan, UBS and MUFG Bank over their participation [...]
KPMG partner pay slides after challenging year December 11, 2019 Partner pay at KPMG UK fell seven per cent in 2018-19 after a year when the firm strove to deal with the fallout from a series of scandals. In the year to 30 September, KPMG average partner pay fell to £640,000 from £690,000 the previous year. Profit before taxation and members’ profit shares fell nearly [...]