UK 12:48 Monday, 26 October 2026
Breaking news and expert analysis on fast-moving AIM and LSE listed shares
Disclosure: I own shares in one or more of the stocks mentioned. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from ShareProphets). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
A free meal for two at Free Speech & Liberty Pizza House in Clerkenwell is the prize in this week's contest. On the 19th the crony capitalists will be celeberating AIM's 20th birthday. How they will celebrate with black tie events, champagne, coke and hookers all paid for you.. the mug punters.
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Comments
bum
Andrew Bell. For both RGM and RRR
britishb beef
Just has to be David Ciclitira of Parallel Media.
Managed to stay listed for c. 14 years in current form. Sole exec director. Juicy salary. Never (from memory) delivered an operating profit. Never paid a dividend. Shareholders diluted c. 100x over (from memory) in placing after placing. Late accounts. Dilution adjusted share price has dropped from 400,000p to 16p (or something!) over the years. You couldn’t make it up!
Daniel Victor
I nominate Ken Judge – commercial director of Gulfsands.I feel that his name has cropped up in association with too many failures over too long a period – some of which should have been wound up long before they stopped.I reckon he gets it on the basis of sheer quantity.
Jammer
Andrew Bell, as above!
Phil
My nomination is Jim (Liar) Ellerton once of Sefton, he has a sense of entitlement that is simply astonishing
DUCK AND DIVE
I nominate Michael J Pilsworth, chairman of Motive TV (MTV) — which this month “celebrates” its 10th anniversary on AIM with its SP at an all-time low of 0.00825p having issued new keep-the-lights-on death-spiral equity with menstrual regularity for almost all of that time, amounting to an AIM record of 18.5 billion shares in issue today, every one of which is held at a loss by BBMs who themselves hold the AIM record for investor stupidity.
This isn’t quite accurate. The directors hold around 0.35% of the equity between them, not having been stupid enough to have bought any shares for years, leaving over 99% in public (BBM) hands.
Tempting as it was to nominate AIM’s worst CEO, Leonard Martin Fertig, for this award, he has only been in office since 2009 while his chairman has been there from the start.
But neither of them gives a shit about their shareholders. Neither of them knows how to generate a meagre slice of shareholder value. They draw huge salaries for delivering less than nothing as a PLC and it would take a miracle to get them out, given the number of BBMs it would take to amass 5% to float a resolution.
The only good thing to be said about these self-indulgent fat cats is that they don’t even bother to pretend to align their interests with shareholders by buying the odd 100 million shares (for loose change).
There may be blatant criminals at large on AIM but longevity must be a major consideration in this award and Pilsworth has stitched up his shareholders at MTV for a whole decade.
Pain au Chocolat
That is 3 votes for Andrew Bell of RRR, RGM et al. Why doesn’t TW get on his case? The TW book of “Red Flags” was almost written to fit the companies run by Andrew Bell.
senior
Surely, Peer TV (PTV) must be a contender for the sheer number of fund raising and value destruction.
ChrisG
I would like to nominate the lovely Bill Kelleher, formerly of New World Oil & Gas.
Fortunately, one of his previous troughs (Victoria Oil and Gas) have managed to survive, and are doing well after they got rid of him, but NEW were a public train wreck with him at the controls, and seem to have continued in the same vein even after he was booted out.
If we are allowed a second nomination, it just has to be Peter Landau – yes, him with the gold-lined pockets. Funny how the folks who manage to get hold of so much of other people’s money, always look so cheerful.
Paduardo
Got to be Andrew Bell. Chairman of two companies receiving two paychecks. Outcome for shareholders….
Daz
Gobind Sahney at Stratmin STGR must hold the record for the most outright lie ever in the prospectus of its IPO.
Supposedly three years ago they had a fully functioning graphite mine with a capability of producing around 1000tpm of jumbo flake high grade graphite, after he jumped ship prior to the none disclosed sale of a shed load of stock held by him in a different entity the mine three years on struggles to produce a measly couple of hundred tons per month of mixed grade shite.
The reins got handed over to manoli The Greek who managed to buy lots of additional equipment that the already completed mine needed in placement after placement, he recently also did one!
70p to 4p what great work in a favoured sector.
mhin2
a difficult one to call …soo many over paid , under-performing insider crony capitalists….but for his sheer audacity, and downright class (upper) persona complete with a self percieved (although unjustified’) `right to lead (dont know on what grounds- a bit like the first world war)…it has to be Andrew Bell
Gershon Reuben
I have simply been beaten to the punch by BRITISHB BEEF.
It is unarguable that the award must go to David Ciclitira.
As BEEF rightly observes the company has never turned a profit.
David bears a slight physical resemblance to Neville Chamberlain. He once came into our office waving a piece of paper at which we exclaimed ‘profits in our time’.
Martin Ashworth
Mark Reilly of Forte Energy. Shareholder value destruction 0f 99% takes some beating. Endless placings & recourse to “Death Spiral” funding by Darwin Strategic. Used to pay himself A$400k p.a. , now down to A$200k p.a but this is STILL A$200k too much. The ultimate West Perth Lifestyle Company, with a Lifestyle CEO.
alcira16247
Tom
My candidate is the infamous Frank Timis.
