Hires | Common News Update

Mar242019 by adminNo Comments

ConvaTec hires Genus chief to heal City wounds

By Mark Kleinman, City editor The embattled‎ medical devices maker ConvaTec will announce a sweeping boardroom overhaul on Monday including the departure of chairman Sir Christopher Gent, one of the most prominent figures in British business.Sky News has learnt that ConvaTec, which has seen its shares slump since listing in 2016, will say that Karim Bitar, currently chief executive of animal genetics company Genus‎, will join it in the same role. His appointment will come ‎more than five months after Paul Moraviec stepped down as the boss of ConvaTec, which makes devices such as catheters and colostomy bags.Mr Bitar's arrival is intended to inject some momentum into a turnaround at the FTSE-250 company, which has a market value of £2....

Dec122018 by adminNo Comments

Indian tycoon hires Beyonce to sing at daughter's party

Entertainment

Indian weddings are renowned for their extravagance and grandeur - but one billionaire has pushed the boat out even further for his daughter's pre-wedding party, hiring Beyonce to sing at it. The 37-year-old Single Ladies singer performed at the elaborate bash in Udaipur, Rajasthan, after being hired by India's richest mogul Mukesh Ambani, whose daughter, Isha, 27, is getting married on Wednesday.She is marrying Anand Piramal, a childhood friend and son of another billionaire tycoon, Ajay Piramal, reportedly at her billion-dollar home in Mumbai - one of the most expensive on the planet. Image: Mukesh Ambani is thought to be worth up to £37.5bn At the pre-wedding celebration, which was attended by the likes of Hillary Clin...

Oct192018 by adminNo Comments

Facebook hires former deputy PM Sir Nick Clegg

Technology

Facebook has hired former deputy prime minister Sir Nick Clegg as head of its global affairs and communications team.The 51-year-old politician was leader of the Liberal Democrats and formed a coalition government with David Cameron and the Conservatives in 2010.Facebook has faced intense scrutiny and the threat of government regulation following the Cambridge Analytica data scandal and alleged election meddling.Several prominent executives have left the company in the last year.Amol Rajan: Why Sir Nick Clegg is joining FacebookSir Nick's new job title will be vice-president of global affairs and communications at Facebook.He will start work on Monday and will spend a week at the company's Menlo Park headquarters, before moving to California with his fami...

Oct112018 by adminNo Comments

Apple hires engineers from UK company Dialog

Technology

Apple is adding 300 computer chip engineers to its team after striking a deal to hire them from one of its British suppliers.It is paying Dialog Semiconductor $ 300m (£227m) for the acquisition, which also includes some of the Reading-based company's patents and facilities.Apple has long used Dialog's products to monitor and control power consumption in its iPhones and iPads.The deal represents one of Apple's biggest takeovers in headcount terms. "Dialog has deep expertise in chip development and we are thrilled to have this talented group of engineers who have long supported our products now working directly for Apple," said the handset-maker's hardware technologies chief Johny Srouji.Staff involved are based in: Swindon L...

Jul202018 by adminNo Comments

NEC-owner hires bankers for £800m sell-off

Business

The group behind some of Britain's biggest exhibitions and events venues has hired bankers to oversee an £800m auction that will generate unprecedented windfalls for its private equity backers. Sky News has learnt that NEC Group, which was sold by Birmingham City Council for just over £300m less than four years ago, has hired Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML) to launch a sale process within weeks.The NEC, which is majority-owned by LDC, the private equity division of Lloyds Banking Group, counts Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre, the International Convention Centre and the Genting Arena among its assets.Sources said that BAML had been appointed to handle the sale partly because of its ability to provide an immediate debt package to the NEC's acquirer.The...