Podcasts about close brothers

Simon Cooke is a founding shareholder and board member of Catella APAM, with over 40 years of experience in UK commercial real estate. He co-founded APAM in 2009 and he chairs the Investment Committee and shapes strategy, asset management, and client relationships. Simon recently launched the firm's first listed equities fund, securing £102.2 million to target undervalued UK-listed property companies. His background includes senior roles at Deutsche Asset Management, Close Brothers' and CBRE giving him deep insight into both public and private markets. I sat down with Simon, to discuss a broad range of subjects which covered some of the following topics: ·   Early career steps, Rugby and what drew him into a career in real estate ·   The story behind the name "APAM" ·   The value of focusing on your strengths and staying in your lane ·   Starting APAM by capitalising on distressed and receivership opportunities during the GFC ·   Evolving the model to partner with international private equity, by providing asset-level expertise ·   How he and Will built, scaled, and reasons for part exiting to Catella ·   Structuring JV's with partners, and aligning incentives ·   Choosing the right opportunities over chasing sector trends ·   Balancing personal circumstances with professional ambitions ·   Why now is the right moment to launch a UK equity fund Oh and one last question - who are the People, what Property, and in which Place Simon would invest should he have £500m of capital at his disposal. Catch the full episode which is live on Youtube, Spotify and Apple NOW! The People Property Place Podcast

Customer service matters or at least it should matter. Close Brothers Motor Finance, finances thousands of car purchases in Britain and Ireland and they are sponsors of the Customer Service award for the forthcoming Changemakers on Newstalk. Joining Joe in studio this morning was Peter Pedlow, Director of Sales Close Brothers Motor Finance.

In this latest episode of Insurance Bites, partners Greig Anderson and Antonia Pegden and associate Meena Mariadassou explore the insurance implications of the motor finance broker commission cases (Johnson v FirstRand Bank; Wrench v FirstRand Bank; Hopcraft v Close Brothers). The Supreme Court hearing of this case begins this morning, and could have significant consequences for financial services policyholders in the UK - this episode gives an overview of the case, and practical steps to take from a coverage perspective. You can find links to our blogs and podcasts on the cases covered in this podcast below: • Court of Appeal finds lenders liable in motor finance broker commission cases https://www.herbertsmithfreehills.com/notes/insurance/2024-posts/Court-of-Appeal-finds-lender-liable-in-motor-finance-broker-commission-cases- • Secret commissions and indemnity policies: Insurance implications of Court of Appeal broker commissions decision in Johnson v FirstRand https://www.herbertsmithfreehills.com/notes/insurance/2024-posts/secret-commissions-and-indemnity-policies-insurance-implications-of-court-of-appeal-broker-commissions-decision-in-johnson-v-firstrand • High Court confirms 5,800 motor finance claimants can use omnibus claim forms and do not need to issue separate claim forms https://www.herbertsmithfreehills.com/notes/bankinglitigation/2025-03/high-court-confirms-motor-finance-claimants-can-use-omnibus-claim-forms-and-do-not-need-to-issue-separate-claim-forms • Motor Finance: Where are we and where next? https://www.herbertsmithfreehills.com/notes/fsrandcorpcrime/2025-posts/motor-finance--where-are-we-and-where-next

Dan Jones is joined by Alex Newman and Julian Hofmann to discuss the shift away from US shares towards Europe and even the UK – and the implications for investors.Next up, Alex Newman breaks down his Big Read this week on how the ultra-rich invest and what more humble investors can learn from their investing practices.Lastly we turn our attention to UK company reporting and specifically Close Brothers (CBG), whose results this weekprompted a sell-off, with the shadow of motor finance rulings lingering over the company.1:29: The great rotation16:50: The Big Read: Ultra-rich Investors23:51: Close Brothers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over 80% of the UK's SMEs believe apprenticeships are at least partly the solution to the UK's skills gap crisis, with a further 69% of the view apprenticeships are a ‘valuable alternative to university' Four in 10 (44%) feel not enough is being done to encourage young people to consider apprenticeships. The findings are taken from the latest independent research commissioned by Close Brothers Asset Finance and are in support of National Apprenticeship Week (NAW), which highlights the positive impact that apprenticeships make on individuals, businesses and the wider economy. According to a survey by the Learning and Work Institute, around 70% of employers reported a skills shortage in their workforce. The Close Brothers Asset Finance research confirms that 50% of business owners are concerned there's a skills gap in their sector while a further 16% say the issue is regionally based. Over a third (37%) of responding firms report having an apprenticeship scheme of their own, with many (65%) stating that if financial assistance were available from either the government or the private sector to help contribute towards wages and/or training, they would put someone from their company forward to participate in an apprenticeship scheme. The National Apprenticeship Service states that 96% of employers with apprentices have experienced at least one benefit from taking on apprentices, and most can count at least eight benefits. In addition, 74% of employers say that apprentices improved products or service quality, and 78% say that they improved productivity while 73% say that staff morale is improved by having apprentices. Steve Gee, CEO of Close Brothers' Asset Finance's Industrial Equipment Division, said: “As a funder of a number of sectors that rely on apprentices, we've long seen the need and value of apprenticeship schemes, which encourage new talent into industries that really need them.”  “As part of our commitment to the SME community, we've been funding an apprenticeship scheme since 2015, in partnership with the University of Sheffield's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC). Under the scheme, we contribute towards the wages of the apprentices in both the first and second year, with all training costs also covered. “The reality is, it's not cheap for an SME to invest in apprentices – and its important small business owners see it as an investment and not a cost. Handled correctly, apprenticeships can help an SME flourish and, at the same time, develop the individual apprentice.” “I believe we all have a duty to look at where, as ‘UK PLC', we need to concentrate our efforts and money. I would strongly encourage firms to support apprentices – we know first-hand what a hugely positive impact they can have.” Nikki Jones, Director of the University of Sheffield AMRC Training Centre said: “At the AMRC Training Centre, we're transforming lives through apprenticeships. We combine classroom learning and shop floor industrial experience to equip new, young talent with all the skills they need to become the advanced engineers of tomorrow. 

