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Recommended minimum resolution: 1280 x 1024 pixels. Executive DynamicsThe CompanyExecutive Dynamics is a knowledge-based Executive Search and Selection and Strategic Consulting business, located in Kenilworth, Warwickshire. Recruitment forms the core part of our business, as expert human capital providers covering the specialist fields of Wealth Management, Financial, Legal and Professional Services, Industry and Commerce, and through our fast-growing Generalist practice. Strategic HR, Coaching and Development Services also form a very important part of our 'offering', available both as stand-alone services to either Corporates or individuals or, in conjunction with our recruitment consulting activities. Our offices, in the very heart of England, make for a pleasant place to work and are conveniently situated at the centre of the UK's road and rail networks: We are only 20 minutes by car from Central Birmingham, the NEC and Birmingham International Airport, and are under an hour by train from London. For both Client and Candidate accessibility, other major conurbations such as Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester and Newcastle can all be reached within very reasonable travelling time. Our Key PeopleRobert WilsonManaging DirectorFounding Partner As founder-shareholder and Managing Director of Executive Dynamics Ltd., Robert also leads the company's Financial, Investment and Professional Services consulting practices. Described by his Clients as being "very much more than just threshold competent", and "a highly experienced key player in the UK Wealth Management recruitment space", Robert has recently been nominated for Private Client Practitioner's "50 Most Influential" working within the UK Wealth Management industry. Possessing a good command of the French language, basic Spanish and rusty Italian, Robert's spare time is devoted to his young family, the occasional round of high handicap golf, long-standing membership of Round Table International and active support of the Birmingham Children's Charity - NICE Eric HoggDirector At the time of moving into the world of Consultancy in 1983, Eric had enjoyed a successful career in HR and was the HR Director of one of the major Groups within GEC. Having spent much of the 70’s involved in Trade Union issues and the early 80’s undertaking major restructuring of the business he came into consultancy with a broad, generalist experience of HR, including, of course, recruitment. Initially he teamed up with a London based ‘Search’ consultancy to broaden the geographical coverage in the Midlands and North regions and develop the ‘Selection’ product as well as introducing other HR related products. In 1988 he founded, with a colleague, the Hogg Clarke Partnership, based in Royal Leamington Spa and focussed on providing recruitment and HR services to the manufacturing and engineering sector. The retirement of his partner, David Clarke, in 2000 prompted a change and following a brief period with another consultancy practice he teamed up with Robert Wilson in 2002 to establish Executive Dynamics. Since then, although continuing to be involved in senior level recruitment, Eric has focussed on strategic HR work for a number of clients in both manufacturing and service related companies. Not surprisingly, given his background, the projects he has been involved in have included restructuring, plant closures, team and individual development, employee surveys and a number of recruitment assignments. As Chair of Governors for a local High School with circa 1000 students, Eric is familiar with the challenges of change and managing people who are volunteers. A Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute, has served on the Birmingham Branch management team since 1985, which keeps him up to date on current management practice, and is currently serving a second term as Chair of the Branch. Bryan WhiteHead of Research Bryan attended Lawrence Sheriff School, the grammar school arm of 'Rugby School,' where he successfully sat his A-Level Politics course two years early. During his final year he was part of a team that reached the regional finals of the 'Young Enterprise Competition' for establishing a company that generated a profit within six months of start-up. He remained at Lawrence Sheriff to complete his A-Level studies, achieving successful grades in History, English Literature, AS Law and also sat an Open University module in 'Social Science.' After Graduating Bryan undertook an interim role as a Property Consultant with a well established local Estate Agent, which gave him exposure to the commercial world prior to, deciding to return to Coventry University and study a Masters Degree in 20th Century History. Modules included 'The Policy of Appeasement', 'The rise and fall of the Third Reich', 'The Vietnam War' and 'African Politics.' His dissertation project was titled 'Assess Germany's responsibility for the outbreak of the First World War' which examined the evolution of German society post unification and Germany's behaviour in the build up to the First World War and how this contributed to the eventual outbreak of war in 1914. This background of academic study and commercial exposure gave an excellent base from which to extend his research skills upon joining Executive Dynamics early in 2011. Since joining he has been instrumental in driving the technology base of the research facility and honing the already excellent research skills within the business. As a 'knowledge' business the quality of our research is a critical factor in our effectiveness and with Bryan's support we continue to develop in this crucial area. Away from work and academia Bryan is a keen Golfer (no matter how badly he plays), an avid fan of Coventry City Football Club and Northampton Saints Rugby Club (no matter how badly they play) and is unashamedly addicted to the History Channel. Tobin LambertResearch Associate Tobin Lambert has over twelve years experience in international executive search, holds an M.A. in Human Resources and is a Graduate Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). Prior to starting in executive search, Tobin's formative career was as an officer in the British Army. On leaving as a Captain, he entered executive search in early 1995 with an Energy & Financial Services boutique – Cripps Sears & Partners. In 1997, after a year's sabbatical studying for his MA, Tobin then joined Korn Ferry as an Associate in their Financial Services and the Energy sector practices. On leaving the company as a Senior Associate in 1999, Tobin joined Preng & Associates - a boutique executive search firm that operates exclusively in the Energy sector. Tobin subsequently joined Norman Broadbent's Energy team as an Account Manager for the Shell Oil Company Account and since 2005 has supported Robert and colleagues at Executive Dynamics with his research skills and expertise!
