CITY DIARY

What is to become of Brian Keelan, scourge of the City establishment, in the new SBC Warburg? To the delight of many Warburg insiders, he does not appear on a confidential organisational chart of who will be doing what in the merged organisation.

Mr Keelan personifies the iconoclastic, swashbuckling style that was part of SBC's attempt to break into the London corporate finance market, and the Warburg old guard would be glad to see him pushed overboard.

Mr Keelan's manner has often annoyed rivals, and sometimes clients. Sir Alistair Morton went ballistic when Mr Keelan spoke too freely to Reuters about Eurotunnel's forthcoming rights issue. The idea that his head may have been sacrificed to pacify worried Warburg financiers is delighting staff at Broadgate.

At SBC, they say the idea is a million miles from the truth. "There is no way that Brian is not part of any major organisation at SBC-Warburg," is the message from the top. After all, they say, the chart lists managers, not client-handlers like Keelan. "The idea that he has been shafted is nothing more than a red herring". We'll see.

The London International Financial Futures and Options Exchange has elected Jack Wigglesworth as its new chairman. Wigglesworth, chairman of Citifutures, succeeds Nicholas Durlacher.

Two new lay non-executives - George Cox, chief executive of Unisys, and Lord Walker of Worcester - will be paid pounds 20,000 each for their roles. With Durlacher, they will decide on Wigglesworth's remuneration by next month.

Lord Walker has a slew of non-executive positions under his belt - Smith New Court, British Gas, Tate & Lyle and Dalgety, as well as being chairman of Cornhill Insurance and the Thorton Group. Let's hope he has time for Liffe in his busy life.

Considering it has only been 30 years since they let women into the room at Lloyd's of London, Miriam Goddard has done exceptionally well - the Brockbank group has just appointed her underwriter for errors and omissions on Syndicate 861.

One of Lloyd's old guard who grumbles that he can never keep good women because they are always "off to have babies" should take note. Goddard is expecting a baby in November and has no intention of leaving. "I think the tide is turning," she said.

Release of the conversation at the May meeting between the Governor of the Bank of England and the Chancellor yesterday was appropriate, given that Governor George was running at Ascot - the horse, that is.

The minutes showed a wider rift than at first thought. The four-legged George did no better, the appropriately named Realities taking the post at 11/1.