CITY’S GOT TALENT: ON THE HUNT FOR HOTTIES
ISN’T it about time we started to lighten up and have a bit of fun, now that the sun has got his hat on after months of credit crunch doom and winter gloom?
In that spirit, The Capitalist is proud to present a celebration of the more, erm, fickle delights of the world of business – a compilation of the top ten hunkiest gents and loveliest ladies in the City, voted for by your good selves.
Early nominations for both sides include Keith Watson from Mirabaud Securities – nicknamed “Arnie” after Arnold Schwarzenegger, due to his action-man hobbies of extreme sailing and paramotoring – and Sarah Davison, the RBS Sempra Metals trader who caused quite a stir last year when Morning Wire published her photograph on the front cover.
The Capitalist would throw Greg Coffey, the smouldering former GLG hedgie trader, into the mix as well, but further emailed suggestions are more than welcome at [email protected]. A note to any would-be heartthrobs keen to proffer themselves for selection, though: self-nominations must be accompanied by a photograph taken less than a decade ago…
MUTINY IN THE RANKS
Word on the street is that there’s something of a mutiny going on over at broker Dowgate Capital, where some staff on the advisory side are a little reluctant, shall we say, to be taken over by rival Blue Oar.
I hear two more employees have now handed in their notice at the advisory business following a number of further recent defections, while some of the remaining staff have grown restless as the bidding process turns hostile.
Blue Oar is now headed by original founder and Evolve Capital chief Edward Vandyk – who seems a tad too hard-nosed to be put off at the first hurdle, given his nickname in the City is “Dr Death” (a by-product of his professional training as a medical doctor).
But The Capitalist has to wonder how much talent will be left to poach from Dowgate in the future if staff continue to leave.
CITY FISTICUFFS
White collar boxing is becoming ever more popular among stressed-out City workers keen to let off some steam, and the latest load of converts are almost at the end of a three-month slog to prepare for a charity fight night next week.
Fourteen bankers and brokers signed up, and next Thursday they will be competing in the ring at “Return of the Suits”, to be held at the Troxy in East London to raise money for children learning to box at local gyms.
“Trading and financial markets are competitive places, and boxing doesn’t half help to get the aggression out,” Bank of America’s Nathan Coleman, who’ll be taking part in the event, tells me. “Plus we’ve all lost on average 5-10 kilos over the past few months – the knowledge we’re going to be getting up there in the ring in front of all of our mates is a pretty good incentive.”
MONEY FOR NOTHING
Hats off to Californian lawyer Donald Costello, who has knocked Englishman Alex Tew off his pedestal of the person who’s made the most money by doing virtually nothing at all.
Tew developed the Million Dollar Homepage when he was a student, where the concept involved selling space on his own homepage at $1 per pixel. But though he eventually made his million and inspired a whole new wave of internet advertising, Costello has made far more cash simply by designing a logo.
He set up the “Million Dollar Advocates Forum” back in 1993 and opened up membership to any lawyer who succeeds in landing a judgment of over $1m for a client, charging the gullible litigators $1,200 each to use his logo. Apparently, around 4,000 members have already paid out, meaning a bumper $5m payday for Costello. Hardly to be sniffed at, is it?
ARTY FARTY
Calling all arty types keen to branch out from business and develop their literary talents. Literary agent Melanie Greer is planning an anthology of 12 short stories written by Square Milers, destined to become a “chronicle of the City at the current time”.
Greer tells me she’s already started her search at Freshfields, Slaughter & May and Allen & Overy, playing on lawyers’ fondness for the written word, but contributors from all walks of City life are welcome. Budding fiction writers should contact [email protected].