Why use us?Customer focus – we pride ourselves on our customer focus and going the extra distance to provide you with the level of support you need. One of our core values is that we do not promise what we can’t deliver and we deliver what we promise. Obviously we cannot control every element of every process but we do undertake to keep you informed at each stage of every assignment and where necessary, provide appropriate advice as early as possible if a change of plan or delay becomes inevitable. Understanding your needs – we believe it is important to understand your business in a broader sense than taking a narrow brief relating to a particular assignment. Indeed, in some areas eg recruitment, we undertake assignments only in those sectors where we do have substantial and relevant business experience. What you get is what you see – we provide a personal service on all assignments and the person you deal with will always be the person handling the project. Our business is successful because we build sound relationships with clients based on our personal integrity and delivery performance. Transparency – we believe in honest and open dealings with clients even when the news may not be what the client wants to hear. This approach is also a key element in our pricing policy. We believe in fixed fees and no surprises. What we agree is what you pay; with no hidden extras. Quality – as an owner-managed business with personal responsibility for delivery of assignments, we are aware of our need to maintain the highest professional and quality standards at all times. Ethics – our reputation and hence future business, relies on an open, honest and ethical approach to doing business. We strive hard to adopt ‘best practice’ in our processes and constantly seek feedback from clients on all aspects of our business. We are not perfect, but we do try hard to satisfy our clients’ needs. Perhaps the best illustration of our success is the high level of repeat business and referrals we receive from existing satisfied clients. How we workRecruiting Executives can be difficult and time consuming. Getting it wrong is, at worst, catastrophic and at best, costly and embarrassing. With so much at risk, and to optimise the use of time, it is not surprising that many organisations make use of professional help – they see it as essential, not merely optional. How we add value to your recruitment process: Our Team - every consultant has board level operational experience together with relevant sector and functional expertise. Together, these attributes give us a practical understanding of the issues clients face. We are committed to excellence in servicing the client and go that extra distance to exceed expectations and to deliver a positive result. Targeted Research - this underpins our approach to Executive Search. It is no longer acceptable to operate on the basis of a personal network of contacts, no matter how extensive. Our researchers are experienced in the use of modern techniques. Thorough desk research is complemented by discreet contact with potential candidates who are tactfully screened for potential interest and suitability prior to introduction to the consultant. Advertised positions (Executive Selection) - we pride ourselves on the quality and originality of our advertising copy. The art is to convey as much relevant information in the fewest words possible; using a format that will attract good quality applicants. We also advise on the most appropriate medium to reach the target audience. Whatever method used, whether search, advertised or a combination, we present a shortlist of candidates who are ‘best fit’ against the specified requirements. The final decision is, of course, down to the client but the information we provide, including psychometric profiles and aptitude testing if required, is invaluable in making that final selection. What you see is what you get; we believe in transparency and work in open partnership to achieve the best result. The consultant you brief will always be the one to lead the assignment using an agreed methodology tailored to your needs. Regular reviews and feedback ensure the client is fully informed of progress. Our fee structure has no hidden extras. We agree the fee in advance and it remains fixed whatever the ultimate package paid to the successful candidate. Typically, our assignments relate to salaried positions commanding remuneration packages of between £50,000 and £250,000 per annum. Financial and Investment Services
Legal and ProfessionalThe ongoing development of our Legal, Professional Services & Insurance recruitment practice has perhaps been a natural and obvious extension of our Financial, Wealth Management & Investment Services consulting activities. By virtue of the common factor of "The Client" being central to almost all activities within the Legal, Accountancy and Insurance professions and an increasing overlap occurring between these and the Financial & Investment Services sectors, Executive Dynamics has been well placed to benefit from organic growth into such firms. Increasingly, we are experiencing more of our assignment work arising as a result of the close working relationships enjoyed directly between such organisations, which in turn (and as a result of our own market insight and intelligence), has led to us being invited to support projects deemed to be critical to their own business activities.
