The Desert Island Investor

Although executives hold a controlling position, private investors are still part-owners of the businesses in which they have shares. As such it is reasonable to expect those companies to answer questions when a shareholder has some concerns. Mark's experience of getting answers to questions has been mixed at best, so in this episode he discusses the problems and calls out the worst offenders. To defend the honour of Investor Relations managers worldwide we are joined by special guest castaway Andrew Hanson who has over 20 years experience on the other side of the fence as an IR professional.   

Desert Island Discord is a series of podcasts where private investor Mark Atkinson talks about the aspects of investing that really grinds his gears. If your own investment journey has been tainted by some poor practice that you think Mark should drag through the mud in a future episode, use the form on our website at https://www.thedesertislandinvestor.co.uk to recommend a topic.

Desert Island Discord and The Desert Island Investor are generously hosted by London City based analysts Progressive Equity Research at https://www.progressive-research.com. You'll also find us on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music and all leading podcasting channels.

Created by Mark Atkinson | Produced by Paul Kerin | SFX from Freesound (CC-BY). Sword Fight SFX: FunWithSound. 

Desert Island Discord intro music by Paul Kerin and The Parrots of the Caribbean. (c) 2026

Disclaimer: The content of this podcast is provided for general information only and the opinions expressed by Mark, his guests and the producers of the podcast do not constitute financial advice. Before purchasing financial products it is advisable to seek the guidance of a professional financial advisor.


Creators and Guests

Host
Mark Atkinson
Creator and host of The Desert Island Investor, Question in a Bottle and Desert Island Discord podcast series.
Guest
Andrew Hanson
Investor Relations Manager
Producer
Paul Kerin
Producer and co-host of The Desert Island Investor, Question in a Bottle and Desert Island Discord podcast series.

What is The Desert Island Investor?

The Desert Island Investor podcast is a series of podcasts that document the experiences and strategies of private investor Mark Atkinson. Mark's long-term investments have enabled him to become financially independent and to retire at the comparatively early age of 53.

The stocks that Mark reviews on this channel are from his real portfolio and not a 'virtual' portfolio, so these are genuine win-some, lose-some stories.

We hope that you'll also enjoy our regular feature 'Question in a Bottle' where Mark answers listeners' questions about investing.