The former private client manager at Merrill Lynch, who lost a record ÂŁ7.5 million sexual discrimination case against the US firm, is to set...

The former private client manager at Merrill Lynch, who lost a record ÂŁ7.5 million sexual discrimination case against the US firm, is to set up with her Italian banker husband, Alessandro Ciravgna, a new investment company, GoldFinger has learnt. The new firm is to be called New College Capital and will target high net worth individuals with asset management products, according to a report in Financial News. Mr Ciravagna presently runs Ciravegna Capital Management, which he set up in 2000. However, according to FN this firm made a cumulative profit of just ÂŁ34,366 between when it was set up and 2003. Ms Villalba recently failed to recover her legal costs, which were ÂŁ568,000, connected with her sex discrimination case against the bank. Nevertheless, Ms Villalba has reportedly signed a $500,000 book deal with a London publisher to tell her story of the affair. GoldFinger is bidding for the serialisation rights.