Industrial & Commercial
Talent ManagementExecutive Dynamics typically undertakes Search assignments for positions commanding base salaries in the £50,000 to £250,000 range. Our comprehensive understanding of the markets we service is underpinned by 20 years experience of recruiting at senior management, director and Board levels and is further strengthened by every one of our Consultants - without exception - having worked within the industries they serve. Call it Human Capital Management, Talent Resourcing, Headhunting or whatever other name might be in vogue currently, we are in the business of Recruitment – mandated by Clients to find the right people for commercially important (and sometimes difficult to fill), challenging roles. Over the years we have consistently fulfilled our client's needs and earned a reputation for successful assignment delivery. This is perhaps best demonstrated through the high levels of repeat business we receive (presumably as a result of Client satisfaction!). Our work, embraces a "best team, best practice" approach, and is supported by the magnitude of importance we place on the Research aspect of each project; we use the most up-to-date information sources available and continue to invest heavily in technology. Notwithstanding the technology, we make no apology for recognizing that we work in a "People" business where human beings are at the heart of what we do and work to some simple guiding principles - courtesy, manners and respect for others; undertaken within the framework of a modern, commercially-focussed but often pressurised society. Positive outcomes are crucial - both to our Clients and to us. Whilst we feel we offer something different to that of our competitors, we prefer the facts to speak for themselves: Over 350 individuals introduced into new roles over a 20 year period where not a single Candidate has left the new employer within the crucial first six months of joining. Furthermore, we have never had a Client invoke the Guarantee policy we offer through our standard Terms of Business. We believe our record speaks for itself but would be delighted to discuss it in more depth should you have a recruitment need. Strategic HRare you getting the best return on your human assets? All organisations have ‘people issues’ that need to be addressed from time to time. Some do not have a full time HR Director, others are well resourced with HR expertise but sometimes need additional help and support. Whatever your situation, help is at hand through the support we can offer. We have extensive experience of HR issues across a wide range of business sectors and organisations, which could prove valuable in identifying and addressing those you face. Our approach is based on understanding your needs and the issues you face. All our solutions are ‘bespoke, and tailored to your needs. We do not offer ‘off the shelf’ solutions and equally will not recommend elaborate solutions that are expensive to implement and maintain. Drawing on our experience we can either propose a solution or, if the client has a preferred solution, assist in developing that solution and perhaps add some additional ideas. Alternatively we can provide valuable, additional, experienced resource for a project on an ‘as required’ basis. A particular area of expertise is the development and implementation of major restructuring or closure programmes. Few management teams have in-depth experience of these and expensive mistakes can be made even when the intentions are well meant. Having a tried and tested strategy for dealing with the people issues can ease the pain of closure and remove some of the associated stress. We provide guidance on all aspects from planning, communications, implementation, dealing with the issues that inevitably arise, and practical support for all those involved or affected. Other strategic projects where we have provided support and guidance include:-
Development & CoachingTraditional approaches to ‘training’ have long been acknowledged to be flawed. Despite this companies continue to spend money on training that is ineffective. Our approach, whether it be for individual or teams, is to use a ‘development’ programme based on an analysis of need and the application of appropriate processes, including ‘performance coaching’. Coaching can be an extremely effective way of helping individuals and groups to maximise their potential. In the world of Sport the value of using a Coach has been recognised for many years. More recently the Business world has also recognised the value of coaching. The process can help people to: –
Being an executive can be lonely. Who do they speak to about their fears and aspirations? Who can they trust with their innermost thoughts? Who can help them deal with the self doubt and negative emotions we all experience at times. The confidential nature of the relationship with a Coach allows any issue, however sensitive to be shared and ideas bounced with someone who will give honest and constructive feedback. Ultimately there to question and guide, the Coach is able to bring a fresh perspective and encourage a different approach. The actions however are always the responsibility of the individual who then has the opportunity to discuss and analyse the outcomes with the Coach, thereby reinforcing the learning process and leading to enhanced performance. Wine
