THE DAILY BRIEFING

■ FLOAT ROLE

City lawyer Rosenblatt has appointed broker Cenkos Securities ahead of a stock market float. The law firm will join peers Gateley, Gordon Dadds and Keystone on the stock exchange if it goes ahead.

■ LEVY DOUBTS

Just 14pc of employers who pay the apprenticeship levy think it is fit for purpose, a poll by the Institute of Directors shows. The tax was introduced to encourage businesses to take on young staff, by charging everyone to subsidise those which do.

■ ACCOUNTS LAUNCH

Online bank Starling has launched accounts for businesses as it seeks to win a grant funded by a scheme from Royal Bank of Scotland.

■ BIG PAY

The boss of the US finance titan American International Group, Brian Duperreault, who took over last May, pocketed £30.5m for just seven months in charger.

■ AUDITS SWITCH

Accountant Grant Thornton is ditching audits of large companies in the face of fierce competition from the socalled Big Four firms.

It comes amid growing scrutiny of bean counters after scandals were missed at firms such as Tesco and the Co-op Bank.

■ SOFTWARE LISTING

The electronic contract company Docusign, which provides software to businesses and estate agents around the world, is to go public next month. It is valued at more than £2bn.

■ BOARD DEPARTURE

Activist investor Oasis Management has stepped down from the board of Mr Kipling and Super Noodles owner Premier Foods.

■ CHIEF NAMED

Online gift retailer

Not On The High Street has appointed Barrie Seidenberg, former boss of tours and sightseeing firm Viator, as its chief executive. She led the 2014 sale of Viator to Trip Advisor.

■ MINE OPENING

Potash miner Sirius is on track to open its Woodsmith mine in Yorkshire in 2021, with construction ongoing and finance being sorted out. Chief executive Chris Fraser said the project would create thousands of jobs.

■ WATER CHALLENGE

Packaging firm Smurfit Kappa has joined a United Nations initiative to save water, working with brands such as Heineken and Unilever.

■ NEW CHAIRMAN

Oil firm Gulf Keystone Petroleum has appointed Jacobus Huijskes, 52, as chairman to replace Keith Lough, 58.