HMV, the embattled high street retailer, has sold its Waterstone’s book chain for £53m to Russian billionaire Alexander Mamut’s investment company.
More than 100 Whitehall press staff could be called upon for the 2012 Olympics, UK’s largest media event. More than 100 press officers from various government departments could be redeployed to man a specialist Olympics press office in 2012.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is considering proposals to borrow press officers from across Whitehall’s understaffed comms units, as it prepares to host the UK’s largest media event.
Arianna Huffington has joined the board of directors of the Spanish newspaper, El País. El País , a company of Prisa News, is available in the main Spanish speaking markets via print, online, electronic formats and through social networks.
Mediacom has bolstered its sports and entertainment sponsorship division with the appointment of Rory Maxwell as associate director. Maxwell will serve Mediacom’s existing clients and establishing the agency’s sponsorship service within the sport and entertainment industry.
Amsterdam Worldwide has appointed 4Creative’s senior art director Joseph Ernst as creative director. Ernst, who has worked for Channel 4’s in-house communications agency for three-and-a-half years, will work across Amsterdam Worldwide’s international clients, including Intel and Pernod Ricard.
Adam & Eve has appointed DDB London’s Leo Rayman as its first planning director. Rayman, who is the integrated strategy director on DDB’s Volkswagen business, will join Adam & Eve at the end of this month.
FMCG veteran Nick van Holstein is leaving Unilever to join Swedish personal care specialist Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget (SCA), which owns the Bodyform and Velvet brands. Van Holstein is taking on the role of vice-president at SCA personal care, where he will be overseeing brands including Bodyform and Tempo, the paper handkerchief brand.
DEWEY & LEBOEUF
The company appointed Mark Davis and Russell Van Praagh in its London office, as partners in its Private Equity Practice Group.
R.J. O’BRIEN & ASSOCIATES INC
The Chicago-based futures brokerage firm said it promoted Mary Ellen Scanlin and Katie Hanley.
Scanlin, currently Executive Vice President and CEO of the firm’s Introducing Broker (IB) Division, will assume the newly created role of executive vice president, Corporate Development.
Hanley will assume the responsibility of president of the same division.
NOMURA HOLDINGS INC
The investment bank promoted Atsushi Yoshikawa, the current CEO of Nomura’s Asset Management division, to CEO of Nomura Holding America as well as chairman, president and CEO of Nomura Securities International.
Nomura also appointed Naoki Matsuba, currently Americas CEO and joint head of global equities, to lead Nomura’s equities business in partnership with London-based Benoit Savoret.
DIRECT EDGE
The private U.S. trading venue operator hired Thomas McManus as Chief Compliance and Regulatory Officer. He was previously with Barclays Capital.
AMLIN
Amlin AG, the wholly owned subsidiary of British insurer Amlin PLC, appointed Stefan
Materne to its board of directors of in Zurich.
JEFFERIES
The investment banking firm appointed Masakazu Kannaka as fixed income head to be based in Tokyo. He joins from HSBC Securities, where he headed the hedge fund products and sales group.
MF GLOBAL
The cash and derivatives broker-dealer said Lars Olesen has joined as chief operating officer of Europe. He recently worked as head of front office at Saxo Bank.
BRAVURA SOLUTIONS
The provider of transfer agency and wealth management services named Tony Klim as the new group chief executive. Tony joined Bravura three years ago as CEO for Europe, Middle East and Africa.
