Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Royal Mail shareholder boss is ‘locust’

 

Jamie Dunkley
Wednesday 23 October 2013 05:44 EDT
Comments
Banks have been accused of undervaluing Royal Mail sales ahead of IPO
Banks have been accused of undervaluing Royal Mail sales ahead of IPO (PA)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A hedge fund run by a businessman once described as a “locust” by an embittered rival has emerged as the largest private shareholder in Royal Mail.

The Children’s Investment Fund has taken a 5.8 per cent stake in the group following its privatisation earlier this month. The fund was founded by Chris Hohn, a 46-year-old known as a generous philanthropist but damned by the former CEO of Deutsche Börse, Werner Seifert, for his part in scuppering a previous business deal.

The holding will be seen as a blow to the Business Secretary, Vince Cable, who had insisted that Royal Mail would be sold to long-term “blue chip” investors.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in