Manu Virtamo assumed his duties as the new Consul General of Finland in New York on September 1.  Mr. Virtamo and his wife, Liisa, moved to New York from another hectic city, Tokyo, where Mr. Virtamo served as the Ambassador of Finland to Japan for the past three years. Mr. Virtamo has a long career with the Finnish Foreign Service: He has been posted in Stockholm, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Tokyo, and now New York. In Helsinki he has served,...

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Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that the shareholders of Metcalfe's skinny Ltd have sold the remaining 74% of the company to Snyder's Lance (NASDAQ: LNCE), who initially acquired a 26% stake in January 2016. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Houlihan Lokey served as the exclusive financial advisor to Metcalfe's skinny and assisted in structuring and negotiating the transaction on their behalf. This deal represents another successful transaction for Houlihan Lokey in the Food & Beverage industry. Founded...

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Vistra today announced the successful rebranding of all Orangefield offices to Vistra. Following Baring Private Equity Asia’s acquisition of a majority stake in both Vistra Group and Orangefield Group in October 2015, the decision was taken to rebrand Orangefield to Vistra. Over the course of this year, all Orangefield offices have been rebranded, resulting in some of the larger offices moving to new premises.  The last office to rebrand was one of the largest, Amsterdam, which was the location of Orangefield...

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On August 29, 2016, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced the release of its long awaited Enforcement Guidance on Retaliation and Related Issues, replacing Section 8 of the EEOC Compliance Menu published in 1998. The guidance, which is accompanied by a companion Small Business Fact Sheet, sets forth the EEOC’s expansive analysis of retaliation, which is now the most frequently asserted basis of discrimination in all sectors.  Covering issues related to retaliation applicable to all of the laws for...

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Guy Espitalier-Noel, a senior associate in Stephenson Harwood's aviation finance practice, has been recognised as a rising star by leading industry publication, Airfinance Journal, in their 2016 Guide to Aviation Lawyers. Guy has worked in both private practice and in-house roles, and he has a wealth of experience advising clients on a variety of often complex, cross-border transactions. He acts for industry-leading aviation finance banks, lessors and airlines on transactions including operating lease financings (including subordinated debt and Shari’ah-compliant financings...

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General Electric Co. (GE) on Tuesday announced the acquisition of two 3D printing companies in Europe, as the company looks to bulk up the technology's use in the manufacturing of jet engines and cars. The industrial conglomerate is to acquire Arcam AB and SLM Solutions Group AG, both suppliers of additive manufacturing equipment, for $1.4 billion. 3D printing has become an area of interest for many manufacturing companies as it can help reduce costs. The European 3D printing industry has carved...

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ICAP PLC has signed a 15-year lease at the Durst Organization's 4 Times Square, formerly known as the Condé Nast Building. According to New York Real Estate Journal, ICAP plans to occupy 82,442 total square feet across the 12th and 14th floors and has the option to expand up to 41,221 square feet on the 15th floor. The New York City office building spans about 1.7 million square feet in total. It was built in 1999 and currently has a $100...

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What are the immediate effects of the Brexit referendum on my intellectual property rights? The UK is at the moment still a member of the EU and has not yet officially filed to leave it. This means that all EU regulations are still effective. Therefore the Brexit referendum does not have an immediate effect on either your European Union trade marks, registered or unregistered Community designs or European Patents. What will be the terms of the withdrawal agreement between the EU...

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Essilor International has been included for the 13th consecutive year in the FTSE4Good Index. It’s a global investment index designed to identify companies that demonstrate strong environmental, social and governance practices, measured against globally recognised standards. With 61,000 employees in 63 countries, nearly 540 production sites on five continents and more than $2.4 billion (€2 billion) in purchasing, Essilor has a global and diverse “footprint”. ​With the Group’s mission of improving lives by improving sight comes the responsibility of ensuring...

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After five consecutive months of increases, the Trepp CMBS Delinquency Rate reversed course in August and dropped for the first time since February. The delinquency rate for US commercial real estate loans in CMBS is now 4.68%, a decrease of eight basis points from July. The rate is 77 basis points lower than the year-ago level and 49 basis points lower since the beginning of the year. Compliments of Trepp - a member of the EACCNY    

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