1 Andrew Stewart (-)
Previously CEO of Chase Manhattan Securities and co-founder of Collins Stewart, Barbados-resident Andrew Stewart is now the very clever head of Cenkos Securities. Named after his favourite racehorse, in little over eight months Cenkos has completed an array of deals, making it already the seventh largest broker to AIM new issues (as measured by money raised). Apparently, he is trying to do something different and is not keen on replicating the ‘small and midcap sausage machine’. It could only be a matter of time before he usurps his old boss and makes Cenkos AIM’s biggest broker.

2 Anthony Bolton (1)
For over a quarter of a century Bolton has led the Fidelity Special Situations Fund, a vehicle that has delivered around 20 per cent compound growth to investors during this time and is now worth £5.8 billion. He is, in a nutshell, Britain’s answer to Warren Buffet. As for Fidelity itself, it remains the largest institutional investor in AIM, both by value and the number of investments.

3 Oliver Hemsley (8)
Hemsley’s decision to rebuff Icelandic suitor Landsbanki has paid off handsomely. Numis’ shares have since more than doubled, suggesting the fast-growing brokerage could be in play again soon. Hemsley, who started the business as a Lloyd’s insurance specialist, has extended the firm’s reach to dabble in another high-risk area: online gaming. June’s flotation of Empire Online raised £123 million – but its subsequent 60 per cent slump has stained an otherwise excellent year when Numis raised far more than any other AIM broker (£700 million-plus).

4 John Dodd (2)
Dodd’s nimble decision-making has ensured his burgeoning Artemis small cap fund continues to make significant waves on AIM. As a fast car aficionado, the high oil price may have hurt his pocket, but it has done his portfolio no harm, with its heavy representation of resources stocks. In relative terms it has not been a vintage year for stock pickers in this field and Dodd is back in the pack, reporting an 18 per cent rise in the value of the £500 million fund.

5 Tim Cockroft (3)
Following in the footsteps of Christopher Holdsworth Hunt can’t have been easy for ex-Morgan Grenfell man Cockroft. However, as CEO of ubiquitous AIM broker KBC Peel Hunt, he is ably backed up by Simon Hayes, Adam Hart and other loyal lieutenants. Some technology floats have disappointed this year, but with the market buoyant, the broking and market-making arms remain very profitable. The other main love of 38-year-old Cockroft, who skipped university to become a City jobber, rackets, the ultrafast ball game. He is currently the British amateur doubles champion!

6 Alex Snow (7)
At 6ft 7in tall, this former rugby player dominates Evolution in every sense. He has needed all the strength he mustered as second row for Harlequins and England B to maintain professional calm at the controversy-plagued broker this year. The fundraising for Regal Petroleum, only a few months ahead of the revelation that the oil speculator’s Aegean well was dry, upset many institutions (although, to be fair, which broker hasn’t dropped a few clangers this year). This presaged the departure of Snow’s chairman, Richard Griffiths. Despite these ructions Evolution remains an increasingly important and aggressive player in small and mid cap circles.

7 Wol Kolade (-)
Mild mannered Kolade has emerged as managing partner of venture capital group ISIS. The outfit started as part of Friends Ivory & Sime under David Thorp’s aegis before eventually ending up as a small part of the F&C behemoth. Kolade, who has been with the business for a dozen years, has negotiated independence for the concern. This is allowing it to back more AIM flotations than in the past. F&C, through its many guises, is one of AIM’s largest investment houses. A ‘committed and enthusiastic cinemagoer’, Kolade must have a good babysitter to indulge his hobby; he is a father of four.

8 Roger Whiteoak (-)
This man’s fund mangement performance speaks for itself. The Framlington UK Smaller Companies Fund Whiteoak steers has posted gains of 159.7 per cent over the past three years, while under his control the Throgmorton Trust is up a tasty 154.1 per cent. And it would be churlish not to mention that Framlington is the sixth largest institutional investor in AIM by value.

9 Keith Harris and Richard Feigen (4)
This affable duo are the two heavy hitters at prolific AIM broking and corporate finance house Seymour Pierce. Chairman Harris has the higher profile, having made a past vainglorious attempt to buy Manchester United and he previously chaired The Football League. He was chief executive of HSBC Investment Bank until 1999, and is also a director of Wembley National Stadium. Feigen is head of investment banking, looking after all of the group’s stock broking and corporate finance work. Both have made Seymour Pierce the most active broker and nomad on AIM.