THE NEW BARONS OF BUBBLY by Originally published in France Today
20th January 2012
I love Champagne, but not enough to die for it, I’m thinking, as we jump out of the way of a careening mini-forklift loaded with pallets of unlabelled Champagne bottles in a vast warehouse that smells exactly like a bar at off hours. This is not a bar, however; it is the spanking new, state-of-the-art facility for Champagne Barons de Rothschild. The name sounds familiar? It isn’t.
“We started in 2005 from the ground up,” says Frédéric Mairesse, the affable Directeur Général of the Rothschild family’s newest wine endeavor. “It was literally a giant hole in the ground to house the first bottles of wine.” Then came the storerooms with dozens of computerized vats to hold the reserve wines, along with blending and racking rooms and everything else, step by step. Why a move into Champagne? Isn’t it incongruous, even heretical, for a family whose name is synonymous with great Bordeaux? Mairesse’s look pretty much says: Why not? Considering the Rothschild’s stature in the wine business, and the world’s unquenchable thirst for Champagne, it might be more logical to ask what took them so long. The Rothschilds have been perfecting the art of Bordeaux winemaking for generations, almost since the very beginning, when Mayer Amschel Rothschild, founder of what was to become the family banking empire, sent his five sons to the commercial centers of Europe—Frankfurt, Vienna, Naples, London and Paris—to extend the family’s influence and safeguard the business. James de Rothschild, the youngest of Mayer’s sons and founder of the Paris branch, bought Château Lafite in Bordeaux’s Médoc region in 1868, and added Rothschild to the name. But the story’s wine chapter actually begins a little earlier with James’s daughter, Charlotte, and her husband (and cousin) Nathaniel—of the London Rothschilds—with their purchase of Château Brane Mouton—renamed Mouton Rothschild—also in the Médoc, in 1853. The family member to enter the wine business most recently was Baron Edmond de Rothschild, great-grandson of James, who bought and renovated two lesser-known Médoc estates, Château Clarke and Château Malmaison, in 1973. With the new Champagne, “All three French winemaking branches of the Rothschilds are equally involved, one-third each, meaning the biggest family cocktail since 1744,” says Mairesse. Much-publicized family rifts in the past made the announcement of their joint effort in the project that much more momentous. What better way to extend the olive branch than over a bottle of bubbly? It’s a good bet, however, that unification wasn’t the driving force behind the project. If three of the most significant factors in creating a new wine are expertise, influence and money—especially in the rarified AOC region of Champagne—no one is better positioned to succeed than the Rothschilds. Wines from the family’s Bordeaux estates consistently receive top ratings and sell out years before reaching the market. In a world where the perception of quality is every bit as important as quality itself, the Rothschild mystique could well be their most valuable asset. When a lot of three bottles of 1869 Château Lafite Rothschild from the family’s private cellars sold at a 2010 Sotheby’s rare wine auction in Hong Kong for nearly $700,000 (or $233,972 a bottle)—breaking the record for a wine sold at auction—within days there was a run on Lafite: some 600 cases of all available vintages sold at 10% to 15% price increases. Bordeaux may be the stately queen of the wine world, but nothing says glamour, elegance and romance like Champagne. It’s no coincidence that the luxury behemoth LVMH counts six prestige Champagnes among its holdings, including the most prestigious and highest grossing labels on the market—Moët & Chandon, Dom Pérignon, Veuve Clicquot, Krug, Mercier and Ruinart. Headlines were made in early 2011 when the company announced a whopping 19% growth in wine and spirit revenues in 2010, with their prestige cuvées Dom Pérignon and Krug the top performers. Renowned Champagne houses seem to be recession-proof, with a 9% increase in sales in 2010 and an expected growth of at least 4%–5% over the next three years. With those figures in mind, and quite a winemaking reputation to uphold, it makes sense that the Rothschilds would aim for a truly great Champagne. In the end, what matters is the quality of the wine itself. Yet while no amount of money or prestige can assure greatness in the bottle, both those elements are instrumental in production, distribution and marketing. Champagne Barons de Rothschild is based in the tiny village of Vertus, one of 17 grand cru villages on Champagne’s famous Côte des Blancs south of Epernay, named for