This week, Progressive's Gareth Evans and Jeremy McKeown tackle the investment implications of Trump 2.0. After shocking the world with his suggestion of turning Gaza into the Riveria of the Middle East, Trump has moved on to Ukraine. Such events illustrate how the accepted World order has broken down. Where is the UN in all of this? One outcome has been a new all-time high in the gold price, indicating heightened risks and uncertainties for global investors. The US inflation data also came in hot. Yet, counter-intuitively, it didn't dent the gold bull market, indicating perhaps investor concerns over policy errors or breakdown in the relationship between the Treasury and the Fed. Relative to other monetary metals, gold looks expensive, and silver or platinum might offer better opportunities to protect against fiat money debasement. Not advice; do your own research. China's equity values have recovered strongly after the Deep Seek AI revelations. Alibaba's stock has risen over 40% in less than a month, indicating the impact of the dispersal trade. The UK economy unexpectedly grew in Q4 last year. While negative sentiment surrounds the economy, UK assets remain relatively attractive to global investors. This week, one example of how the UK government prioritises economic growth is emerging in the newsflow of the motor finance and retail sectors. With significant exposure to car loans, Close Brothers and SU made constructive updates this week, indicating that motor finance might avoid the protracted drag on consumer lending that PPI became. Gareth covers the impact of government policy on Progressive clients Secure Trust Bank and Vertu Motors. Looking ahead, we will get UK inflation data next week, which is likely to indicate a flat annual rate of 2.5%. Also, we get Japanese inflation data, and the accompanying risk of the yen carry-trade unwind.

Supreme Court grants Close Brothers permission to appeal landmark ruling on motor finance International Motors boss calls for ‘environmental tax' on ICE vehicles to drive EV demand Tesla wants ‘further strengthening of ZEV mandate' as it lobbies for more expensive ICE cars Vertu boss blasts ZEV Mandate as 1000s cannot collect new petrol cars before Christmas Eden Motor Group sees losses rise by 250% in brutal set of annual accounts Automotive 30% Club gets within touching distance of ambitous '30 by 30′ target Daksh Gupta and Rachel Clift on how to cope with stress in the motor trade

► Get a free share! This show is sponsored by Trading 212! Sign up now and get a FREE fractional share worth up to £100! Use the signup code below to claim your reward. Start your investing journey today with commission-free investing for everyone from Trading212. https://www.trading212.com/Jdsfj/FTSE CAPITAL AT RISK ► Get 15% OFF Finchat.io: Huge thanks to our sponsor, FinChat.io, the best investing toolkit we've discovered! Get 15% off your subscription with code below and unlock powerful tools to analyze stocks, discover hidden gems, and build income streams. Check them out at FinChat.io! https://finchat.io/playingftse/?lmref=iQl2VQ ► Episode Notes: What did Steve W buy this week? Find out on this week's PlayingFTSE Show! Lots to talk about in the last week before the UK Budget. It's a busy show with five bits of quickfire news and four longer pieces to get stuck into. This week's quick stocks are a real mixed bag. Steve D has Barclays, Starbucks, and Renishaw – one up, one down, and one not really anywhere, but is any of them worth a closer look? Steve W has been looking at shares in Unilever and Union Pacific. The second one fell after earnings, but he's got his eye on a special situation coming down the tracks with the first. The Tesla share price climbed a staggering 22% after its latest earnings update. Steve W wants to know why and has been looking into the report. As always, there are two bits – what the company has done and what it's going to do. And there's one thing in particular that Steve thinks the business deserves a lot of credit for… Bloomsbury stock seems to keep going from strength to strength. And the latest trading update was no exception, with strong growth way ahead of expectations. There could well be more to come from this one with accolades coming in from all sides and another six Sarah J. Mass titles in the pipeline. No wonder Steve D's feeling good about things. It's been a very mixed week for the Lloyds share price. Things looked ok in midweek as the company's earnings report came in ok (though less spectacular than Barclays or NatWest). Since then, though, there's real pressure on as a ruling against Close Brothers has raised questions about car loan sales. But is the stock falling 8% in a day a buying opportunity? Enphase shares have had a difficult week after a tough earnings report. At one point, the stock fell 15% as the market took badly to its latest update. The company has a strong position in an industry that looks important, though. And with lower interest rates and a potentially cold winter on the way, is it just a matter of time? Only on this week's PlayingFTSE Podcast! ► What We Consumed This Week: ► Support the show: Appreciate the show and want to offer your support? You could always buy us a coffee at: https://ko-fi.com/playingftse (All proceeds reinvested into the show and not to coffee!) There are many ways to help support the show, liking, commenting and sharing our episodes with friends! You can also check out our clothing merch store: https://playingftse.teemill.com/ We get a small cut of anything you buy which will be reinvested back into the show.... ► Timestamps: 0:00 Intro & Our Weeks 6:05 Quickfire News Start Barclays  8:34 Quick Unilever 11:46 Quick Renishaw 13:46 Quick Union Pacific 16:46 Quick Starbucks 20:02 Tesla 35:22 Bloomsbury 48:16  Lloyds Bank 59:08 Enphase ► Show Notes: What's been going on in the financial world and why should anyone care? Find out as we dive into the latest news and try to figure out what any of it means. We talk about stocks, markets, politics, and loads of other things in a way that's accessible, light-hearted and (we hope) entertaining. For the people who know nothing, by the people who know even less. Enjoy ► Wanna get in contact? Got a question for us? Drop it in the comments below or reach out to us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/playingftseshow Or on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/playing_ftse/ ► Enquiries: Please email - playingftsepodcast@gmail(dot)com ► Disclaimer: This information is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Always consult with a qualified financial professional before making any investment decisions.

