Remember Linda Wachner? The first woman to lead a Fortune 500 company, Warnaco, made a lot of money. She even has an Andy Warhol painting of herself. After losing money on the currency markets in 2008, she sued the bank through which she traded for €13 million in the High Court, claiming that it did not protect her, an extremely successful businesswoman, against “improvident investment decisions”. The judge, who described her as “no shrinking violet”, found against her.
What a thought. Theo Paphitis encouraged more than 100 people to “delve into his drawers” on Wednesday night as he launched his lingerie business Boux Avenue. Even with his poor mother present. Max Clifford was seen clutching one of the heady “Peek a Boux” cocktails on offer.
Portugal and Ireland have a worrying amount in common these days, and it sounds as if Ireland has managed to export something else to its fellow eurozone struggler. Spotted getting on a flight to Faro was none other than Brian Cowen, the erstwhile Taoiseach. Let’s hope he’s planning on golfing, sunning himself or catching up on his reading rather than, for example, doling out advice on how to bail out a banking sector or rescue a country from economic gloom.
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The New York office of fashion favourite Marc Jacobs sounds rather livelier than mine.
A lawsuit filed by Patrice Lataillade, former chief financial officer of Marc Jacobs International, alleges that Robert Duffy, the president, got an underling to do a pole dance, made employees look at pornography and often talked about sex in the office.
The company said Mr Lataillade was sacked over “serious matters” unrelated to his allegations, and it will contest the claims vigorously.
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In the blue corner:Tony Fernandes
Tony Fernandes openly admits that an interview with Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou inspired him to get involved in budget airlines. The London School of Economics graduate saw Sir Stelios on the telly shortly after he left Warner Music, and took himself off to Luton the very next day to investigate.
Yesterday he picked up a CBE at Buckingham Palace. Could the Air Asia boss be following Sir Stelios and Sir Richard Branson deeper into the world of gongs?
He holds the title of Officer of the Légion d’honneur, the highest award for a non-French national and we’re sure the Malaysian, whose personal motto is “dream the impossible, believe the unbelievable and never take no for an answer”, wouldn’t turn down an honorary knighthood.