The Financial Services Authority is advertising for a new chief operating officer. This is the nuts-and-bolts job of looking after the IT, property and HR bits, rather than actual regulation, and there is lots in the adverts about “a track record of leading change, delivering complex projects ...” etc, etc (Why do such people always have to lead change? Why can't they leave things as they are?).

The job, although it doesn't say so, is to replace David Kenmir, whose low-key resignation went largely unnoticed this summer. He quit for unspecified “other career opportunities”, but will be remaining until February. Kenmir had been filling in as managing director, retail markets, since April for the departed Clive Briault, who lost his job after the FSA failed to heed repeated warnings that Northern Rock was going belly-up.

Kenmir's own decision to take a new career track was also seen as drawing a line under the whole sad business, although his departure is entirely voluntary. This means that, while there has been a shake-up at the regulator in Canary Wharf, not one single UK bank chairman or chief executive has done the decent thing and taken responsibility for billions of pounds of losses, Northern Rock excepted.

Tell Sid, Rooke finally bows out

I was sorry to read of the death of Sir Denis Rooke. the combative chairman of what was British Gas, who conducted a long-running feud with Nigel Lawson over the privatisation.

This was accompanied by the advertising tagline “Tell Sid”, though those opposed to the sell-off soon changed this to: “Tell Sid he already owns it.”

Rooke, one of the foremost engineers of his generation and a man passionately devoted to the industry, was himself the unwitting star of a subsequent privatisation campaign, for the power industry this time.

This featured a Frankenstein's monster figure roaming the countryside. The face of the monster oddly resembled Rooke's own craggy features.

London sprawls

Ryanair has been running a promotional offer. One of the destinations is “London Stanstead”, Is Michael O'Leary dyslexic, asks my informant? No, it's not Stansted in Essex. It's Stanstead, a small hamlet south of Inverness, and so ideally placed for travellers to the capital.

Ecclestone takes himself out of race for honours

Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula One boss, claims that he has turned down a CBE. He was, of course, unfortunate enough to give a badly timed donation to the Labour Party in 1997, which had to be returned after a row over tobacco sponsorship. But he tells Management Today that the donation had nothing to do with the lack of any subsequent honour. “You'd be surprised at the people who have written to our Government, all sorts of people, including prime ministers, suggesting I should be knighted,” he says. He was once offered a CBE. “I thanked them very much, indeed, but said I was too busy at the moment. I didn't want other people begging for me.”

Cicero speaks

Thought for the day: “The national budget must be balanced. The public debt must be reduced; the arrogance of the authorities must be moderated and controlled. Payments to foreign governments must be reduced, if the nation doesn't want to go bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance.” From Michael de Villiers, finance director of Ariana Resources. He got it from Cicero, in 55BC.

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