Bunhill: Robert Montague

You have to admire the courage of a boss who makes one of the largest corporate donations to the Conservative Party in a year when his company plunges to a loss of pounds 22m while owing its bankers pounds 940m. But then no one has ever faulted Robert Montague for lack of gall.

The head of Tiphook, the container leasing firm, not only gave pounds 80,000 to the Tories last year but paid himself pounds 851,000 as chairman and chief executive. (No namby-pamby nonsense about splitting the jobs at Tiphook).

Montague, who has a CBE under his belt and is now said to be gunning for a knighthood, is a pillar of the Conservative Party. He invited Sir Charles Powell, formerly Margaret Thatcher's foreign affairs adviser, on to the board last year.

He also likes to be portrayed as a solid family man. As we reported last week, he reveals two marriages in his Who's Who entry, and is now happily married to Silke Kruse.

But strangely absent from the entry is any mention of a third marriage - to his then secretary Jenny Stott in September 1989. It lasted but a few weeks. 'It was a part of his life which was very short and is now over,' confides a fellow director.