10 Andy Brough (11)
Part-time journalist and finance talking-head, the bespectacled Mr Brough is, of course, better known as the co-head of the Pan European Smaller Companies Fund. He manages the Schroder UK Mid 250 Fund too and is the co-manager of the Schroder UK SmallCap Fund. The latter is up a tidy 158.1 per cent over the past three years. Its declarable holdings show Schroders has £340 million invested in AIM in 45 different companies.

11 Bob Holt (26)
There are few in the market that would begrudge Bob Holt his success this past decade. With the assistance of his cerebral finance director David Robertson, he has built support services group Mears into the AIM stock par excellence. His leadership of Wyatt is bearing fruit, his non-executive guidance managed to keep a lid on the debacle that once was Supporta (which is now thriving), and he even finds the time to despatch advice to global gaming stock Sportingbet. When not building Britain’s best-run companies, he’s usually at the racecourse in strange tweeds.

12 Andrew Buchanan (16)
Buchanan had more reasons than most to celebrate AIM’s tenth birthday this summer. He has been investing in the market since its inception, most of the time for Close Brothers through its flagship small cap fund Beacon. He even claims to have been consulted on how the market should be set up. Now he is trying to solve the nation’s inheritance tax problems through his new VCT. Close tries to see every company raising money on AIM – a tiring task during this bumper year. To relax, Buchanan likes nothing more than growing big vegetables.

13 Terry Smith (9)
Chief executive of Collins Stewart Tullett, now the world’s second-largest inter-dealer broker, Smith retains a fearsome reputation in the City, being respected and disliked in equal measure. Although his firm has raised over £1.7 billion on AIM in the last five years, it has not been the leading firm this year. Just recently, discussions over a potential takeover were called off.

14 Stuart Sharp (10)
This agreeable chap – a solicitor by training and one-time jobber for the Inland Revenue – continues to enhance his investment reputation by delivering above-average returns. He’s been lead manager of the Rensburg UK Smaller Companies Trust (for the last ten years!) but it’s his similar role at Rensburg UK Micro Cap Growth Trust that has won the plaudits – it’s up over 169 per cent over three years. Even in socialist Scotland that’s considered an achievement.

15 Neil Johnson (14)
Johnson has been having a busy time of it lately as leading light at Canaccord Capital (Europe). Owned by Canada’s largest investment group, Canaccord has made a particular name for itself as a player in the field of natural resources, built up by the efforts of entrepreneurial director Tim Hoare. Companies which Johnson and colleagues have recently brought or would soon like to bring to AIM include European Nickel, UrAsia Energy and Frank Timis-backed Gemfield Resources.

16 Philip Secrett (12)
As a partner in accountant Grant Thornton’s corporate finance division, Secrett has become a significant player in the AIM market. With the help of the affable Gerry Beany, Secrett has ensured GT remains one of the most active nominated advisers to AIM companies, especially in the booming resources field. In a recent missive to the London Stock Exchange, Secrett has warned AIM needs ‘some form of reorganisation to provide greater focus for investors’.

17 Andrew Crossley (-)
As head of UK Small Companies for the giant INVESCO Asset Management group, Crossley is a powerful figure in this segment of the market. He once borrowed £50,000 from his brother to back his own Invesco Perpetual AIM Venture Capital Trust after facing a surprise tax bill, and sees London as becoming Europe’s dominant financial centre for research and development-based heavy businesses. Last summer Crossley said he thought climate change fears would have a big impact on renewable energy shares and was positioning his portfolio to benefit from this.

18 Giles Hargreave (6)
Since winning the inaugural Quoted Company Awards Investor of the Year gong, the softly spoken (but always authoritative) Giles Hargreave has maintained his investment momentum. The Marlborough Special Situations Fund under his command has grown 19.1 per cent, taking it to a gain of 185.7 per cent over three years.

19 Jeremy Middleton (-)
Jeremy Middleton has tried his hand at many jobs during his distinquished career, although few have given him as much pleasure as his current role as chief executive of Media Square, which became the fifth biggest UK-listed marketing communications and services outfit with the recent £63 million acquisition of Huntsworth’s Marketing Services Group. The business now boasts sales of circa £200 million, more than 2,500 clients and operations spanning Europe, the Far East, the US and Africa. Not bad for a man who trained as a chef.

20 Jeremy Hamer (-)
Hamer is a chartered accountant by training, a former foreign exchange dealer, and Elderstreet associate. He is better known though for his AIM work, sitting as he does on the board of nine AIM companies (at the last count!). He is currently non-executive chairman of Glisten, the fast-growing confectionery business, as well as deputy chairman and senior independent director at revered baking business Inter Link Foods. Courteous, successful and funny, he is a true City Gent in every sense.

