By Greg Hazley
London-based Finsbury is guiding PR for IKOS, the $2.5 billion, Cyprus-based hedge fund enmeshed in a global divorce and spying drama.
Ambrosiadou in a Bloomberg TV appearance. |
The co-founders of the 17-year-old fund – Elena Ambrosiadou and Martin Coward -- are divorcing and Ambrosiadou is accused of hiring investigators to spy on former employees, including Coward.
London-based Bell Yard Communications, a litigation PR specialist, is speaking for Coward.
The Financial Times, noting Ambrosiadou is one of Europe’s richest women, on May 21 reported that an English court ordered her to pay damages to a former fund manager in response to allegations she hired a sleuth in a “large scale” surveillance operation as Coward moved to start a rival fund in December 2009.
IKOS, through Finsbury, on May 24 sought to clear up a “number of misleading and inaccurate articles” outlining nine different issues, accusing Coward of conspiring to take the company and misappropriate its technology, and saying IKOS “acted lawfully to protect investors’ interests.”
The fund said criminal investigations are being pursued in Cyprus and Monaco.
Louise Beeson, a staffer for Bell Yard, told Bloomberg News that Coward “strongly denies the alleged wrongdoing” and noted he “does not recognize” the account provided by IKOS through Finsbury.
Finsbury is owned by WPP.
|