September 09, 2009

AS A former minister in John Major's Cabinet, Angela Knight is no stranger to the intensity of debate and the criticisms of public office. The one-time economics secretary served in the dying days of the last Conservative government that suffered the fall-out over Europe and the squabbling over the party's leadership. When it became clear that a change of government was coming, Knight knew she would have to seek an alternative career path.

A berth at the British Bankers' Association might normally be seen as a relatively sedate role compared with the rough and tumble of the Westminster village. But instead, Knight's stewardship of the banking sector has coincided with the biggest and mADVERTISEMENTost serious crisis ever to face the industry and it has pushed Knight to the forefront of the debate – often being called upon to defend a sector that she freely admits to having failed itself.