James Bond creator had an idler ‘long lunches, one client’ approach to banking
Author Ian Fleming joined London Rowe&Pitman as a stockbroker in 1935, a firm that would later become part of UBS’s corporate history
British novelist Ian Fleming, best known for his James Bond series of spy thrillers, has a connection with Swiss banking that dates back to an early stage of his career.
Fleming, who would author his first Bond novel in 1952, creating the character that became familiar to millions of readers and cinema-goers around the world for his quip “My name is Bond, James Bond”, worked in finance during his mid-20s, including a stint as a stockbroker at a firm that would later be acquired by UBS.
A recent visit to UBS’s headquarter in Zürich, revealed the relationship. UBS Group historian Christian Leitz named Fleming as one of the bank’s most well known former employees.
In 1935, Fleming, aged 27, joined London Rowe&Pitman as a stockbroker, a company that would later be acquired by today’s UBS.
Historical records of UBS did not show Fleming to be the most driven broker as he liked to have long lunches and serve only one client a day.
Fleming also worked for the Scottish merchant bank founded by his grandfather Robert Fleming in 1873. The merchant bank bore the family name under the title Robert Fleming and Co.