the chardonnay vineyards spreading as far as the eye can see. “People have been very welcoming,” says Mairesse. “They were pleased that the Rothschilds came to their village. The name brings prestige, of course, but also the promise of long-term relationships and stability.” Champagne villages are classified according to a rating system developed in the early 20th century to ensure that growers—who vastly outnumber producers—would receive a fair price for their grapes. Villages with the best grapes earned a grand cru rating and received 100 percent of the per-kilo price; premier cru villages received between 90 and 99 percent, depending on their classification, and so on down. The prestige Champagne houses own only about 8,400 acres, a tiny fraction of the total 85,000 acres of vineyards in Champagne, and are dependent on growers, who own most of the land and may or may not make Champagne themselves. The big houses seek out the best grapes from the grand and premier cru villages for their top Champagnes. With 340 houses (or négociants, in Champagne terms) vying for a limited quantity of top-notch grapes, relationships with growers are key and must be nurtured over years—Moët & Chandon alone needs about 2,500 acres of grapes to keep up with production. Another reason why the Rothschild influence comes in handy—growers benefit from the family’s largesse: hunting trips on the family estates, sailing in their boats, visiting their elite Bordeaux châteaux—and the Rothschilds benefit from long-term contracts. Champagne Barons de Rothschild uses only grand cru or 99-percent-rated premier cru grapes in their assemblage, or blend. Most great wines are a blend of at least two grape varieties; in Champagne, however, blending the base wines, using chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier, is raised to mathematical heights.There can be more than 50 base wines from different terroirs and different years in a single non-vintage cuvée. The assemblage is of utmost importance, as it will define a Champagne house’s distinct character and style. For the moment, Rothschild produces three non-vintage Champagnes: brut, blanc de blancs and rosé. Aging the wines significantly longer than the legally required 18 months is important to the Rothschild house style, which Mairesse describes as “feminine and elegant, with very low dosage [added sugar], and a long second fermentation at a low temperature, to create roundness with bright, fresh acidity”. The wines are cellared for at least four years, partly due to the preponderance of chardonnay (60% in the brut, 85% in the rosé and 100% in the blanc de blancs), whose high acidity requires longer aging on its sediments to insure greater finesse. The 2006 vintage blanc de blancs, which is tasted every six months, will age seven to nine years and is scheduled for release in 2013. Once a year, in front of the delightfully cluttered Caves Augé wine shop on Boulevard Haussmann, a crowd clusters around ten giant wine barrels, sipping, chatting and probably not spitting out nearly as much as they should. For bubbly lovers on a budget, owner Marc Sibard’s annual “Bulles d’Art” (Art Bubbles) Champagne tasting—of Dom Pérignon, Roederer, Krug and Bollinger, among others—might be the only chance to taste these rarified cuvées, since the price per bottle can run well over $300. Sibard’s commitment to bringing together world-class winemakers and the general public is one reason he is considered among Paris’s great cavistes. His outsized personality, astonishing knowledge of wine and no-nonsense demeanor don’t hurt either. So it was Marc Sibard I called first for an expert take on the new Rothschild Champagnes. “Come on over! We’ll taste them together!”was an invitation no one could refuse. So on a warm October day, we sat outside at the wide table reserved for impromptu tastings and sampled the non-vintage Rothschild offerings. Three elegant bottles emblazoned with the Rothschild crest—with five arrows signifying Mayer Rothschild’s five sons—were set out. Marc popped the brut: “Creamy and rich, in the style of a Bollinger, good color, nice floral notes and very low in sugar so the high acidity is prominent, as it should be,” he concluded. We both detect a slightly intense mousse, but not so much that it interferes with the lushness of the wine. The blanc de blancs was up next (called “white from whites” because it is 100% chardonnay, the only white grape used in Champagne). “An elegant and pure Côte des Blancs style,” said Marc. “Elegant acidity; a very well-structured wine.” Like the others, the rosé too is surprisingly low in sugar. A beautiful coral pink with lots of delicate berry flavors, it’s very much in the style of a Billecart-Salmon, the reigning rosé. At about $100 a bottle for the brut and $120 for the rosé and blanc de blancs, these are wines for special occasions. Tasting of the 2006 vintage won’t be until 2013, and for the anticipated tête de cuvée—top of the line—until 2020 or beyond. Right now, it looks like they will be very much worth the wait.
