Andrew Regan
Encyclopedia
Andrew Regan is a British-born polar explorer and entrepreneur
. He is the chief executive officer
of Corvus Capital, an investment company.
children. He resides in Geneva, Switzerland.
. In 1994, Hobson acquired F.E. Barber, the food and drinks manufacturing operation of the Co-operative Wholesale Society
.
Regan was responsible for developing the Loyd Grossman
range of sauces which were manufactured by F.E. Barber. After rationalising the operation, Hobson was acquired in 1996 by Hillsdown Holdings for £154 million, through a recommended cash takeover
.
in a £1.2 billion take-over bid which was rejected. As part of its bid defence, the CWS carried out an investigation into former dealings between certain CWS executives and Regan. In 1995 Regan had authorised the transfer of £2.4 m from F.E. Barber which he maintained he provided to an intermediary as a brokerage fee for successfully resolving the deadlock between the CWS and Hobson in negotiations about extending a food supply contract; the Serious Fraud Office
(SFO) maintained that the transfer was used by the intermediary to provide a bribe to two senior CWS executives in order to extend the contract, and unsuccessfully prosecuted Regan on a charge of theft of £2.4 million.
Regan's first trial resulted, in 2002, in a hung jury
and a retrial was ordered. This retrial in 2003, ended when a juror alleged he was approached by an unknown party. At the second retrial (also in 2003), Regan was acquitted
with the judge noting that he was minded to order the SFO to pay Regan's defence costs
. In 2005, the Co-operative Group (successor to the CWS) received what it described as a "substantial payment" as part of an out-of-court settlement with Regan and others in a civil case relating to the accusations.
of Corvus Capital, an international investment company, in 2004. Corvus was established to identify assets or companies which are either underperforming or undervalued. The management team attempt to acquire or tactically reposition such companies in order to realise potential value. Corvus Capital, Inc. was listed in the UK on the London Stock Exchange
's Alternative Investment Market
(AIM) before it was taken private in December 2008.
Corvus founded Lodore Resources, an AIM-listed investment company formed in 2004 with the intention to build a group specialising in the oil and gas sector. The company listed with a market capitalisation of £6.4 million, and after building a group with its assets principally in the United States. In 2005 the company was acquired for a total consideration of £115.0 million. Other Corvus investments included, amongst others, Commoditrade and Gable Holdings.
Regan has been involved in several start-up companies including ASOS Plc which is now the UK's largest independent online fashion retailer.ASOS had a market capitalisation of £12m when listed on the AIM Market in 2001, growing to £1.2bn by the end of 2010.
Regan was a founder shareholder in Imperial Energy, an upstream oil and gas exploration and production company focused on the Commonwealth of Independent States
and, in particular, the Russian Federation. The company was floated on AIM in 2004 at 25p per share and moved to the Official List in 2007. In 2008, Imperial was acquired by ONGC Videsh
of India for £1.3 billion (1,125 pence per share).
, including an expedition with three of his children, and the South Pole
. In 2005, he led the Ice Challenger Expedition
, a world record
attempt for the fastest overland crossing to the South Pole. The six-man Ice Challenger team completed the 1,200 km route in 69 hours, breaking the previous world record of 24 days (576 hours). The expedition aimed to increase awareness of global warming
. The entire team wanted to highlight the impact of climate change on the Antarctic, to the rest of the world.
and off the coastline onto the Ross Ice Shelf
.
Winston Wong
, a prominent Taiwanese businessman and alumnus of Imperial College London
, was the main sponsor to the Expedition. The Winston Wong Bio-Inspired Ice Vehicle was the lead vehicle in the expedition and was the first ever bio-fuelled vehicle to reach the Geographic South Pole. The WWBIV is currently on display at the Magic School for Green Technology at the National Cheng Kung University in Tainen.
The expedition partnered with Imperial College London
, to carry out scientific experiments in Antarctica.The researcher accompanying the team provided a network of mobile wireless sensors, developed at the College, which were tested to continuously monitor the health of members of the Expedition team.
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
. He is the chief executive officer
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Corvus Capital, an investment company.
