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Representative Trustee System - The Global Gold Standard Creating Discomfort at Home Once upon a time when the cultural cringe held away it took the likes of a Frank Sinatra to leap from a plane onto the tarmac of Kingsford Smith and declare his undying love and affection for Australia the greatest country on earth, to fill the gathered hearts with pride. Click here to watch the interview
House of Fraser has many rooms Benjie Fraser, managing director and global pensions executive at -.-. ------ Worldwide Securities Services, was in Australia recently talking on a wide range of industry topics. In London he is known as the City Poet and has an impeccable literary pedigree. Click here to read full article
CMSF 2012 daily news: day three The not-for-profit superannuation movement should promote the strengths of its representative trustee system amid criticism that it lacks independence and professionalism, CMSF 2012 heard. Click here to read full article
Benjie Fraser on the advent of super trusts What's the difference between super-sizing and super trusts? Not much, says Benjie Fraser. Click here to read full article
Making Their Debut Twenty-three young ladies from countries around the globe, including France, Russia, Japan and India, made their international debut at Le Bal des Debutantes at the Hotel de Crillon in Paris, France. Click here to read full article
Valzer con star A Parigi, le figlie dello showbiz debuttano in società sotto gli occhi di mamme e papà famosi. E Bruce Willis balla un lento. Click here to read full article
A poetry reading to knock your socks off Banker and poet Benjie Fraser gave a reading of his poems in aid of Friends of the Royal Marsden Hospital, where his late stepfather Harold Pinter was treated for cancer, at his house in Kensington last night, assisted by his son Tom who read some of his own. Publisher Tom Stacey, 81, who read one of his own poems, arrived on a scooter of the engineless variety as he thought he was late. "Luckily it was downhill but it'll be uphill on the way home," he said. Clothing tycoon Johnnie Boden was wearing no socks. "It's a sort of Euro fashion statement," he said. "I don't wear socks between May and October, or when I'm on holiday. "Benjie's mother Dame Antonia Fraser was selling a book of her late husband's poems in aid of the Marsden. "It's such a brilliant hospital," she said.
B.H. Fraser - Blade of Bread Click here to read full article
Dame Antonia give us a twirl A glorious fancy dress party at the Polish Club in Kensington at the weekend where banker and poet Benjie Fraser, 50, threw a birthday party, themed on Arabian Nights, for himself and two of his teenage children. Click here to read full article
Arabian Nights Il Polish Club di Exhibition Road, a Londra, è all’altezza della sua fama: il luogo ideale per trascorrere una serata trasgressiva, tra alcol e danze. Il compleanno del poeta della città Benjie Fraser... Click here to read full article
Among Friends ... The secondary distillation of work by less well-known contemporary poets, from already slender pamphlets, makes them competitively potent. B.H.Fraser's 'Business Centre', a fagged-out hymn to the conference-world of the mid-1980s, is a shining example. ... Click here to read full article
Special Report - Pensions Apart from those mentioned in this special report, thanks are due to Martin Bird, David Blake, Craig Burnett, David Calfo, Andrew Clare, Jerome Clark, Nick Davies, Chris DeMarco, Emmanuel Dubois- Pellerin, Cynthia Egan, Benjie Fraser.... Click here to read full article
Poetry and the arts in the Fraser genes Former arts minister Grey Gowrie has high praise for Benjie Fraser, son of Lady Antonia, and his collection of poems, Default Virgins."Manic depression is a familiar condition of many good poems and good poets," writes Lord Gowrie in his foreword. "B H Fraser's poems cast a healthier, colder eye. But their impressive, jerky rhythms and ability to move in and out of formal English do serve to capture the greed/fear, elation/despair equations of the City ..." B H Fraser's method suits his subject, indeed derives from it. There are terrific changes of pace and mood in the verse. Most of us at present are suffering from violent fiscal change of one sort or another as we enter our century's puberty. We are default virgins, a Fraser phrase worthy of the OED." Late hatter Isabella Blow is immortalised by Fraser in one of his works: "Dream me./I am neither asleep nor awake./I am in parenthesis./Watching/With love and remembrance,/I am your heated vision." Fraser, now 50, is a top merchant banker and father of five. How does he find the time?
