Dashwood: City night-owls pay £640k for Mayfair's most private party They have committed to a further £2.4m of improvements - helped by a £4m loan - "to help maintain the highest standards in the club's appearance." Whatever it takes to keep the likes of Google boss Eric Schmidt and property mogul Nick Candy coming back for more. Although, with a reported 1,000 people on 5 Hertford Street's waiting list, the financial risk of members not renewing is "limited," say directors. Gordon Ramsay stuck the knife into Jamie Oliver last December by claiming he was too grubby and fat to lecture Americans on healthy eating. But at least Oliver's balance sheets are in better shape. Accounts filed for Gordon Ramsay Holdings last week were something of a kitchen nightmare, revealing losses of £1m as directors muttered about the trading environment "remaining challenging." Oliver's multimedia empire Jamie Oliver Holdings, however, is comfortably in the black. Healthy profits of £7.3m for the 12 months to December 2012, no less, as turnover shot up 13pc to £35m. Double helpings of humble pie for Gordon? Gilbert goes into extra time Martin Gilbert said he knew it was "time to go" when he stepped down as chairman of rail and bus operator FirstGroup last month. Are his days as CEO of Aberdeen Asset Management also numbered? At a party in the City to mark the fund manager's 30th anniversary last week, Gilbert, who has been at the company since the start, confided he was quizzed recently on when he was "thinking about retiring." "When Sir Alex Ferguson steps down from Manchester United," came Gilbert's reply - only for the football manager, Gilbert's hero thanks to Ferguson's success with Aberdeen FC in the early 1980s, to announce his retirement a week later. City lawyer by day; ping pong champion by night. Last Thursday, HowardKennedyFsi partner Dov Katz put in some practice before he represents the UK at table tennis in the Jewish Olympics next month by hosting the first-ever Plc Ping Pong Championships. Owing to his ability, Katz - the one-time possessor of the best forehand in England - couldn't compete. Instead, he annointed the team from N+1 Singer as "worthy champions" of the inaugural trophy.