The dastardly Mr Deedes
Embattled ex-WPP advertising mogul Sir Martin Sorrell, 73, who rigorously denies using company cash to fund an evening excursion to a Mayfair brothel, abruptly cancelled hosting a discussion at London Tech Week yesterday morning. Washing his hair?
Apropos the Sorrell unpleasantness, a weakness for women of ill repute is nothing new around the Square Mile. The head of one leading investment bank with an unfortunate predilection for ‘le vice anglais’ found himself out on his ear not long ago after he was discovered to be entertaining exotic Madames each afternoon at Claridge’s. ‘There was a culture clash,’ his chairman tactfully explained to shareholders.
Aberdeen Standard Life hosts a summit at Edinburgh Castle next month which will tackle that thorny issue of gender imbalance. Speakers include First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, tennis coach Judy Murray, Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson and actress Elaine C Smith, aka Mrs Rab C Nesbitt. Och! I trust convivialto- a fault Aberdeen bosses Martin Gilbert, 62, and Keith Skeoch, 61, will be on best behaviour around such a phalanx of formidable lassies.
Shaven-haired stock picker Neil Woodford, 58, has had a bumpy year on the investment front. His fund Woodford Patient Capital Trust will fall out of the FTSE 250 this month. Horse-mad Woodford’s equestrian season is hardly going great guns either. He had his first outing last week on the delightfully named nag Willows Spunky, which finished in 36th place. Shareholders gave Woodford an equally rough ride at WPCT’s AGM yesterday, though for now he remains in harness.
Ponzi fraudster Benjamin Wilson, who scammed 300 investors out of £22m, has been ordered by the Financial Conduct Authority to hand over a £145,000 inheritance he recently received from his mother. Well-upholstered Wilson, 39, is serving a seven-year sentence after using his illgotten gains to fund his extravagant lifestyle, splashing out £160,000 on a Ferrari, £200,000 on racehorses and £85,000 on gambling excursions to Las Vegas. The rest he just squandered.