Whiskeria: Poetry and whisky - a good pairing? Benjie Fraser's day job is a senior fund manager in London's financial centre with a major bank, but he is also the self-styled 'City Poet'. His work is appreciated by a broad cross-section of the City, especially the hedge fund industry. He also has a weekly Twitter at City_poems. So, what happens when we cross the muse with a fine single malt? Benjie tasted one of our finest - Glenkeir Treasures Macallan 18yo. Dominic's tasting notes are thus: The Glenkeir Treasures Macallan 18-year-old is arguably the perfect Speysider, with enough sherry and vanilla playing off soft orange fruits, and all held together by some oaky notes and the faintest hint of spice. Benjie's response, it has to be said was lengthy, but this is an extract:
B. H. Fraser
Professional Pensions: Social media key to increasing member awareness - NAPF Conference 2010 Social media sites such as Twitter and LinkedIn could prove a powerful tool in increasing member engagement. Benjie Fraser told conference delegates that issues such as the advent of NEST and the shift from RPI to CPI could provide a catalyst as members go online to air their views on pension issues. Fraser used the example of a blog set up by a major bank for use by schemes. Users were able to engage in topical discussions and take part in interactive votes. Participation can be anonymous if wished. Fraser said average time spent on the site has grown from five to 11 minutes. Fraser drew comparisons with areas like politics where social networking is used heavily and urged the pension industry to get more involved. "The pensions industry is ideal for this and I think the Pandora's box is slowly opening," he said. "NEST could really stimulate peoples' awareness of their pension provision and we need to embrace social networking as a means of engaging more actively with people." This view was echoed in an earlier session where social media was highlighted as a way of engaging with members on a more "individual" basis. Gray UK's Adam Gray urged employers to engage with members on these sites as a means of understanding their needs more thoroughly. "Social media helps us to stand out from the crowd as letters don't engage with people on an individual basis," said Gray UK's Adam Gray. "We need to talk to these people, not at them if we are going to understand their needs. People are going to discuss these issues and these conversations are happening whether employers are involved or not. Social media enables people to ask the questions they need to."
The Daily Telegraph: Chief's train of thought - a mystery Benjie Fraser, the bard of the Barbican, will be exercising his iambic pentameters today. The son of Lady Antonia Fraser and head of pensions at a major bank is doing a poetry reading at the Barbican. Now, this is the man who has written poems including Bank Robbers, A Giant, Vampire Squid and Lines Written on the Financial Meltdown, so it could be entertaining. Tomorrow he’s speaking at the National Association of Pension Funds’ annual conference. Hope he doesn’t get the two sets of notes mixed up.
Click here to read the article
Evening Standard: New direction for the banker bard Click here to read the article
Sanctuary in the City Click here to read the article
A poetic interlude
Boisdale Telegraph: The modern way to
murder a Haggis Click here to see full article
Daily Mail Banker/poet Benjie Fraser, 46, the son of historian Lady Antonia Fraser, has written Fancy A Haggis? - a contemporary address to a haggis, in time for Burns Night. This saucy work, sponsored by Macallan Single Malt, begins: 'You flash thing/You master/Of the cooking bling/God, you'd be good in bed/Arms, legs, skin/Even the words unsaid/good luck then' ...and ends 'You can't hurry love/And you can't hurry a haggis/So now do you fancy me?/And can a night/Be spent together/Of all eternity?/Now eat and say your prayers'. Benjie's poem was launched during a whisky-drenched dinner at Boisdale, the Scottish restaurant in Belgravia.
Financial Times: The City is not short of creativity Sir, Howard Davies is correct in wondering where the authors of high finance are; there is certainly plenty to write about. My favourite is David Charters, author of At Bonus Time, No-one Can Hear You Scream and No Tears: Tales from the Square Mile, who has a style worthy of literary inspection. He also merits a wider audience and his books are rarely found in mainstream book shops. The City even has its own poet, B.H. Fraser (www.bhfraser.com) so we are not short of creativity. From my own experience, aspiring writers are instructed by literary agents and publishers that City/finance-based fiction has narrow appeal and are told to focus on other areas that are more marketable. By Sarah Dudney
Evening Standard: It's Harold on the phone A JOINT performance by Harold Pinter and Lady Antonia Fraser was the highlight of last night's poetry reading, organised by her son, banker and poet Benjie Fraser, at the Inner Temple. The couple read from a dialogue written by Pinter, entitled Apart From That, in which two characters have an inane conversation on their mobile phones, never getting much further than "How are you?". Very Pinteresque. "Harold hates mobiles and conversations on them like the one in the piece - it's typical of him then to turn around and manage to write about them," said Lady Antonia, for whom the performance was her stage debut. The audience included Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, AS Byatt and Jonathan Aitken. "I was very interested to hear Benjie's poem about setting the rates," said Aitken, a former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, "because I was one of the last people to help to do that." The reading raised money for a charity founded in memory of Paddy Pakenham, Lord Longford's barrister son, who died in 2005.
International Custody and Fund Administration
Online: Fraser Joins a major bank Worldwide Securities Services (WSS) has appointed Benjie Fraser as senior vice president and head of business development for European pension funds, a new position. Fraser previously worked for the ---- -- --- ----, where he was head of European pensions. "We are very pleased to be joined by someone with Benjie's broad experience, particularly at this important time for the pensions industry," said Dick Feehan, WSS Securities Company sales executive in Europe, Middle East and Africa. In addition, Fraser noted, "Our focus on servicing clients is a key part of this commitment to the pensions industry".