MACRO & MICRO - WEDNESDAY 31ST JULY 2024 A daily podcast covering UK Macro & Micro News To receive my weekly tips visit www.sharepickers.com/tips MACRO NEWS "I think we will have to increase taxes in the Budget," Rachel Reeves told the News Agents podcast. She was responding to a question about raising money following her claim on Monday that the previous government left a £22bn "hole" in the public finances. Labour said repeatedly during the election campaign there would be no tax rises on "working people", but the Conservatives had insisted Labour would increase them. Ms Reeves reiterated that the government would not raise VAT, national insurance or income tax, as promised in Labour's manifesto, but she did not rule out increasing inheritance tax, capital gains tax or pension reform. £9BN OF THAT £22BN WAS THE WAGE INCREASES SHE AWARDED TO PUBLIC SECTOR WORKERS! In the last financial year, to March 2024, the government borrowed £122.1bn.  The most recent monthly figures show that borrowing was £14.5bn in June , £3.2bn less than in the same month last year.  The national debt is currently about £2.7 trillion. Business confidence rebounded sharply in July, a survey revealed, as firms felt a renewed sense of optimism about the UK's economic prospects. Overall business confidence jumped by nine points to 50 per cent this month, according to Lloyds' Business Barometer. The rebound in confidence during July brought business confidence back up to May's level, which was the highest level since before the Brexit referendum. Firms reported a much stronger outlook for their trading prospects, with 62% of businesses reporting stronger activity, up from 53 per cent in June. Wider economic optimism, meanwhile, rebounded with 62% of respondents feeling more confident about the economy's prospects. This was up from 55%. The government is set to significantly raise the budget for this year's renewable energy auction, following calls from industry for more support. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband will announce today that the budget will be increased to £1.5bn, up by £500m from last year. The majority of the funding will be available to develop offshore wind power, which the Labour government says it wants to quadruple by 2030. INTEREST RATE DECISION TOMORROW AT MIDDAY The forecast is for a 25 basis point reduction bringing interest rates from 5.25% to 5%. MICRO NEWS COLEFAX GROUP #CFX, an international designer and distributor of furnishing fabrics & wallpapers and owns a leading interior decorating business.  £52M Preliminary Results for the year ended 30 April 2024 Sales increased by 2% to £107m (2023 - £105m) and by 4.8% on a constant currency basis Pre-tax profit decreased by 10% to £7.7m (2023 - £8.5m) - mainly due to higher Fabric Division operating costs and a weaker US Dollar exchange rate Share buyback returned £7.2m of surplus capital to shareholders in September 2023 Cash at 30 April 2024 of £17.8m (2023 - £19.8m) Board is proposing a final dividend of 2.9p (2023 2.8p) making a total for the year of 5.6p (2023 - 5.4p) Fadel Partners, Inc #FADL, the developer of cloud-based brand compliance and rights and royalty management software, provides a trading update for the six months ended 30 June 2024 (1H24). £27M  Half Year Trading Update 1H 24 Financial Highlights Total revenue of $5.3M (1H23: $5.4M). Recurring revenue declined 21% to $3.4m (1H23: $4.3m) Adjusted EBITDA loss increased in 1H FY24 to $3.6M (1H FY23: 2.0M) Cash and cash equivalents stood at $1.9m as of 30 June 2024. Inspiration Healthcare Group #IHC, the global medical technology company, pioneering, specialist neonatal intensive care medical devices, announces its audited results for the year ended 31 January 2024  MCAP = £24m Financial Highlights Group revenue of £37.6m (FY2023: £41.2m) Loss before tax of £5.7m they say £4.5m is non-recurring Net debt increased to £6.0m (FY2023: £3.8m) Light Science Technologies Holdings #LST, comprising three divisions: controlled environment agriculture; contract electronics manufacturing ("CEM") and passive fire protection, announces its unaudited interim results for the six months ended 31 May 2024. MCAP = £9M Financial Highlights Revenue of £5.2m for the Period, up 19.3% (H1 2023: £4.4m) Gross margins increased to 26.6%, a rise of 27.3% (H1 2023: 20.9%) Loss before tax reduced by 58.4% to £0.3m (H1 2023: £0.8m) Agreed new terms with Close Brothers for £850,000 Group debt facility which will enable further growth capabilities Group cash at 31 May 2024 was £1.05m with additional undrawn funds availability of approximately £0.5m under debt facilities with Close Brothers.     Narf Industries #NARF, the cybersecurity group specialising in high-end threat intelligence and critical infrastructure security, announce that its Audited Financial Results for the 15-month period ended 31 March 2024    £18M OVERVIEW Increased total revenue 200% to $7.6 million LBT $1.4M Extended line of credit with the CEO to 31 July 2025 and increased facility from $2 million to $2.5 million They do say they will probably need to raise funds either via joint venture or via equity fundraise. To receive my weekly tips visit www.sharepickers.com/tips PLEASE DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH. NOTHING I WRITE IN THE BLOG SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS INVESTMENT ADVICE OR AN ENDORSEMENT OF THE COMPANIES MENTIONED. I PERSONALLY HOLD A POSITION IN THIS COMPANY BUT I HAVE A DIVERSIFIED PORTFOLIO AND A STRATEGY THAT MANAGES MY RISK. ANY COMMENTARY SHOULD BE CONSIDERED SUBJECTIVE. THIS SHOULD BE THE STARTING POINT OF YOUR RESEARCH, NOT THE BE-ALL AND END-ALL.

The FTSE 100 has opened flat, with the largest gain coming from multinational consumer goods heavyweight Unilever. The company lifted more than 5% in early trading after launching plans to sack 7,500 workers as part of an overhaul of its ice cream business. Over in the pharmaceutical industry, AstraZeneca revealed its intention to buy oncology group Fusion for £1.9 billion, a nearly 125% premium to the US-listed group's closing price on Monday. Close Brothers soared close to 10% after it unveiled saving measures, including the freezing of its dividend, to ensure it has £400 million in capital to deal with an FCA review into unfair car loans. Early risers include Reckitt Benckiser, which was up following a sharp fall on Friday after it was ordered to pay US$60 million in damages as part of a baby formula case. In macro news, Japan was the first of the leading economies to jig its interest rates in this month's meeting, rising from -0.1% to 0%. Both the UK and US central banks are due to meet this week to discuss rates but the two are expected to keep them unchanged. #ProactiveInvestors #marketreport #ftse #ftse100 #footsie #unilever #astrazeneca #closebrothers #reckitbeckiser #invest #investing #investment #investor #stockmarket #stocks #stock #stockmarketnews

