Business Diary: March 9

MORRISONS welcomes its new chief executive this month. Dalton Philips joins the Bradford-based company at what could be a turning point

in its history.

Remember that when Marc Bolland joined Morrisons, Sir Ken was still a very dominant figure.

Irishman Mr Philips, who is coming from Canadian retailer Loblaw, joins not a family-run business but a genuine FTSE-30 firm.

Norman Pickavance, the group HR director, told Diary last week what to expect. "He's a great bloke. He's a through-and-through retailer."

And just, no doubt, what Sir Ken would have wanted.

Bill puts the questions

IT must have brought back memories of the 1980s, when Bill Beaumont was a colossus in the TV sporting quiz stakes.

The rugby union legend rolled back the years to help raise more than 31,500 for St Gemma's Hospice, in Leeds, with a little help from Yorkshire's corporate community.

Mr Beaumont, who captained England's rugby union side before going on to star in BBC TV's Question of Sport quiz, took part in the Questions of Sport – Celebrity Quiz and Dinner. The event, sponsored by Clarion Solicitors, took place at Leeds United's Elland Road stadium and was hosted by Sky Sports commentator Chris Kamara. Mr Beaumont asked sports questions to the 340-strong audience, made up of local business people.

The other celebrities were Leeds United manager, Simon Grayson; ex-world snooker champion Joe Johnson; ex-England and Yorkshire cricket star Craig White; former Olympic medal-winner Peter Elliott and championship jockey, Graham Bradley.

All donated their time to support West Yorkshire's largest hospice.

Pulling no punchlines

"My name's Shazia Mirza – at least, that's what it says on my pilot's licence."

Her other jokes may not be quite as sensitive as that but Mirza, the British Muslim comedian, has won awards and fans for her act.

Now she plans to entertain guests at the annual awards dinner of ABDN, the Asian business network, which is being held in Yorkshire.

The evening, themed around Breaking Barriers, will celebrate businesses, entrepreneurs and inspirational individuals who have overcome obstacles, and ABDN promises Mirza herself will live up to this title with some controversial gags. The event is at the Royal Armouries, Leeds, on April 1. For information on how to nominate someone for the awards, qualify or attend, go to www.abdn.org.uk

Pound stretcher

SIMON Embley, chief executive of York's LSL Property Services, doesn't hide his light under a bushel.

The estate agency and surveying group recently won Deal of the Year for its 1 acquisition of more than 200 estate agencies from Lloyds Banking Group, and is now looking for the next bargain.

When probed on targets, Mr Embley drew parallels with Real Madrid, one of the world's most successful football teams.

"I'm not saying we're the Real Madrid of the property world but when (Florentino) Prez (Real Madrid president) says he wants to bring in the Galacticos (star players) again, all the prices go up," said Mr Embley, a self-confessed sports fanatic and lifelong Liverpool fan.

"When you are as large as we are and as well capitalised it would

be foolish to start talking about specific targets."

By Royal command

Princes. They're like buses. You wait ages for one and then two come along at once.

That was the sentiment in our City office last week after invites came to meet the Prince of Wales at Clarence House on Tuesday and Prince Max of Liechtenstein on Thursday.

Well the City office claims it had lunch with Prince Charles, but in reality our hack was allowed to stand in the same room as His Royal Highness on the strict instructions that she wasn't to eavesdrop or directly approach the royal personage. The lunch was to launch a 2m appeal for a new centre to help children who stammer in West Yorkshire –a thoroughly worthy and much needed cause.

The second meeting was a lot more friendly and our scribe even got to shake hands with Prince Max, who is also chief executive of Liechtenstein's leading bank.

Prince Max was in town to promote a new deal which will offer thousands of tax dodgers the chance to come clean and avoid prosecution.

The authorities appear to believe a large number of these people could reside in Yorkshire.

Smooth operators

Why did the British Olympic team only receive one medal in Vancouver this year? Was it due to a shortfall in funding for Olympic athletes?

Not according to the makers of WD-40, who tried to cash in on the issue this week.

The brand, made in Milton Keynes, emailed Diary to say that it is

so confident its spray would lead to quicker times for skiers, snowboarders and tobogganists that it has offered the team a year's supply of its product ahead of the next Winter Olympics

in Russia.