The dastardly Mr Deedes
Staff at brokers Panmure Gordon, now controlled by Bob Diamond’s Africanfocused vehicle Atlas Merchant Capital, nervously await the arrival of new chief executive Ian Axe on Monday. There are fears that ex-Barclays man Axe, 45, a palm greasing protege of Diamond, will implement a brasher working culture at the venerable firm. Of the appointment, an ex-Barclays colleague of Diamond sighs: ‘You do wonder if all that African sun’s got to Bob’s head.’
Santander boss Ana Botin was among Spanish business dignitaries, which also included Telefonica chief Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete, who were invited to Buckingham Palace for the state dinner in honour of the king and queen of Spain. Spicy chica Ana, 56, moved back to Madrid in 2014 after being appointed the bank’s executive chairman, but trips to London are no great strain. She and hubby Guillermo retain a cosy, £25m schloss in ritzy Belgravia.
Michel Barnier won’t be putting the football shirt Jeremy Corbyn presented him with yesterday to much use. The EU negotiator is a vain old goat who one suspects wouldn’t be seen dead in polyester. When City Minister Lord Myners once invited him to the Treasury, Barnier would stop to inspect each painting. Only later did Myners twig the meticulous Frenchman was examining his reflection in the glass to adjust his grizzled toupee.
Burberry staff were instructed to dress all in black for its annual general meeting. Shades of 90s heist movie Reservoir Dogs. New chief executive
Marco Gobbetti, who succeeds Christopher Bailey, should really do away with such naff stunts. Though his pledge yesterday to actually listen to shareholders at least offered some break from the past.
The world’s biggest military air show, The Royal International Air Tattoo, takes place at RAF Fairford today. Airbus’s exuberant corporate affairs vice-president Jeremy Greaves remarks tastefully: ‘It’s the Wimbledon of War, the Ascot of Air power. In fact, it’s the only place in the known universe where stealth and strawberries coexist in perfect harmony.’ Bombs away!