After eight years on Gibraltar’s party circuit, Casemates’ Lord Nelson has recently undergone a major makeover. Not only does the Bar Brasserie now have new decor, a new audiovisual system and a new menu, it also has a brand new management team – let’s introduce them.

Stuart & Gareth lead at the Lord Nelson

Gareth and Stuart, despite only being in their early 30s, bring a wealth of experience to the table. Both have been in key management roles for leading pub operators in the UK gaining a plethora of plaudits and qualifications. Their most successful venture was the Anchor in Bedford where they held the license for three years and did a roaring local trade in food and beverage. High standards of customer service come as second nature to both, particularly for Gareth who served dignitaries and royals as part of Concorde’s cabin crew, winning an Award for Excellence in the process.
Gareth comments, “Our vision for the Lord Nelson is to retain its fantastic atmosphere and reputation then increase food sales with our fresh looking menu, instil excellent standards throughout via continuous staff training and achieve targets set by our Directors. We’ll of course stay true to our ‘Live Music Venue of the Year’ reputation. In short, we hope that every guest who visits the Lordy goes on to spread the word about how good it was.”
The strictly over 18s venue which is the official home to Gibraltar Rugby Club is gearing up for a fantastically busy summer. Each Friday, Saturday and Sunday the Lord Nelson will have Live Music featuring both ‘home-grown’ and ‘imported’ talent. A new menu will include homemade pizzas, jacket potatoes, burritos, a selection of sizzlers, prime steaks and paninis all freshly prepared on the premises. Meanwhile, an extensive wine list, six draught beers and plenty of imported bottled varieties will keep every thirst quenched – and they’re still also offering tea or coffee for £1.20 with complimentary newspapers.
Gareth finishes, “Stuart and I are delighted that we made the move from the UK to Gibraltar. We’ve fallen in love with the Gibraltarian culture and relaxed way of life and can’t wait to continue the Lord Nelson’s reign as number one bar in Casemates”.
The pub’s Directors John and Andy Hunter have been part of the Gibraltar hospitality scene for 20 years and have five bars under their stewardship – Gibraltar Arms, The Star Bar, Lord Nelson, O’Reilly’s Irish Pub and the Britannia Bar within the Cruise Terminal.

Gibraltarian Dayle Rowbottom has joined NatWest’s Treasury and Investor Solutions team as Treasury Associate.

Educated locally and a former Gibraltar Scholar, Dayle obtained an honours degree in economics from the University of York. He also holds the Securities and Investment Institute Level 3 certificates in Securities and Derivatives as well as the ACI Dealing Certificate.
His banking career with the Group began in Jersey in 2008 where he joined the Treasury & Investors Solutions team. His most recent role was within the Corporate Risk Solutions team focusing on foreign exchange risk management for corporate clients.
Dayle has now returned to Gibraltar to take on a similar post with NatWest working directly with clients to understand their needs and create solutions to meet their underlying financial market requirements.
He is specialising in developing foreign exchange risk management strategies for corporate clients facing currency exposure. Dayle brings a wealth of experience with him from his time in Jersey where a high level of sophisticated treasury services are provided to a broad range of clients.
Dayle commented “I am delighted to be joining the Gibraltar business after my spell in Jersey. We are focussed on providing a high quality service to our clients in the areas of money markets, foreign exchange, interest rates and structured investment requirements. What makes the Bank’s approach stand out is its clear commitment to having a thorough understanding of its clients’ foreign exchange risk management needs and then investing time and effort in creating solutions tailored to those business needs”.
Welcoming Dayle back to Gibraltar and to the bank’s team, Gerald Rodriguez, Director, Corporate Treasury Solutions, commented:  “Dayle’s arrival will provide my team with much needed resources. His time in Jersey has provided him with invaluable experience and he will be able to use this to promote the FX hedging side of the business. In Gibraltar we live in a dual currency environment and therefore many of our businesses are exposed to currency fluctuations on a day-to-day basis. Dayle will focus on providing risk management solutions for clients facing this risk. I am sure he will be very successful in this role”.

After 20 years with Barclays here in Gibraltar, finishing as Head of the Local Corporate team in 2004, and five years in the wealth/company management/trust sector, Ian joined Lombard in March of this year.
Lombard is the asset financing arm of the RBS Group and the UK sector’s market leader. Locally, they provide a wide range of flexible and very competitive asset finance solutions to corporate clients as well as car and motorbike finance for the personal sector.

NatWest’s first paddle tennis tournament took place on 29 May in the Sports and Leisure Centre, where eight teams fought to be the first to have their names engraved on the winners’ shield.

Paddle Winners 2010 J. Lopez & F. Desoiza

This fast-paced game, which is adapted from traditional tennis, is over a hundred years old. It’s played on a smaller court with a depressurised ball and a solid paddle replaces the strung racquet. Since the provision of new Paddle courts in the Sports Centre as well as those created at Sandpits, the sport seems to have really taken off on the Rock.

Tournament honours went to the The Taxi Association, with Montagu Group runners up. Plate winners were Triay Stagnetto Neish (TSN) with Aquagib runners up.

Each team paid a £50 entry fee and all proceeds were donated to Cancer Relief – one of the key charities NatWest is supporting through its fundraising efforts this year.

Marvin Cartwright, NatWest’s Regional Head commented:
“This has been a fantastic start to our competition and I would like to thank everyone for entering into the spirit of the occasion. I would also like to congratulate this year’s champions; I hope they will come back next year to defend their title. I am confident this event will grow each year and we are determined to make it a fixture on the corporate sporting calendar”.

NatWest Paddle Tournament 2010