Blue Blood: Cazenove in the Age of Global Banking

Cazenove & Co. was founded in 1823 and was the most prestigious stockbroking firm in the City of London. It was fiercely independent and had a low profile, but in 2000 it announced that it would abandon its partnership structure, raise external capital, and list its shares on the London Stock Exchange. Robert Pickering led the firm through this period, working closely with David Mayhew to define Cazenove's future. "Blue Blood" is a first-hand account by a senior City insider of what it feels like to manage an investment bank through a period of tumultuous change and the cultural differences between a private British firm and a hard-charging American bank.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 400 pages
Publication date: 05 October 2023
Publisher: Whitefox Publishing Ltd

Founded in 1823, Cazenove & Co. was the most prestigious stockbroking firm in the City of London, celebrated for its fabled placing power and for its unrivaled network of client relationships. Fiercely independent, the firm had always maintained a low profile, shunning the press and refusing to disclose details of its own affairs or those of its clients. When Big Bang revolutionized the City in 1986, Cazenove was the only one of the major stockbroking partnerships to stand apart from the merger frenzy which followed, rejecting the conventional wisdom of the day and resolutely following its own path. So the City was stunned when, in November 2000, Cazenove announced that it would abandon its partnership structure, raise external capital, and list its shares on the London Stock Exchange. Robert Pickering led the firm, as Chief Executive, throughout this period, working closely with City legend David Mayhew, as the pair sought to define Cazenove's future in an industry which was becoming increasingly dominated by huge international banks.

Blue Blood is a first-hand account by a senior City insider of what it feels like to manage an investment bank through a period of tumultuous change and of the cultural differences between a private British firm and a hard-charging American bank. Full of insights and wisdom, Blue Blood is not only a compelling story about a City icon but also contains numerous anecdotes about the well-known City and Wall Street figures who the author met during the course of his long City career.

Weight: 440g
Dimension: 127 x 198 x 34 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781915635716