Hints and tips:
...It found itself with a plethora of new activities and insufficient tried and trusted managers to fix them all — as Sir John and Sir Keith Whitson, its former chief executive, had once fixed Marine Midland...
...Where HSBC was different was in the scale of its ambition, especially under John (now Sir John) Bond, a man who embodied much of the best of the old HSBC culture....
...Sir Keith Whitson, who retired from the HSBC in 2003 after over 40 years’ service, argued that the board should focus on internal candidates who know the company....
...John Bond was the first, Keith Whitson was the second. FT: And [appointing a chief executive] was rather imposed upon you because of the Midland Bank takeover in 1992?...
International Edition