Personal life
Andrew Regan was born in Manchester, and is divorced with sevenchildren. He resides in Geneva, Switzerland.
Hobson
Early in his career, Regan ran a household products business, Cadismark, which was sold to Hobson plc in 1991. Following the sale, he became the chief executive of Hobson, which was listed on the London Stock ExchangeLondon Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
. In 1994, Hobson acquired F.E. Barber, the food and drinks manufacturing operation of the Co-operative Wholesale Society
The Co-operative Group
The Co-operative Group Ltd. is a United Kingdom consumer cooperative with a diverse range of business interests. It is co-operatively run and owned by its members. It is the largest organisation of this type in the world, with over 5.5 million members, who all have a say in how the business is...
.
Regan was responsible for developing the Loyd Grossman
Loyd Grossman
Loyd Daniel Gilman Grossman, OBE, FSA is an American-British television presenter, chef and musician who has mainly worked in the UK.- Early life, education and honours :...
range of sauces which were manufactured by F.E. Barber. After rationalising the operation, Hobson was acquired in 1996 by Hillsdown Holdings for £154 million, through a recommended cash takeover
Takeover
In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company by another . In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are listed on a stock exchange, in contrast to the acquisition of a private company.- Friendly takeovers :Before a bidder makes an offer for another...
.
Co-operative Wholesale Society (CWS)
In 1997 Regan led an attempt to gain control of the CWSThe Co-operative Group
The Co-operative Group Ltd. is a United Kingdom consumer cooperative with a diverse range of business interests. It is co-operatively run and owned by its members. It is the largest organisation of this type in the world, with over 5.5 million members, who all have a say in how the business is...
in a £1.2 billion take-over bid which was rejected. As part of its bid defence, the CWS carried out an investigation into former dealings between certain CWS executives and Regan. In 1995 Regan had authorised the transfer of £2.4 m from F.E. Barber which he maintained he provided to an intermediary as a brokerage fee for successfully resolving the deadlock between the CWS and Hobson in negotiations about extending a food supply contract; the Serious Fraud Office
Serious Fraud Office
The Serious Fraud Office may refer to:*Serious Fraud Office *Serious Fraud Office...
(SFO) maintained that the transfer was used by the intermediary to provide a bribe to two senior CWS executives in order to extend the contract, and unsuccessfully prosecuted Regan on a charge of theft of £2.4 million.
Regan's first trial resulted, in 2002, in a hung jury
Hung jury
A hung jury or deadlocked jury is a jury that cannot, by the required voting threshold, agree upon a verdict after an extended period of deliberation and is unable to change its votes due to severe differences of opinion.- England and Wales :...
and a retrial was ordered. This retrial in 2003, ended when a juror alleged he was approached by an unknown party. At the second retrial (also in 2003), Regan was acquitted
Acquittal
In the common law tradition, an acquittal formally certifies the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as the criminal law is concerned. This is so even where the prosecution is abandoned nolle prosequi...
with the judge noting that he was minded to order the SFO to pay Regan's defence costs
Defence costs
Defence costs are the cost that are incurred in the defence of a criminal trial in England and Wales. Should a defendant be acquitted they will almost always be awarded their defence costs....
. In 2005, the Co-operative Group (successor to the CWS) received what it described as a "substantial payment" as part of an out-of-court settlement with Regan and others in a civil case relating to the accusations.
Corvus Capital
Regan became the chief executive officerChief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of Corvus Capital, an international investment company, in 2004. Corvus was established to identify assets or companies which are either underperforming or undervalued. The management team attempt to acquire or tactically reposition such companies in order to realise potential value. Corvus Capital, Inc. was listed in the UK on the London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange
The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...
's Alternative Investment Market
Alternative Investment Market
AIM is a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange, allowing smaller companies to float shares with a more flexible regulatory system than is applicable to the main market....
(AIM) before it was taken private in December 2008.
Corvus founded Lodore Resources, an AIM-listed investment company formed in 2004 with the intention to build a group specialising in the oil and gas sector. The company listed with a market capitalisation of £6.4 million, and after building a group with its assets principally in the United States. In 2005 the company was acquired for a total consideration of £115.0 million. Other Corvus investments included, amongst others, Commoditrade and Gable Holdings.