This time on The Investors Round Roland Head, Mark Simpson, and Graham Neary discuss how they analyse company accounts, the latest news from Hargreaves Lansdown (HL) and the investment potential of Plus500 (PLUS), Jet2 (JET2) and Close Brothers (CBG). A healthy three-way debate about the shares they own, their portfolios, and the markets. Timestamps: 1:10 Round table discussing Hargreaves Lansdown (HL). 11:00 Round table discussing Plus500 (PLUS) 22:55 Round table discussing Jet2 (JET2) 38:00 Round table discussing Close Brothers (CBG) Thank you for listening, we hope you enjoyed the episode. If you like this episode, please let us know by subscribing for future company reviews and insightful conversations about portfolio management and stock analysis. Roland Mark & Graham Resources:   Visit FYR for more investors related podcasts: https://www.fundyourretirement.com/ Follow Roland on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rolandhead Visit Roland's Dividends Investing website here: https://www.rolandhead.com/ Follow Mark on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DangerCapital Buy Marks Book here: http://excellentinvesting.org/ Follow Graham on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GrahamNeary Join Graham's Substack newsletter here: https://theinvestorinstitute.substack.com/   Disclaimer: This presentation is for educational purposes only. All opinions and information are for demonstrational purposes and do not constitute investment advice. Trading and investing carries a high level of risk and are not right for everyone. If you need financial advice, consult with a regulated financial adviser in your country before making any decisions.

Alle Infos zu ausgewählten Werbepartnern findest du hier. Aktien + Whatsapp = Hier anmelden.  Lieber als Newsletter? Geht auch.  Das Buch zum Podcast? JETZT BESTELLEN.  NVIDIA und Buffett zeigen ihr Depot. Fastly, Oatly und Close Brothers zeigen ihre schwachen Zahlen. Die Commerzbank, Stellantis und Renault tun das Gegenteil. Außerdem wird Temenos von einem Leerverkäufer attackiert. Letztes Jahr hat die New York Community Bank (WKN: 889375) noch eine Bank in der Krise gekauft. Jetzt ist sie es selbst. Wir erklären die Hintergründe. Wette niemals gegen Brad Jacobs. Denn diese milliardenschweren High-Performer hat er gegründet: United Rentals (WKN: 911443), GXO (WKN: A3CU51), RXO (WKN: A3DX25), XPO (WKN: A1JHUP). Diesen Podcast vom 16.02.2024, 3:00 Uhr stellt dir die Podstars GmbH (Noah Leidinger) zur Verfügung. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Andy has been on a fascinating food journey: from working class Liverpool to meat-centred rugby playing, to systematically studying the science of food and health. This eventually took him to veganism, in a very reasoned way…   You could say Andy is a National Treasurer – he was the Group Treasurer at Nationwide Building Society for many years… He now plays the same role at merchant bank Close Brothers. In this episode he talks about his changing relationship with food, how he uses cooking as a leadership development tool and about his chosen recipe of Shakshuka.   In part 2 you will hear my daughter Valentine and I go through the recipe, discuss where it comes from, what it should look and taste like and how to cook both a basic and an advanced version.   Bon Appetit.   “This team worked together in a tiny little kitchen and learned an awful lot about each other” – Andy Townsend   You'll hear about:   00:42 - The role food plays in Andy's life 05:55 - Is Andy a cook or a spectator? 10:09 - Links between Andy's food choices and his leadership style                        14:17 - The Madeleine questionnaire 17:23 - Andy's final thoughts on food, leadership… and wine 20:40 - François and Valentine's tips to make a great Shakshuka     Andy's Shakshuka Recipe:   https://www.mailplus.co.uk/edition/food/you-food/301373/vegan-falafel-shakshuka   Episode resources:   East by Meera Sodha - https://www.amazon.co.uk/East-Vegetarian-recipes-Bangalore-Beijing-ebook/dp/B07P9TQ8G7?ref_=ast_author_dp   Chef John - https://www.youtube.com/foodwishes   Find out more about Andy:   LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-townsend-2a3148a5/?originalSubdomain=uk   Contact François:   LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/francoismoscovici/

If you invested all of your tuition in Apple stock, last time I checked, it was about $22 million.20 YEARS IN PERSPECTIVE:Just over ten years ago I set up my own business with a partner from INSEAD and another friend to build, own and operate renewable energy power stations in the UK.We invested about a half a billion dollars at that time, had some great successes. I moved then to the States in 2017 to set up our US business and that business has become a solar developer.Hardest for me has been navigating macroeconomic trends and changes.Mostly we wanted to have healthy and happy families. And so that was always the first priority.When we started the business I always wanted to protect myself from failure, so I spent a lot of time thinking about downside solutions and managing through crisis and having backup plans, which has served me very well. I didn't plan for success in the same way. And it's just now that I'm starting to realize that thinking about what you're going to do when things go well is just as important, as thinking about how to manage when things go badly.ON TOPIC: Renewable energy, sustainability, regenerative agricultureWhen I started in renewables, I was slightly kidding that nobody knew what they were doing, but only slightly.It was a time when renewable energy was an exciting place to be, there weren't a lot of very capable professionals in it, which is why I could fit in so well and there was a huge amount of profit to be made from doing it and so we set up a renewable energy investment business.Now energy isn't renewable energy, renewable is just part of the mix, in fact it's the cheapest part of the mix, it's the most economically obvious part for everyone to build and it's where the investment capital is going in.There is clearly still economic opportunity left in renewable energy and because of inflation reduction act and similar policies around the world and a need for battery storage and potentially a new hydrogen economy and grid upgrades requirements, there's still a lot of work to do.We used to look at curves for solar and wind deployment globally and in the UK when we were starting the business. And every time you looked at a forecast curve for deployment, it was significantly understated.And so the drive now, which is an economic drive as opposed to just an ethical drive, is creating big change in the sector and I see a path towards significant change in the grid structure to a much, much higher use of renewable energy. And then the same thing on the automotive side and transport side.That transfer from people feeling obliged to change to things becoming mass market, I can feel that change happening. I know it's not going to happen as quickly as we need it to happen and I would like it to be quicker, but I think good people are working on these problems and consumers want change and so I'm hopeful.In renewables that was driven by subsidy; in regenerative organic farming that's driven by consumers' willingness to pay. And so the fact that organic produce in the US costs significantly more than non-organic is because consumers see value in that.Soil is a natural sink of carbon, there are lots and lots of studies that suggest that it could be the solution, the silver bullet to stopping climate change by effectively putting carbon back into the soil and so that's a core tenet of regenerative farming.All THINGS INSEAD AND GIVING BACKINSEAD has been a huge part of my work life since I started and it's been fundamental to what's happened over the last 20 years. And so I had a great time there, I continue to have a great time with other people all the time and I know how unbelievably lucky I was to be able to go and be able to afford it