13 Unpalatable Truths About UK Wine by Gavin
24th May 2011
Here are 13 unpalatable truths about UK duty on wine:
1. The UK now has the highest duty on wine in Europe. 2. Only four countries (UK, Ireland, Finland and Sweden) have duty of over 50p a bottle. In France, it’s 3p.
3. From April 2000, our first spring here, to March 2008, UK duty on wine went up by a total of 15%. In the last three years, duty has gone up a whopping 36%. 4. Duty will increase by 2% above inflation each year until 2015. It went up 7.2% in this budget from £1.69 to £1.81. It is misleading though to say that wine has gone up 12p + VAT to the consumer, because every retailer, merchant and restaurant treats duty as part of the cost, just like the wine. Duty is charged upfront by HMRC, when the wine is taken out of customs, so it’s a real cost. Every merchant I know, except of course those that are selling ‘In Bond’, takes the cost of wine, plus the cost of freight/distribution and the duty as the basis of the cost of the wine, before adding their gross margin to cover their costs and to make a profit.
5. UK duty, and VAT on the duty, is over £26 a case at £2.17 a bottle. It will be £30 a case in two years at the current rate of inflation. VAT, which also went up in January of course, is charged on duty and the wine, so there’s a double whammy. (Update: in fact, the double tax increase in Q1 means that a £5 bottle on 1st Jan is up 25p to £5.25, a £7.25 bottle is 30p up to £7.55 and there’s 36p more tax to add to a £10 bottle.) 6. On sparkling wine or Champagne, duty is more at over £33 a case and by 2014, it’s likely to be £41 a case. It’s worth noting that GB is the biggest export market for Champagne. £40 more for a case in the UK than in France? This rate also applies to the increasingly successful sparkling wines from England. 7. 53% of a £5 bottle of wine today is tax, as is £3 on a £7 bottle, give or take 2p. The average retail spend is just £4.47 a bottle (57% tax now). 8. UK off-trade wine sales by value, 75cl: 32% under £4, 36% £4-£5 and just 32% over £5. Source: Nielsen. This tweet from the London Evening Standard’s wine critic, Andrew Neather @hernehillandy to fellow writer, Tim Atkin MW, says it all: @Timatkin 12p/bottle hike - scandalous. Add in 5%+ inflation and we’re looking at even crappier wine for supermarkets to hit lower price points. 9. £9 retail (from a shop or a merchant) is the starting price at which a bottle might cost the same as the tax - around £3.30, assuming no tricks to con the consumer. Shipping, warehousing, distribution, admin, operating margin and a slim profit fills the bit in the middle. 10. Spend £5 on a bottle retail, and the cost of the wine from source is under £1. Spend £10 and the cost price of the wine goes up fourfold, assuming similar shipping costs and % margin. Not that £10 for a four quid wine is a particularly good deal, in my opinion. 11. The trouble is, how do you know if a £10 wine in a supermarket isn’t being set up for a ‘50% off’ deal, meaning it should really be £5 anyway? The wine on the right was subsequently ‘50% off’ - no surprise, given that the bulk wine that went into it costs a euro a litre. Anyone pay a tenner? You were done. Sorry. 12. Meanwhile, here’s a breakdown of a £20 bill for a bottle of wine in a restaurant, listed at £17.80: 12.5% service, 20% VAT, 69% restaurant gross margin, 27% wine merchant gross margin, 25p delivery, £1.81 duty, 39p freight and storage. Cost of the bottle, including wine and packaging, ex-cellars? 90p - half the cost of the duty. (So a high rate tax payer has to earn forty quid to pay for a bottle that the producer flogged for less than a pound.) 13. On the last point, I’ve assumed that the restaurant is buying, ahem, through a merchant, of course. Restaurants generally buy ‘DPD’ or ‘duty paid delivered’ prices, so they don’t normally see the true breakdown. The cost of duty, which is often higher than the wine, has a huge impact on the price of cheaper wines on the list. If that’s the case, as No 12 above, does the old adage of ‘always buy the house wine’ still hold true? At least with our stuff, you know your money’s coming to the producer. And to George, obviously. Rant over.
