Spear’s Wealth Management Awards 2011: Spear’s City Champion Award
Reproduced from the original article available the Spear’s website:
Now for a new award. Over the past few years in the run-up to the crash, the City did not distinguish itself with its telephone-number bonuses, conspicuous consumption and behaviour some described as financial Russian roulette. And it has hardly been glorious since.
Spear’s has long been concerned about this and when combined with a wider lack of social mobility, a sense of disadvantage as evidenced by the summer riots and in Occupy the Stock Exchange, and government cuts of social services, we’re headed for trouble.
That’s why Spears have introduced the City Champion Award. Chosen by the Spear’s editorial staff, this award is given to a person, company or scheme which promotes the higher moral aspirations they have for the City and provides an example to others, using its resources for social good.
The first winner of this award is a scheme which has brought together some of the City’s best wealth management firms and encourages them to provide internships to children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Individuals who normally would stand little or no chance of getting a job in finance simply because they lack connections or the right accent or the ability to fit in.
This scheme sets an example. It says, Tear down your walls and bring in the best, a sentiment Spear’s entirely endorses. So I am very happy to announce that the first Spear’s City Champion Award goes to, the New City Initiative.
Daniel Pinto of Stanhope Capital, director of New City Initiative, collected the award