As European and US indices turned lower last week, investors were left pondering: can multiple financial rescues and a government budget keep a hibernating bear at bay?Last autumn, UK pension funds that use liability driven investing as a core investment strategy were the first to experience a mismatch in assets and liabilities, necessitating a liquidity backstop. The Bank of England had to step in with a short-term quantitative easing program to prevent a crash in the gilt market and stabilise the UK pension sector.Fast forward from last year to the present day, and three US banks have failed, demonstrating that the banking sector is not immune to the harsh realities of quantitative tightening. The troubles these banks faced were not triggered by a disastrous mini budget but rather a fall in the value of crypto currency assets. Nonetheless, a mismatch in assets and liabilities has resulted once more albeit in a different sector. Each bank has had its own White Knight come along to the rescue in the form of a bid from a competitor or a ‘bailout'. Although the US Federal Reserve (“Fed”) has been careful not to use that word, all the while emphasising support is going directly to depositors - not to the banks...Stocks featured:Close Brothers, Credit Suisse, Direct Line, Prudential and UBSTo find out more about the investment management services offered by Walker Crips, please visit our website:https://www.walkercrips.co.uk/This podcast is intended to be Walker Crips Investment Management's own commentary on markets. It is not investment research and should not be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy, sell or trade in any of the investments, sectors or asset classes mentioned. The value of any investment and the income arising from it is not guaranteed and can fall as well as rise, so that you may not get back the amount you originally invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Movements in exchange rates can have an adverse effect on the value, price or income of any non-sterling denominated investment. Nothing in this podcast constitutes advice to undertake a transaction, and if you require professional advice you should contact your financial adviser or your usual contact at Walker Crips. Walker Crips Investment Management Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and is a member of the London Stock Exchange. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode, Pete will be reminiscing about his career with Close Brothers before he departs in December. We will be also be discussing the general health of the used car market, agency model & at long last that review of Craig's new bed! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/thedopcast/message

“The common element is very similar between organisations. What you need to understand is the environment you're working within, the stakeholders that you have and their agendas.”Between impressively varied roles at Fulham FC, Harrods & and Allianz, Nick Brazier is evidence that when you understand your environment, third party management demands a similar skillset.Having now set up a third party management function at Close Brothers, Nick joins us on Talent Talks to break down the fine balance between risk management and agility, the need for a properly structured team, and how our industry can act to improve the talent pool.This episode of Talent Talks covers:Balancing risk management with agility and entrepreneurialismCreating a 3rd party management framework with buy-in across the organisationThe need for a properly structured team, making the most of everyone's skill setsTalent acquisition, and what the industry can do to attract more great candidatesThis episode of Talent Talks is sponsored by Nutral. Through their neutral vendor managed service, Nutral offers an easier, streamlined way to achieve better fulfilment, improved quality, 100% visibility & control of expenditure, less risk, and bottom-line savings. They place the interests of customers first when selecting suppliers – every time. Find out more at https://nutral.uk/Links and references at: https://talentdrive.co.uk/

In this episode you will hear Sebastian's insights about a challenge: Why open banking initiative works everywhere except banking. We've also talked about real time data for credit portfolio monitoring, credit risk management and collections. Sebastian Ptasznik is Head of IFRS9 and Non-IRB Risk Validation at Close Brothers as well as the NED at Airslip. He is an Experienced Senior manager with 12+ years of experience working for tier 1 banks, leading global advisory and technology companies. Proven track record of delivering complex analytical projects in multiple locations (UK, Singapore, Australia, France, Poland) working with geographically dispersed teams. If you want to be our guest, or you know some one who would be a great guest on our show, just send your email to info@globalriskconsult.com with a subject line “Global Risk Community Show” and give a brief explanation of what topic you would like to to talk about and we will be in touch with you asap

Richard Hollowood and Jim Mann from Close Brothers join me today to speak more in-depth about where to put your money in both the short and long term. We chat about off shore and the pros and cons, Pensions, the difference between Investment Adviser, Wealth Manager and a Relationship Manager. Jim joined Close Brothers in September 2021 to manage a range of global portfolios for offshore institutional and private clients and is based in Guernsey. Jim trained as an equity analyst and worked for Merrill Lynch in London and Boston, USA. He has had extensive experience of running institutional global equity portfolios since 2004. Jim has also worked within a UHNW Family Office, and most recently at BNP Paribas Investment Management. Jim graduated from the University of Exeter with a BSc (Hons) in Mathematical Statistics and Operational Research. Richard Hollowood is a Managing Director based in Guernsey, having joined the organisation in 2006. Prior to joining Close Brothers Asset Management, Richard was a Private Client Investment Manager at Singer and Friedlander for three years and gained over six years of institutional investment experience managing US and Global equities with Mercury Asset Management and AXA Investment Managers.

