I don’t know what shocked me most.
I read in Monday’s Today that despite being the largest single shareholder in UBS (6.4%), GIC was not consulted on the management change when the CEO resigned. He resigned over differences in strategy and corporate governance issues.
Yesterday evening Reuters reported that “GIC supported former chief executive Oswald Gruebel’s strategic plan for the bank and believed he could have stayed on to manage it through the latest crisis, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said on Tuesday … GIC’s support of Mr Gruebel until the very end also shows that while his leaving may have satisfied some shareholders, it hardly reassured the Singapore fund, which owns 6.4 per cent of the bank.” (Sorry I don’t have the link as I got the report via BT Online.)
Given that GIC is the single largest shareholder and supported his plan, and the board was meeting in S’pore, GIC should have been consulted. Would any company where Warren Buffett is the single largest shareholder dare sack a CEO that had his backing? Unlikely.
Time for GIC to gain some respect by flexing its financial muscles. No more Ang Moh Tua Kee pls.
We are listening to one side of the story only. It will be better to know both sides of the story before we decide to comment.
As Singaporean no one know what is actually going on with GIC and Tamasek, it will be wiser to wait from the natural sources to disclose on the happenings.
Please enlighten
In the first place the relationship between UBS and GIC was never an equal one. GIC got screwed basically, again.