Best Buys from Bordeaux 2009 by by Gavin
9th July 2010 All over now bar the shouting.
Here, in my humble opinion, are the Best Buys - at the opening prices - of Bordeaux 2009, broken down as follows: 10 Expensive wines - but sound investments. £400 to £1000 - 17 Fabulous quality, blue chip names. £200 - £300 - This is where the values of 2009 lie: 20 cracking wines. Under £200 - 12 lovely wines from the Left Bank. Click here to read the full article
Top Bordeaux: Investment of the Decade by by Gavin
10th December 2009
2008 En Primeur: Surprise, Surprise by by Gavin
1st June 2009 We’ve recently had the week of trade tastings in Bordeaux, when the world of fine wine annually descends on the region to taste the wines from the previous vintage. A few surprises too: many 2008s are far better than most outsiders would have thought, after gloomy reports of a damp summer.
The real surprise though is that there seems to be a genuine desire to launch a quick ‘en primeur’ campaign, with the possibility of the First Growths - Latour, Lafite, Margaux (above), Mouton Rothschild and Haut-Brion - coming out with an opening offer in the next couple of weeks, before most of the lower ranks. And that would be big news here as it would turn the normal routine on its head. What usually happens is that the trade and wine press come to the tastings, and there’s much chat about which estates did well and the disastrous state of the market, and then everyone goes home and waits for Robert Parker to release his scores at the end of April. (’I may be disappointed if Jancis Robinson doesn’t like my wine, but I don’t eat if Robert Parker gives me a bad score’, the owner of one top château in Pauillac told me.) Parker will have liked a lot of what he’s tasted, especially in Saint Emilion and Pomerol (eg L’Evangile, left), and at some of the top estates on the Left Bank, but will not want to be too enthusiastic for fear of the Châteaux getting above themselves. Merchants and potential customers around the world then have to wait for the château owners to release their prices for the wines, which are still in barrel. It’s potentially quite exciting, and with great vintages like 2000 and 2005 everyone wants to splash out on super wines for much less than they’ll be worth in the future. But in the two most recent campaigns, for the 2006s and especially the 2007s, the wines haven’t been wildly exciting and the top châteaux have taken an age to set their prices - and when they have, the prices have been too high. So the standard timechart has been for the reviews to be published online by wine critics in April, the trade then waits fruitlessly for some juicy offers in May, and eventually many leading châteaux ‘come out’ in June - after guessing what their neighbours are up to - until finally the First Growths astound everyone with their monster prices at the end of June. That’s three months - and way too long. For the First Growths to turn the form-book upside down in order to kick-start the 2008 campaign, in a very difficult market, is a bold move. Corinne Mentzelopoulos, owner of Château Margaux, told me that the Bordeaux négociants (the intermediaries between the chåteaux and importers worldwide) were pressing for a quick campaign, and lower prices of course, but that there was still time to reflect. My own view is that she’d have little to gain by waiting for Parker’s score. Alain Vauthier, proprietor of Château Ausone and maker of Saint Emilion’s most expensive wine, said to me yesterday that he was ‘Sûr. Presque sûr’ that the First Growths would release their prices by the end of April at ‘un prix attractif’. ‘Le marché est mort’, he said. Not for your wine, Alain. Will the First Growth owners have the courage to breath life into the upcoming campaign, when there is at least some momentum and enthusiasm for the wines? We’ll see. News
How to Avoid Hiring Disasters
12th March 2012 How to Avoid Hiring Disasters
Nomination for Private Client Practitioner's 50 Most Influential
8th November 2011 We are very pleased to announce that Robert Wilson, MD of Executive Dynamics has been nominated for Private Client Practitioner’s 2011 list of the 50 Most Influential Individuals working within the UK Wealth Management industry. Robert’s nomination - generously instigated by one of our long-standing Clients - is based upon his 16 years spent in the UK Wealth Management’s executive and management recruitment space (and still going strong!), during which time we calculate that he has placed over 350 professionals into a variety of Front-office or Client-facing roles. Voting closes on 18th November 2011 (a reminder that this is only open to those individuals currently working within the UK Wealth Management industry) but, if you would like to add your own support to Robert’s nomination, please feel free to do so at http://www.eprivateclient.com/page_nominate4.php We’ll keep you posted as to how he gets on.
