Re: QPP Stream Log - Quindell exit feels familiar to...

Quindell exit feels familiar to ousted boss: Deja vu a decade on as Terry is forced out By Peter Campbell for the Daily Mail 018 19 Nov 2014, updated 018 19 Nov 2014 +2 Facebook Twitter Click Pinterest Google Reddit Stumble Digg LinkedIn Email Click 0 comments +2 A contender for the ultimate rags to riches story, Rob Terry grew it from a stump to a multi-billion pound business and a darling of the stock market. But after questions over the firm’s accounting practices began to intensify, and the share price dropped like a stone, the board decided it was time for Terry, the charismatic founder and leader, to go. He was ejected from the board, left to ponder how the business he had nurtured had become so deeply embroiled in financial scandal. But this is not the story of Quindell, the highly-acquisitive claims processing tech firm that fired Terry at the start of the week. This drama takes place more than a decade ago when Terry was ousted from Innovation Group – also a highly-acquisitive claims processing tech firm. The two companies boasted the same directors, the same deal-making growth strategy, the same promise of copious amounts of jam tomorrow for investors. But at the end of the day Quindell suffered the same fate as Innovation Group – shedding almost all of its value after questions were raised over the way the company did business. So how did Terry produce an almost carbon copy of his old company without warning flags being raised? And how did he convince enough serious fund managers to invest when the company floated on London’s junior AIM market three years ago? The questions baffle City insiders with long enough memories to recall Terry’s former venture. A story doing the rounds in the Square Mile yesterday was that one banker sizing up investors for the Quindell float mentioned Terry’s name in a polite enquiry to a senior fund manager – only to receive a foul-mouthed earful. The banker swiftly withdrew from the process of pitching for the lucrative work of bringing the company to market. Even the run-up to Terry’s Quindell exit bore echoes to those of Innovation Group. With shares in Innovation falling, he and Steve Scott entered into a complicated share-loan deal to raise funds. Several months later, the stock collapsed by 30 per cent after Innovation Group altered its accounting policies. And later that year Terry was ejected. The lag time between opaque share-selling deal and exit was much shorter at Quindell – taking only two weeks. Again, Steve Scott – who has also been forced out – was involved, as was Quindell’s finance chief Laurence Moorse, who was UK finance director at Innovation Group. All three will leave Quindell by next year, leaving stand-in chairman David Currie – a former advisor to Innovation – to plug the gaping holes round the boardroom table. MORE... Controversial Quindell founder Rob Terry pushed out, but will remain as a consultant to troubled firm Quindell seeks fresh funding from hedge funds as stock market value falls 70 per cent in a year  Shares yesterday fell another 1.5p to 54p as analysts expect a raft of write-offs as new management gets to grips with the beats built by Terry’s deal-making. And the London Stock Exchange has now opened an investigation into whether any of the company’s activities breached listing rules. Quindell’s biggest corporate shareholder M&G yesterday broke ranks to admit that investing in the company was ‘a mistake’. Fund manager Tom Dobell said: ‘The M&G Recovery Fund is all about backing the underdog for the long run. ‘We have worked closely with Quindell to improve governance. It appears at this point that we have made a mistake but this business is still a going concern.’ Unlike Terry’s departure from Innovation – which saw him trouser £500,000 in parting pay and sell £5m of shares – his exit from Quindell is less cushioned. The company said Terry is being retained as a consultant, but refused to disclose any details about his remuneration. But the Mail understands he will lose any previous benefits such as car and medical cover, and will only be paid for days when he is called on by the company to impart his expertise. The terms of his new contract were handed to Terry without scope for negotiation. He is not expected to frequent the company’s headquarters at Quindell Court in Fareham, Hampshire, particularly often. The company’s annual report shows that he was paid £600,000 basic salary and a £720,000 bonus during 2013. No details are available for this year, and it does not appear that he has outstanding share awards. Some companies allow former executives to become ‘consultants’ to give them a cushy landing. Tesco is one example, where former chief Phil Clarke has been kept on until the New Year on full pay and perks – despite being absent since the summer. But Terry’s package is not as sugar coated. Yesterday he issued a contrite statement, in which he said: ‘I am clearly disappointed and sorry that events turned out as they did.’ But he also defended the share-dealing arrangement that ultimately cost him his job, saying he entered the deal to sell £7m of shares to Equities First ‘with the best of intentions for the company and all shareholders’. He said he will no longer have to re-buy the 8.5m shares he sold – meaning that he was able to offload £7m of shares at well above their current value. The company refused to comment on the arrangement yesterday. But Terry said: ‘This will draw a line under this agreement and I have no intention of making further use of this agreement or its like again.’ But analysts are already taking bets on how long it will take the ever-ambitious 45-year-old to re-emerge with another company. The Companies House directory shows him registered to 53 firms – almost all of which appear to be owned by or linked to Quindell. After ten years and two stock market ejections, it seems that twice-burned Terry plans to change his spots. Facebook Twitter Click Pinterest Google Reddit Stumble Digg LinkedIn Email Click 0 comments JUMP TO... Home Showbiz Femail Sport NEXT STORIES1/14 RUTH SUNDERLAND: Well done on forex - but what about HBOS? FCA cannot claim to hold its head high until it finally delivers truth on its... 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