21 David Blackwell (44)
He might be bearded, but this hasn’t prevented Financial Times journalist Blackwell picking up all manner of awards and accolades. A dogged unraveller of detail, favourable or embarrassing, he writes the respected ‘Small Talk’ column in the paper. The FT could do with more company journalists like him.

22 Laurie Beevers (15)
The peripatetic Beevers is CEO of WH Ireland, the deal-hungry Manchester-based brokerage. Married with four children (all girls), Beevers has been at the helm of WH Ireland since 1995 and has overseen its expansion into London and the South-East. The group’s recent purchase of a 51 per cent stake in an Aussie broker has everything to do with business and nothing to do with Beevers’ love of fine wines!

23 Chilton Taylor (17)
No growth company event is complete without the presence of this dapper and distinguished networker and deal-fixer, who remains the best-known face of accounting group Baker Tilly. 2005 was another great year for his firm, which confidently waltzed off with the Growth Company AIM Accountant of the Year Award for the third consecutive time. At Baker Tilly’s annual bash, a cheeky spokesperson asked whether we would be retiring the award (we won’t).

24 Peter Webb (5)
Racing enthusiast Webb has admitted this year has been tough for the funds he manages. The value investor has been caught out by the continuing dominance of oil stocks and other more speculative options outside his circle of competence. This underperformance has led to Webb unveiling his move from front line fund management to training young colts to take over the reins. With several dedicated small cap funds and a brace of VCTs in the stable, Unicorn has had a bumpy ride this year but Webb should steer the group back into the winner’s
enclosure again.

25 Katie Potts (29)
If you’re a journalist looking for a quote, Katie Potts is probably the most elusive person to pin down. That’s probably because the Oxford graduate – and professional smoker – is probably chasing down her next investment opportunity. The media and technology focused Herald Investment Trust she runs has almost trebled its basic NAV per share since inception in 1994. It has had a mixed time recently, but few doubt its upward trajectory over the long term.

26 Michael Jackson (27) A serial entrepreneur, became chair of PartyGaming to lead £4 billion float this year, also chair of Sage and Elderstreet

27 Bob Morton (21) Habitual chairman and company doctor, heads five Plcs, including MacLellan and Armour Group

28 Sir David Howard (-) Chairman of active broker Charles Stanley

29 David Norwood (-) Chief of university spin-out specialist IP2IPO and frequent traveller to India

30 Ken Ford (23) Chief executive of leading stockbroker Teather & Greenwood

31 David Page (46) Restaurant luminary, whose Clapham House group is expanding fast

32 Leesa Peters (32) Vivacious Aussie MD of ever growing Conduit PR

33 Philip Richards (-) The ‘R’ in aggressive investment group RAB Capital

34 Jamie Matheson (-) Executive chairman of fully listed stockbroking house Brewin Dolphin

35 Julian Bosdet (-) Colourful chief executive of PR agency Abchurch

36 Julian Lewis/Clive Garston (-) Partners at up-and-coming lawyer Halliwells

37 Mark Taylor (39) Corporate finance partner at the world’s third-largest law firm DLA

38 Geoff Foster (24) The Daily Mail’s Arsenal-supporting market reporter and small cap devotee

39 Martin Graham (36) The London Stock Exchange’s head of AIM and director of market services

40 David Williams (-) CEO of advertising screen outfit Avanti Screenmedia, poised to launch its own satellite

41 Kevin Foo (-) Australian entrepreneur, bossing Celtic Resources and Victoria Oil & Gas

42 Tony Fry (18) Transaction services partner at accountant KPMG

43 Bernard Fairman (45) Mustachioed managing partner of Foresight Venture Partners

44 Simon Brickles (37) Chief executive of PLUS Markets, he continues to restore health to OFEX

45 Nigel Atkinson (-) Chairman and managing director of corporate broking boutique Nabarro Wells

46 Garry Levin/Stephen Georgiadis (-) MDs of growth company focused investment banker Altium Capital

47 Nick Hassel (28) Wry stock market editor of The Times

48 Jonathan Metliss/Delphine Currie (-) Metliss is founder and both are corporate finance partners at solicitor SJ Berwin

49 Chris Moore (-) Executive chairman of rising software star Torex Retail

50 Neil Bellis (-) This barrister-turned property services guru heads Erinaceous Group