“Customer-first, not digital-first. Work in the shoes of your customers and figure out what they want for today and tomorrow.” Those are the sage words of Andrew Clayton, Head of Customer Experience at Close Brothers. Having previously worked as an executive across multiple sectors for the past 30 years, Andrew provides us with some great insight into how organisations can handle the gap between those who benefit from the Digital Age and those who don't. Emma and Andrew discuss how to create a ‘design tribe' that sits within teams and units across the business, how to identify, approach and support ‘vulnerable customers' and some of the future challenges for organisations going through this transformation. There is loads of value for any CX exec leading teams in the digital age, so we hope you enjoy the show. -- SHOWNOTES: Introduction Been leading transformation for the last 15 years across financial services, utilities and healthcare Focused on how to drive sustainable customer organic growth How to bring brand and purpose together Purpose is the new buzzword, but how do you bring it to life for your customers and people every day? Make the purpose resonate with everyone in the organisation Reinforce it through your comms channels every day How do you bring purpose to life every day Put your customer at the centre of your decision-making Bravery to say we let the customer down That covers not just the customer, but your wider brand It covers your people experiences as well It all works together as one How has the digitalisation of the financial services industry impacted CX? You need to be sensitive where digital makes sense in a relationship-based business You need to dissect the customer journey end to end Augment the journeys, not replace them And involve the right people to make that change Deciding which journeys need humans, and which should be digital (or both?) Walk in the shoes of your customers Understand how the journey feels for each segment Where can digital demonstrate value How do you manage and govern those journeys How do you involve the customers with the testing? Different industries are at different stages of test and learn It's a critical part as they experience the outcome Customer labs can really help But the caution is- make sure you've got the right team so they're ready to be implemented when they can scale What skillsets enable digital customer experiences? You need to democratise skills in the organisation It can't be done with a centre of expertise I've created a ‘design tribe' that sat within teams and units across the business Getting cultural buy-in across the organisation It's a daily job of leaders to reinforce the purpose Make sure you pick out highlights of great work Are we ensuring the changes we are making are positively affecting the purpose around customer? Going from bricks and mortar to fully digital They need to be humancentric AND digitally-enabled There are touchpoints where we can digitalise and remove friction High volume transactions that don't bring value to the customer can be alleviated by automation For B2B - how can we use digital tools to enable sales and accounts (internally) Employee journey for that digital transformation It's always hard to change peoples behaviours in day to day work Engage and involve them so they can see the value early Lots of training, support, coaching and communication It's a change project in itself Ensuring customers are embracing the changes Your ‘listening post' needs to always be on You need the ingredients and accountability to own the feedback and action it AI is great for high volume simple transactions which make things easier The biggest challenge is to make omnichannel works  How to identify, approach and support ‘vulnerable customers'  You need to identify who they are first and in what form Understanding what the needs are i.e. different interactions Equip your agents with the emotional intelligence to identify them Commitment from leadership top-down that it's key The greatest challenge when digitalising customer experience It's not a tech challenge, it's a people challenge - both internally (your people) and customer Make sure you have the capabilities in place within your organisation, creating the right teams to co-create and innovate ‘Digital garages' aren't the answer- involve the right people from day one What keeps you motivated to keep pushing ‘customer first' I'm passionate about helping companies grow and doing the right thing for customers And working with customers who put purpose and values at the centre of the organisation There is still a lot to do! Using Covid as an excuse to not deliver a good customer experience People have long memories and they won't be able to hang onto those excuses What are the future battlegrounds and innovations in the world of customer? Delivering a great brand experience and continuing to earn trust Sustainability and diversity agendas Are your products fair value? Use of data and predictive analytics Tackling society challenges - need to think beyond your own organisations Demonstrating the value of CX to drive retention and positive referrals --- Find the full show notes and episode description here: https://www.sullivanstanley.com/insights/the-cx-podcast-the-digital-divide-with-andrew-clayton

Ian Thomas is managing director at Turquoise International. Founded in 2002, the merchant bank specialises in venture capital investments in energy, environment and efficiency, and offers both corporate finance advisory and investment management services. Before joining the team in 2004, Ian worked as an investment banker focused on the energy sector for Close Brothers, Flemings and Deutsche Bank. In this in-depth conversation, Ian reflects on the initial career challenge of figuring out the way the City worked in the 1990s; discusses his role at Turquoise, and why the founders decided almost 20 years ago to “focus on the new area of clean energy technology;” and shares long-term plans to expand and grow the business even further in the next 5–10 years.

James Gillingham is the Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder of FINXFLO, the world's first Regulated Hybrid Liquidity Aggregator. The platform is launching in August but traders can sign up now. Why you should listen: After an injury brought a promising football career to an end, James worked at Close Brothers, and International Asset Management, before founding JageroFX, a startup delivering automated trading algorithms. Having spent his career identifying problems in the financial markets, James then founded FINXFLO to provide solutions for crypto traders. FINXFLO is described as the world's first hybrid DeFi/CeFi liquidity and protocol aggregator. Using only one account with one KYC, users are now able to utilize liquidity from 25+ CeFi and DeFi platforms through a single user interface.  Supporting links: FINXFlow Nexo Andy on Twitter  Brave New Coin on Twitter Brave New Coin If you enjoyed the show please subscribe to the Crypto Conversation and give us a 5-star rating and a positive review in whatever podcast app you are using.

Paul Denman has had long career in private banking and wealth management based throughout this time in the City of London. Paul has a very in depth knowledge of the private client world having had long stints at Coutts, Hambros and Arbuthnot Latham before joining Close Brothers Asset Management in 2019. His roles have always had a people focus and have often involved working with different generations of families and helping them manage their financial universe. He is also well known in the world of historic motor racing having joined his passion for classic cars with his professional life and is often seen in the paddock at many events across the UK and mainland Europe. He is just as absorbed by the people involved in this sector as he is the cars themselves. Paul is a freeman of the City of London and is a member of two City livery companies. In his spare time he is also a director of a charity in Tunbridge Wells, Kent which supports numerous charitable causes in the local vicinity. Having been chairman of this charity in the past and having led teams in his professional life, Paul has plenty of experience in how different people tick and how to get the best from them. His leadership tip – listen to everyone, not just the loudest person in the room and treat everyone fairly. #InspiringLeadership #leadership #CEO #MotivationalSpeaker #teamcoach #InclusiveLeadership #Boards See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode Jason talks to Viktor Kazinec, Head of Analytics at Close Brothers, to discuss the value of working closely with external stakeholders on data science solutions. They discuss how to choose data projects that can prove and add value, the success drivers of a team, managing and gaining buy-in from internal and external stakeholders, and creating high-performing data science teams.

Philip Webster, Director and Portfolio Manager for European Equities at BMO Global Asset Management joins IGTV’s Victoria Scholar on this week’s podcast. Phil looks after the BMO UK High Income Trust and invests in a concentrated number of companies. He discusses the investment opportunity in stocks such as Wizz Air, ASOS and Close Brothers. Phil also explains why after a period when UK assets have been largely unloved, he is optimistic on the outlook for UK investments as headwinds such as Brexit and Covid-19 start to subside. Any opinion, news, research, analysis, or other information does not constitute investment or trading advice. Follow us on Twitter @IGTV

Nadia is delighted to be joined by Anna Burgess, Senior Service Delivery Manager at Close Brothers, for this episode of the ground-breaking Women of Fintech Podcast Series.Anna's rather unique background and subsequent success in FinTech makes for a fascinating conversation around diversity of experience and the core traits needed to excel in the industry. We also take a look at the initiatives at Close Brothers that ensure the mental health of their employees is high on the agenda.  Anna also shares her thoughts on the changing nature of networking and the importance of inclusion in such events that will be integral to rectifying the gender imbalance in FinTech.

