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Miner Centamin says its chief executive Andrew Pardey wil leave immediately - after saying in October he would retire - and will be replaced by the chief financial officer Ross Jerrard.

He will be interim chief executive while a search for a permanent chief executive.

"Having reviewed a far-reaching list of candidates, the nomination committee, supported by Korn Ferry, presented a shortlist of high-calibre potential candidates to the board with the next stage of interviewing underway," the company said.

As a reminder, Centamin is on the receiving end of a £1.5bn bid from Endeavour Mining.

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BBC Radio 4

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Carolyn Fairbairn, the director general of the CBI has said "the real work" for government "starts now" after the Conservatives secured a majority in the general election.

"The fact that we now have a prime minister with a very very strong mandate to govern is welcome, it's a question of how that's used."

She told Today it was "very, very" important for the new government to rebuild business confidence.

She said businesses needed reassurance around the possibility for a no-deal departure from the EU, adding that they did not want to face another "no-deal cliff edge".

Image source, AFP

The Institute of Directors has also responded to the Conservative Party victory in the election.

Jonathan Geldart, its director general, said: "After years of parliamentary chaos, directors want to see a government that is clear-sighted about the challenges facing businesses, and ambitious, but realistic, in its response. British companies have been resilient amid the confusion, but they are eager for some clarity now.

“Business leaders’ thoughts will immediately be turning to Brexit. For directors, ‘get Brexit done’ will only have meaning once the details of our long-term future relationship with the EU are clear, they need a framework to plan for the future from.

"The prime minister must resist the urge for arbitrary negotiating deadlines, and should commit to a proper adjustment period that starts when businesses know the full detail of what changes they may be facing. Our members have made clear that the content and shape of any new deal are much more important than simply the speed in getting there".

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What does business make of the Conservative Party victory?

Ian Robertson, former BMW board member and director of Dyson, has been speaking to the Today Programme.

"It's really a tale of two halves. First of all the uncertainty is now gone and I think, very good that we have a transition agreement already in place with the EU so there is now a period of more stability looking in to 2020.

"Having said that, the focus is now on getting a trade deal by the end of next year. That will be one of the major tasks of the new government."

He also advises BMW on Brexit and is also an adviser to the UK government. Would you advise manufactures to be based in the UK?

"I think the first part of the uncertainty is now away and that's encouraging".

He also called on the government to focus energy on not only a EU trade deal but also confirming other trade deals around the world with countries like Korea and Japan.

"There's real job of work now. It's ambitious. We are starting with a very common set of regulations with the EU so it should be possible.

"We now have relative period of certainty but now a big task which the government has to embrace. Boris [Johnson] has a statement saying 'get Brexit done', now 'it's get the trade deals done'".

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BBC Radio 4

Image source, Nomura

The pound posted its biggest gain against the dollar in two and a half years as news of the exit poll broke last night, with £1 now worth $1.35.

Currency traders, like Jordan Rochester from Nomura, were working all night tracking the election and keeping watch on sterling.

He told the Today Programme that the size of the Conservative majority indicated by the exit poll gave traders confidence that Boris Johnson would win the election.

"When that poll came out everyone said the worst case is a Tory majority but it's a little bit smaller than everyone said," Mr Rochester said.

"In this scenario, it's short term gain, potential long term pain if we have a hard Brexit at the end of 2020."

"But the size of the majority will mean a lot of folks will think Boris [Johnson] can maybe be a bit more pragmatic with this," he said explaining that markets will be looking for progress in early talks with the EU, which will kick off in February.

In the meantime, he said, investors will be watching to see who is appointed to replace Mark Carney as the governor of the Bank of England.

And, as markets digest the result of the election, Mr Rochester expects sterling to "grind higher" to $1.40.

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BBC Radio 4

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Maike Currie, investment director at Fidelity International, has told BBC Radio 4's Today Programme it is time to "look out for the Brexit bounce which investors have been waiting for".

"Look for that within the domestically-focused market the FTSE 250, the companies like Greggs, Marks & Spencer who are more focused on earnings at home.

"The stronger pound is bad news for the blue chip index of big companies, the FTSE 100, because they make their revenues overseas. These are the dollar earners.

"The biggest question is how long will this rally last."

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Shares in Asia followed Wall Street higher as the US and China moved close to signing a trade deal to avert a new round of tariffs.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 was 2.6% higher, the Hang Seng in Hong Kong rose by 2.10%, while China's Shanghai Composite gained 1.41%.

The US president had earlier tweeted about trade talks with China to avert a new round of tariffs.

The deal could be announced later in the day, after Donald Trump reportedly signed off on the terms.

A deal would deliver a victory to Mr Trump, who is under political pressure, with a debate on his impeachment underway in the US Congress.

He had tweeted on Thursday that the US and China were "very" close to an agreement.

"They want it and so do we!" he wrote.

However, previous truces have collapsed and without a formal announcement or presentation of a written agreement, many remained wary.

The US reportedly offered to halve tariff rates on about $350bn (£260bn) worth of Chinese goods, some of which had climbed as high as 25%.

Image source, Getty Images

The FTSE is expected to rise around 30pts at 7,300 when trading gets underway at the London stock exchange at 08:00.

Neil Wilson, chief market analyst at Markets.com, says: "The Conservative Party has secured an historic mandate with a thumping victory, providing clarity for investors where there was confusion.

"There is some uncertainty over how a stronger pound will impact the market. However, one feels that once the big money starts flowing the FTSE 100 should be moving higher despite a clear drag from the stronger pound, which will cap gains."

A quick reminder of the movement in the pound the moment that exit poll was published from this tweet by the BBC's economics editor Faisal Islam on Thursday.

The pound has reached $1.3516 - the highest since May 2018 - but drifted back to around $1.3470.

Welcome to Friday's Business Live Page.

As Dearbail Jordan has been reporting, the pound surged against the dollar from the moment the exit poll forecast suggested the Conservative Party was on course for a comfortable general election victory.

We'll be watching for further reaction to the election result as well as any impact from the US and China moving closer to signing a trade deal.

Do get in touch: bizlivepage@bbc.co.uk