More than 160 small shareholders represented by law firm Wellers Law Group LLP are now considering ways to recoup losses. Timus is facing shareholder anger and disgust as further details emerge to shady dealings surrounding the collapse of African Minerals.
Valued at over $3 billion at its 2011 peak. By the time trading was halted in November, its value had tumbled 95 percent to just $51 million.
The convicted drug taker is fighting growing criticism and condemnation to his actions whilst leading African Minerals. Considered “unsuitable” to be a director by the Toronto Stock Exchange. Allegations that African Minerals constricted newsflow to shareholders. Also accusations that Timus deliberately failed to disclose material news of Shandong’s rescue package to shareholders as it demanded the ousting of himself as chairman from the company.
“Investors have every right to feel aggrieved,” John Meyer, a mining analyst at SP Angel in London, said in an interview. “They’ve been sold out by Timis.
Frank Timus the man who makes Nicolae Ceausescu’s mismanagement of Romania look acceptable!
Mac
Tom
Surely to goodness there is only 1 (actually 2) winners here.
The person who has delivered the most value destruction has to be the boss of AIM – Martin Graham followed by Marcus Stuttard. These clowns have overseen and tolerated every single fraud, basket case and blatant theft since AIM was formed and not lifted a finger to change an environment that positively encourages greed and corruption.
Woody44
Lots of excellent nominations above but surely it has to be someone who has shamelessly made life-changing sums of money out of companies whilst never turning a profit? David Lenigas, Frank Timis, Rob Terry, Peter Landau (and many others I’m sure) have all become incredibly rich without any of their companies actually making net profits and they have the front to keep going, to keep promoting shamelessly. Rob Terry is probably the chief among these for what looks to be the most amount of money made in the shortest amount of time from the dodgiest dealings and the quickest return to AIM. I’ve only been involved with AIM for 5 years and, as this is a 20 year award, perhaps there is a veteran value destroyer who can surpass Rob Terry but hopefully he (or she!) is in prison by now.
wildrides
Con ………roy gold
Woody44
I would just like to caveat my post as some of those individuals I mentioned may have been directors of AIM companies which at one stage may have made an accounting net profit but the questions remains, where are the [shareholders’] yachts?
Spider43
Andrew Bell x 4
Dicky
Peter Landau, purely for how he has screwed everyone in Range Resources, Lending monies from Range to all his companies that he either owns or has shares in and getting sweet F—- All back. IOP a Timmis company, CCC his company and the list goes on. Surely AIM can take action against him.
I Swear
Tony O’Reilly Jnr of Providence Resources, I nominate him for the 90% plus drop in value of the share price whilst maintaining a salary of 400k, more importantly he has done it in spite of the list of good assets PVR has had over the years but always seem to make a balls of whether buying prospects too high or selling them too low, hiring drilling rigs that are only fit for the scrap yard, pissing off every oil major out there that he hopes to do a deal with by his pompous utterances, the only thing he works hard on is his tan.
bbr391
1 David Ross
2 Nigel Spring & Grahame Sewell
3 Peter Lobbenburg
4 Mark Opzoomer & Rob Gorle
Stuart Doughty
Ian Johnson
Sean Nutley
Ray Horney
Peter Procopis ( Under Revision )
Howard Shore ( Under Revision )
Mr Mart Habakuk ( Under Revision )
Mr James Kenny ( Under Revision )
Mr Paul McGuinness ( Under Revision )
Margarita Novikova ( Under Revision )
Katrin Karemäe ( Under Revision )
Margarita Novikova ( Under Revision )
Dominic Bacon
Lindsay McNeile
General Jacinto Veloso ( Under Revision )
Diogo Cavaco ( Under Revision )
Rachel Rhodes
Graeme Hossie
Benjamin Lee
Vasile Timis
Technoplus
Mark Tincknell Roy Gardner Stephen HillRobin Ashton
Tracey Graham
Sterling Brinkley
Tom Roberts
Geoff Brady
Ciaran Morton
Lord St John of Bletso
Solomon Passy
Ionut Costea
Robin James
Donald Lake
Charles Jillings
Andrzej Sobczak
Nicholas Myerson
Christopher Howell
James Menzies
Jonathan M Copus
Mike Buck
Charles Morgan
Mark Molyneux
Craig Cameron, 46, of St Brelade
Frank Timis / Timis Corporation
Robin Farrell and Robert Addison
Phil Jackson
Michael Hitchcock Andrew Perloff
Mr Frank Maguire
I Reserve the right to add or remove as appropriate
purple11
RIVINGTON STREET HOLDINGS
FROM YOURS TRULY WINNIFRITH
now that was a farce!
Tom Winnifrith
pupple11
Hmm. Rivington not on AIM er factcheck. While you are about it check out a few other FACTS on that matter in video below you spineless tosser
http://www.shareprophets.com/views/11796/video-from-uk-investor-the-sheriff-of-aim-on-death-threats-rivington-quindell-fraud-and-more
T
Truthseeker
Andrew Bell
Masoud Alikhani
Peter Landau
Stephen F. Ronaldson