Killer Interview Questions and Effective Interviewing
24th May 2011
This month we thought we would share a recently-published guide which purports to reveal some of the killer questions to ask Financial Services professionals and how the interview process is evolving across the industry.
The article investigates some of the interview methodologies, formats and techniques employed by leading financial organisations and analysed different question types and what they hoped to discover. Included is also a comprehensive list of questions (and the responses they generated) from real life job interviews that were submitted to the publishers by finance professionals and recruiters. We ought perhaps to share that Executive Dynamics didn’t contribute here but the article is quite informative, occasionally amusing and at times, downright scary! Finally, and in case you were wondering, our own approach towards the interview process is very much geared towards a sensible combination of competency, traditional and technical questions, (all undertaken within a framework which seeks to ensure that any candidate has the right experience and skill sets for a role), together with placing as much importance on establishing whether the personality and cultural fit of an individual will align appropriately with the hiring organisation. We consider these factors to be inextricably linked. Please click here to download the article: http://marketing.dice.com/pdf/Mar_2011_whitepaper.pdf (Guide reproduced with kind acknowledgement to eFinancialCareers.com)
R U RDR READY?
9th July 2010 With much debate and discussion taking place with regard to the Financial Services industry’s Retail Distribution Review (and a number of our Clients and Candidates having to address new qualifications guidelines and requirements), we have compiled some information which we hope will assist.
The FSA’s latest RDR Consultation Paper is available to view at http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pubs/cp/cp10_14.pdf but it has also recently confirmed the qualifications that meet the requirements of the Retail Distribution Review. It has also named qualifications that meet the RDR in part but require gap-filling. Here is the list in full:-
RDR-Ready
RDR-ready but require gap-filling
IFAs who advise on securities Financial advisers or wealth managers who advise clients on securities or deal in them have a separate qualification list. Different qualifications rules apply for advisers who deal in derivatives or just advise on securities. Here is the list for them: RDR-ready:
RDR-ready but require gap-filling
RDR-ready when combined
Additional added value for Clients
17th July 2009 Executive Dynamics are pleased to announce additional added value for clients. At this stage we envisage nothing more than a strategic alliance between the businesses that will provide mutual benefit based on the synergies, shared values and extended service to clients. We believe that in the longer term this alliance may lead to a more formal relationship becoming established but meanwhile we invite you to visit their website – www.asteeleassociates.com for further information. You can contact A Steele Associates either direct or through Executive Dynamics Ltd and we will be delighted to provide further details as to how we may be able to support you in your recruitment and HR needs. Contact UsExecutive Dynamics Ltd, Head Office : Tel: +44(0)1788 899299 or +44(0)1926 866640 | Fax: +44(0)1926 851 534 General enquiries: mail@exec-dynamics.com Robert Wilson: rw@exec-dynamics.com Eric Hogg: eh@exec-dynamics.com Bryan White: research@exec-dynamics.com Twitter: @execdynamic |
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