The new executive chairman of Northern Rock is a corporate troubleshooter.
Cambridge-educated Ron Sandler started his career as a management consultant. He joined Lloyd's of London in 1995, becoming chief executive a few months later.
He was credited there with resolving the market's huge problems. Investors were being bankrupted by huge losses on asbestos lawsuits in the United States among other things. Mr Sandler spearheaded the market's recovery, but critics muttered about his self-assurance.
It was said he thought he could sort out the most intractable problems, without great expertise in no time at all.
Mr Sandler's political break came later, when he was asked to produce a report on the long-term savings industry for the then chancellor Gordon Brown, in 2001.
He recommended cheaper and simpler products but it made him more enemies in the financial services industry, where questions were asked as to whether the products would be profitable.
Since then, he has taken a number of roles. He has been chairman of Computacenter, the leading IT services provider, since 2001. He is also chairman of Paternoster, a group that buys out pension schemes from companies, and he chairs the Personal Finance Education Group.
One experience that will come in handy at Northern Rock is his experience of failing financial institutions, having been a victim of the collapse of Equitable Life. He waited four months to withdraw his money and was penalised when he did.
He lists his recreations in Who's Who as golf, skiing and guitar-playing.
