‘I’m a bull on the UK’: Lazard chief defies doom and gloom warnings

Charlie Conchie

THE CHIEF of financial advisory and asset management giant Lazard has said he is a “bull” on the UK despite warnings of the City’s decline on the international stage.

Kenneth Jacobs, who has served as chief of the storied New Yorkheadquartered firm since 2009, said Lazard was still upbeat on the prospects of the UK and believes the country will “surprise to the positive”.

“I’m a bull here. In many ways the UK has this immense amount of intellectual capital in all the right places right now,” Jacobs told The Sunday Times in an interview. “The university system in the UK, it’s gone from good to great.”

Jacobs is soon expected to step down from his role at Lazard and hand the reins to Peter Orszag, who currently runs the investment bank’s financial advisory unit, Reuters reported on Friday.

Jacobs’ comments on the UK will