Even the most diehard City watchers could be forgiven for skimming some parts of a company’s annual report.
Many shareholders whizz through these weighty tomes and head straight for the pay section to gawp at the bosses’ bonuses and perks.
But here at Whispers we wade through the detail for interesting nuggets so you don’t have to – and our crack team has unearthed two items of note.
Important: Stefan Bomhard now has a larger proportion of his bonus tied to the success of Imperial Brands’ vaping division
Stefan Bomhard, chief executive of Imperial Brands, now has a larger proportion of his bonus tied to the success of the company’s vaping division, a sign of how important this is to the ciggie-maker.
But we were more impressed with the achievements of WH Smith boss Carl Cowling. Part of his bonus was down to the group developing a high-end food range and a new meal deal.
Time will tell whether this leaves a nasty taste for customers and shareholders.
Amanda Blanc’s sexism comments ‘silenced’
Amanda Blanc was back in the news last week after telling MPs sexism was more ‘amplified’ in finance than in wider society.
But a glitch caused the appearance of the boss of insurer Aviva before the Commons Treasury Committee to blackout online.
It left Fleet Street hacks scrambling to find a recording of the hearing.
How unfortunate that a powerful woman drawing attention to the way female staff have been treated was silenced herself, albeit accidentally.
Labour talking to Currys boss
Alex Baldock, boss of Currys, had plenty to smile about last week after the electronics retailer delivered a strong trading update, receiving a bump to its share price in the process.
But Currys’ investors aren’t the only ones taking note.
Baldock mentioned he had been chatting with Labour’s top team as the party continues its charm offensive in the City ahead of the next General Election.
They seem to have been getting on admire a house on fire.
The Currys boss let slip he has ‘had breakfast more often with Rachel Reeves recently than my wife’.
He is keen to push the case for reform to business rates, a key gripe for British retailers.
The Shadow Chancellor may be riveted, but Mrs Baldock perhaps less so.
WeWork review forgets company went bust
Customers of office space firm WeWork were treated to a ‘year in review’ email: a corporate version of those Christmas Round Robins people used to send, boasting about their holidays and their children’s exam results.
In it, the US firm rattled off a list of statistics from the past 12 months, including how many hours of events had been booked, even how many cups of coffee its tenants drank.
‘Here’s to all the ways you’ll work in 2024,’ the cheery sign-off read.
Despite all the data-gathering, the firm seemed to have forgotten a big event of the past year – the fact it went bust.
Contributors: Francesca Washtell, Emily Hawkins