James Gillingham joins us to discuss how Finxflo helps you to get the best rates and prices from CeFi and DeFi protocols through one account   James is one of the co-founders and Chief Executive Officer of Finxflo. James is engaged in developing and implementing strategic plans and company policies, maintaining an open dialogue with stakeholders and driving organizational success. He is an expert in managing and executing high-level strategic objectives with more than 13 years’ experience in building, developing and expanding multinational organizations. His deep knowledge of financial markets, digital currencies and fintech has played a pivotal role in his success to date.   After a compound fracture brought a promising football career to an abrupt halt, it didn’t take long for James to bounce back, swiftly winning a place at Close Brothers, one of the UK’s leading merchant banking groups, before being headhunted to work for International Asset Management, one of the oldest independent asset management firms in the world, managing USD 4 billion of funds. James left that company to found JageroFX, a highly successful London-based startup delivering sophisticated automated trading algorithms. James built the company from the ground up and sold it for a lucrative sum to a group of investors at the age of 23. In his free time James enjoys boxing, golf, volunteering at orphanages and running business mentorship programs for young adults.

As part of our series on the Psychology of Cyber, we're joined by special guests, Rebecca McKeown and Swati Singh to discuss the human challenges that are inherent in cyber crises. We take a deep dive into how do organizations prepare for the worse – and how their all important human capabilities factored in. https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccamckeowncpsychol/ (Rebecca McKeown) is a Psychologist specialising in how humans respond in pressurised situations. She is a guest lecturer at Cranfield University and has worked with the UK's Ministry of Defence to help the armed forces build more agile human assets. https://www.linkedin.com/in/swati-singh-79a54219/ (Swati Singh) is the Head of Business Information Security and Resilience at Close Brothers, and has 20 years of IT industry experience working in multinational companies. Oh and we have Chief Cyber Officer, Max Vetter too, who might pipe up at some point...

On today's podcast we speak to CEO of Recognise Financial Jason Oakley.  Jason has had a stellar 35 year career in Banking, starting at Natwest/RBS before moving to Close Brothers before becoming one of the early employees at Metro. Jason helped grow the loan book from £60m to £2.5bln in the near 3 years he was there.  Jason is now setting up his own bank as he feels there is a huge area of need in the UK - serving SME's.  Hear how the bank is ready to go and make it's mark in the UK.  You can find him on Linkedin @JasonOakley or his email is jason@cityoflondongroup.com We'd love our listeners to recommend people for the show so if you know anyone please do send them our way. Also please do leave us a review or a rating on iTunes as these are always greatly appreciated.  We want to hear your comments feedback & suggestions -  email us at hello@engagefs.co.uk and or check out our website www.engagefs.co.uk

On this episode Jordan Puri - Finance Account Manager @ Close Brothers joins me to share his story! "Understand What You're Worth" is his foundation so get ready and enjoy Jordan's story!YOUR INTENTION MATTERS...because that's the result you'll tend to get! www.everestperformance.com

On this episode of the ground-breaking Women of Fintech Podcast series, Nadia is joined by Dr. Louise Ryan, Service and Delivery Manager at Close Brothers.Discussing her journey to her current position, including her perception of the industry prior to joining, Dr. Louise shares her fascinating story of development and progression. From giving back to the next generation, to disclosing how to truly walk the talk, Dr. Louise's insightful episode is not to be missed!

By Ian Barker, Managing Director of Close Brothers Asset Finance For the past decade, Close Brothers Asset Finance has been surveying businesses in the manufacturing and engineering sector on a quarterly basis, tracking a variety of business indicators and using that data. Now, we have launched our Business Sentiment Index (BSI). This analysis certainly provides some interesting statistics. The BSI provides a score that is calculated and based upon business owners’: Appetite for investment in their business in the coming 12 months Access to finance and whether they’ve missed a business opportunity due to a lack of available finance Views about the UK’s economic outlook Thoughts on their likely performance in the coming 12 months  Here, I will analyse both the reasons for the current score and also take a look back to 2016 and analyse the reasons for any fluctuations. In January, the confidence of the sector was at its highest following the election and certainty around leaving the EU. This was echoed in various indices and anecdotally as well. Then came COVID-19 and unsurprisingly, the outlook changed almost 180 degrees, with the score falling to 7.5, the lowest figure registered for the sector. This even surpasses the impact of the elongated ‘soft’ Brexit uncertainty. All that being said, some things don’t change. Sentiment in our industry still tracks higher than the UK average, as it has consistently done, historically. Unpicking the data Starting with ‘investment appetite’, the number of firms looking to secure funding for investment remained remarkably stable with an almost identical number both post-lockdown (69%) and pre-lockdown (72%). This is not about companies wanting loans purely to survive. Business owners are looking beyond the immediate and are still confident they want to invest to grow and that it’s in their best interests to do so. It’s encouraging business bosses are still ambitious and are thinking beyond the short and medium-term. Missed opportunities The next measure that forms an important component of the BSI score looks at whether a company has missed a business opportunity in the last 12 months because of a lack of available finance. The figure for ‘missed opportunities’ has remained very stable, with only a nominal increase in companies missing out; although we expect this to widen the longer the economy takes to recover. Economic outlook Predictably, respondents’ views about the economy contributed most to the dip in the latest BSI figure. In January, 77% of those in manufacturing who took part in the research felt positive about the prospects for the UK’s economy; by the end of April, this had fallen to 46% as the lockdown measures continued to take effect. Predicted business performance We ask business owners to predict how their firm is going to perform in the coming 12 months, and the differences between January and April is clear. The number of firms looking to expand has halved while those expecting to contract has more than tripled. Summary Yes, these are troubled times, but business sentiment has been at these levels before. We must not forget that for nearly two years from April 2018 business sentiment was high and there should be no reason why we can’t return to those levels. We remain realistically optimistic about what the future will hold and look forward to renewing acquaintances when the time is right.  How we’ve been helping… We are among a number of funders approved to offer CBILS (Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme) loans aimed at helping firms through this difficult time. CBILS can provide working capital for smaller businesses in the UK that are experiencing lost or deferred revenues due to Coronavirus. Under the scheme, we can offer government-backed facilities between £1,000 and £5m to businesses and professionals using our current finance facilities. How does CBILS work? If your otherwise viable business has been adversely impacted by COVID-19 and the provision of finance will enable you to trade out of any short-to-medium term difficulties, we may be able to provide you with additional lending that you would otherwise not have access to by using our suite of asset finance products. The facility is underwritten, approved and managed by Close Brothers and repayments are paid directly to us, just like any other business loan. We offer CBILS facilities of up to £5m over a maximum term of six years. For eligibility criteria and further details, please visit www.closeasset.co.uk/CBILS.