Regan has been involved in several start-up companies including ASOS Plc which is now the UK's largest independent online fashion retailer.ASOS had a market capitalisation of £12m when listed on the AIM Market in 2001, growing to £1.2bn by the end of 2010.
Regan was a founder shareholder in Imperial Energy, an upstream oil and gas exploration and production company focused on the Commonwealth of Independent States
Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States is a regional organization whose participating countries are former Soviet Republics, formed during the breakup of the Soviet Union....
and, in particular, the Russian Federation. The company was floated on AIM in 2004 at 25p per share and moved to the Official List in 2007. In 2008, Imperial was acquired by ONGC Videsh
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation
The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited is an Indian state-owned oil and gas company headquartered in New Delhi, India. It is one of the largest Asia-based oil and gas exploration and production companies, and produces around 77% of India's total crude oil production and around 81% of...
of India for £1.3 billion (1,125 pence per share).
North Pole
Regan visited the Geographic North Pole for the first time in 2004. In April 2008 he returned, completing an Expedition on foot with three of his children, Jojo, Alex and Sam to raise awareness about climate change.Ice Challenger 05
Regan is an experienced Polar traveller and has been to both the North PoleNorth Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
, including an expedition with three of his children, and the South Pole
South Pole
The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
. In 2005, he led the Ice Challenger Expedition
Ice Challenger Expedition
The Ice Challenger Expedition was an expedition to the geographic South Pole. The expedition's six man team used a six wheel drive vehicle to cover about 1,000 miles....
, a world record
World record
A world record is usually the best global performance ever recorded and verified in a specific skill or sport. The book Guinness World Records collates and publishes notable records of all types, from first and best to worst human achievements, to extremes in the natural world and beyond...
attempt for the fastest overland crossing to the South Pole. The six-man Ice Challenger team completed the 1,200 km route in 69 hours, breaking the previous world record of 24 days (576 hours). The expedition aimed to increase awareness of global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
. The entire team wanted to highlight the impact of climate change on the Antarctic, to the rest of the world.
Moon-Regan TransAntarctic Expedition
Regan returned to Antarctica in November 2010, leading the Moon Regan TransAntarctic Expedition. The 10-man Expedition team completed the first ever there-and-back crossing of Antarctica, a journey of some 4,000km, in just 23 days. They travelled from Patriot Hills on the west coast to the South Pole, heading north from there through the Trans-Antarctic Mountain Range, down the Leverett GlacierLeverett Glacier
Leverett Glacier in Antarctica is about 80 km long and 4 to 6 km wide, draining northward from the Watson Escarpment, between the California and Stanford Plateaus, and then trending WNW between the Tapley Mountains and Harold Byrd Mountains to terminate at the head of the Ross Ice Shelf...
and off the coastline onto the Ross Ice Shelf
Ross Ice Shelf
The Ross Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf of Antarctica . It is several hundred metres thick. The nearly vertical ice front to the open sea is more than 600 km long, and between 15 and 50 metres high above the water surface...
.
Winston Wong
Winston Wong
Winston Wen-Yang Wong , Taiwan) is the eldest son of Wang Yung-ching, chair of the Formosa Plastics Group , by his second wife. Wong is now a widower with a son and a daughter after his wife succumbed to stomach cancer in 2007. Wong holds degrees in physics, applied optics, and chemical engineering...
, a prominent Taiwanese businessman and alumnus of Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
, was the main sponsor to the Expedition. The Winston Wong Bio-Inspired Ice Vehicle was the lead vehicle in the expedition and was the first ever bio-fuelled vehicle to reach the Geographic South Pole. The WWBIV is currently on display at the Magic School for Green Technology at the National Cheng Kung University in Tainen.
The expedition partnered with Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
, to carry out scientific experiments in Antarctica.The researcher accompanying the team provided a network of mobile wireless sensors, developed at the College, which were tested to continuously monitor the health of members of the Expedition team.