Global Custodian Review Online: a major bank hires
Benjie Fraser as Senior VP for European Pension Funds Worldwide Securities Services (WSS) appointed Benjie Fraser as Senior Vice President and head of business development for European pension funds, a new position, as part of WSS's focus on pension funds and the administration of pension funds. Fraser previously worked for ---- -- --- ----, where he was head of European pensions. He has over 16 years of experience in the pensions industry and has spent more than 20 years in financial services. Fraser said: "I am very excited about coming to work for a firm so comprehensively committed to pension funds. Our focus on servicing clients is a key part of this commitment to the pensions industry."
Global Custodian Online: a major bank names Benjie Fraser
to Head Business Development for European Pension Funds Leaving his post as head of European pensions for ---- -- --- ----, Benjie Fraser will now fill a similar position at a major bank Worldwide Securities Services as senior vice president and head of business development for European pension funds. Fraser has over 16 years of experience in the pensions industry and has spent more than 20 years in financial services. "We are very pleased to be joined by someone with Benjie's broad experience, particularly at this important time for the pensions industry," said Dick Feehan, JPMWSS sales executive in EMEA.
IPE.com: ---- -- --- ----'s Fraser joins a major bank Click here to see full article
International Custody and Fund Administration
Online: Fraser Joins a major bank Worldwide Securities Services (WSS) has appointed Benjie Fraser as senior vice president and head of business development for European pension funds, a new position. Fraser previously worked for the ---- -- --- ----, where he was head of European pensions. "We are very pleased to be joined by someone with Benjie's broad experience, particularly at this important time for the pensions industry," said Dick Feehan, WSS Securities Company sales executive in Europe, Middle East and Africa. In addition, Fraser noted, "Our focus on servicing clients is a key part of this commitment to the pensions industry.
Evening Standard: Londoner's Diary / Pinter still going strong Click here to see full article
Evening Standard: Londoner's Diary / Pinter sees stepson
for a dose of city verse Click here to see full article
Banker turns to verse to lay bare Mammon's soul By Paul Majendie
Poet - Benjie Fraser A would-be-poet claims his nine-to-five job as a City banker is the main motivation for his colourful poetry. He maintains stocks and shares can be as inspirational as unrequited love or death-ridden angst. Managing director of NY Bank in London, Benjie Fraser, will be reading his poetry on Thursday 23 July at the Guildhall in London. To see an extract of Mr Fraser’s poetry, please see the bottom of the page.
Inspiration of Verse Poetry is far from being a dying art. Although public speaking is less popular nowadays, it is still a weekly ritual at the famous Speakers Corner in Hyde Park. In addition, various poetry and creative writing groups meet regularly to discuss all kinds of poetry, with an increasing number of people attending the gatherings. Poetry has greatly evolved since Anglo-Saxon times, when it was first written in the English language. It continues to inspire in both ancient and contemporary forms. A Poem isoften defined by the era in which it is composed. Works of a particular period can share distinct characteristics and themes. Anglo-Saxon poetry, for example, included recurring themes such as vikings, dragons and visions. Poetry is a flexible medium - a poem can be as long or as short as the poet desires, and there are many different styles of writing, from sonnets and verse, to limericks and rhythm. A poet’s inspiration shapes the character of the poem, and this can often derive from his or her surroundings. Benjie Fraser says his work is influenced by an unusual combination of TS Eliot, and his daily commute into work on the underground, as well as his business trips around Europe. Although TS Eliot did not write many poems about the city, Mr Fraser says that he is inspired by Eliot’s prose. ‘The language is living, interesting, to me, perhaps sometimes in its ordinariness’ he says. If you are a budding poet the please get in contact with us and let us know about yourself and what inspires you.
An extract from 'Bonus Time' By Benjie Fraser Bonus time follows spring
The Times: Bonus is poetic justice The City's unofficial poet in residence holds the first reading of his new work next month, on July 22 at Guildhall Art Gallery. B.H. "Benjie" Fraser will read from his City Poems collection, which are all about working in the City. Try Bonus Time: "Bonus time follows spring/Cheapside's peace
threatened by sheep/Masses of small specks flooding a green field/Beneath
the Barbican can..." Also at the event, and reading selections from his work, the playwright Harold Pinter, who is, by coincidence, Benjie's stepfather. I think we can assume his choices will not include God Bless America: "Here they go again,/The Yanks in their ballads of joy/As they gallop across the big world/Praising America's God." It would be, at best, tactless. Fraser, in his day job, is the London managing director of the ---- -- --- ----.
The Spectator: The Spectator's Notes
Daily Mail: Ephraim
Hardcastle 
The Daily Telegraph: A
Poet for the Pakenhams |
The Daily Beast: Wimbledon's Poet Laureate
BBC- Radio 4:
Today Programme Arts Reports -Poetry in the
City 