Julie Sharpe, one of our real estate Senior Associates in Cheltenham is joined by Kristina Appleby, an Associate from Savills and Mark Ryan, a manager from Close Brothers. In this podcast, they focus on development finance and discuss: • How the current crisis has affected the property finance industry • Changes to lending appetite, asset classes and LTVs • General market valuation issues • Market uncertainty clauses • Areas for opportunity and the legacy left by Covid-19 on valuation and lending

Wes is the co-founder of Total Chatbots Ltd, a technology company based in Glasgow. Total Chatbots uses its proprietary technology to help tour businesses generate and nurture leads using chatbot technology that can function across both a website and Facebook. Their previous travel-sector related work includes a chatbot for Celebrity Cruises as part of the European launch of Celebrity Edge in May 2019. They are also in discussions with Travel Counsellors regarding a chatbot for their annual conference in November. Wes' previous background was in automotive, where he worked for Close Brothers, Honda UK and Peugeot Motor Company. However, his love for technology and the introduction of chatbots in 2016 by Facebook, led him to pursue his passion in this area, to help businesses of all types grow using chatbot and marketing automation technology. Wes is a double alumni of Strathclyde University, having graduated in 2003 with a MEng Engineering with Business Management, followed by an MBA in 2015. We will be discussing how Chatbots can help grow your business through active learning and debunking some myths and concerns along the way. 

Editor Sian Barton and commissioning editor Laurence Eastham look at the stories that caused a stir in the fortnight commenting 26 August 2019. The top stories were: 1) Swinton closures don’t tell full story, says Donaldson 2) FCA warns of Close Brothers clone 3) Finch buys Bridle Insurance in biggest deal yet 4) GRP exploring sale and reinvestment options 5) Fujitsu sets sights on disrupting insurance

Leah, current Head of Internal Communications at Close Brothers and Director of Humanize Communications, comes with a story that is unique to Daddy Issues. This episode not only addresses fatherlessness, but also motherlessness. Leah was orphaned by the tender age of 3 from a car accident in which both she and her brother survived. Leah's story is one which will not only move you, make you laugh and inspire you, but also one that is full of surprises, touching on grief in a way Daddy Issues has yet to explore.

Kevin and Karlon Bonsu, otherwise known as The Flag Twins, are two of the most inspirational people I've had the pleasure to meet. In true millennial fashion, their exciting modelling career is purely their 'side-hustle'. By day, Karlon is a banker at Close Brothers, whilst Kevin focuses on their outrageously trendy magazine, 'Mission Statement'. Five years ago, when they were 15, they lost their Dad to cancer.

The vast majority of us are suffering from money worries, with more than three quarters of employees saying money worries impact them at work. That's according to new research from Close Brothers, who found 25 million people in the UK are affected by money worries at work and two in five employees worry about their finances always or often. That's a huge issue and I'm pleased to welcome onto the show today Jeanette Makings, Head of Financial Education at Close Brothers. Jeanette explains that money worries don't just affect your financial health; they are one of the single biggest causes of stress, impacting mental and physical health if left unchecked. There's a big issue here for businesses too, with money worries resulting in lower productivity, higher absenteeism and higher staff costs; all factors which hurt business performance. Here’s my conversation with Jeanette Making, head of financial education at Close Brothers, in episode 393 of Informed Choice Radio.

Camilla Kwong joins us and discusses her thoughts on technology, "Sometimes, when they talk about technology, even I feel a little bit behind nowadays. When I play on my iPhone and stuff, they'll show me new tricks and new apps and they're just so innovative nowadays. We love graduates, we love young people, we love fresh thinking and with a strong IT background, it also makes it work really well because they can actually understand a lot of the technology side of robotics."

Insurance Age’s senior reporter Ida Axling and reporter Emmanuel Kenning discuss the Insurance Age Hack Day, Ardonagh picking up selected renewal rights from Ageas Retail and training in the broking market. Top five stories in the week commencing 23 April 2018: 1) Ardonagh picks up selected renewal rights from Ageas Retail in £7m deal 2) Close Brothers and other creditors to lose out following collapse of Ignition Select 3) Stackhouse Poland buys Honour Point 4) Eldon Insurance states none of its data was used by Leave.eu campaign 5) Is the talent pool drying up?

On Wednesday 5th July 2017, Forever Manchester held its annual Business Supporters Lunch at the Lowry Hotel. The event was kindly sponsored by Close Brothers. Listen to talks from Forever Manchester Chief Executive Nick Massey, Close Brother's Jannette Makings together with Al Mackin (Chair at Forever Manchester). Phil Jones, (Brother UK) and Trevor Mather (Auto Trader). 

In the latest Business Finance Bulletin episode Rob Warlow looks at the latest result from the Begbies Traynor Red Flag report which provides insight into how businesses see their financial condition in the first quarter of 2015. Having the right skill set within a business is often cited as one of the barriers to growth and Rob looks at a new programme from Close Brothers, the asset-based lending bank, and the University of Sheffield designed to support businesses looking to take on apprentices. With many alternative providers of finance looking forward to 2016 when banks will be required to pass on clients they cannot assist, one alternative funding platform reveals the extend of help they think UK small businesses will need. In the Business Finance Tip of the Week Rob chats with sales mentor , author and international speaker Steve Clarke about whether there is any difference between selling products to customers and selling your idea to your bank.