Guy Hands, 48, the shaggy-haired founder of the private equity firm Terra Firma, will find out within days if he will get the opportunity to change the fortunes of EMI. If his track record is anything to go by, he will throw himself into the task with vigour.

Often described as a dominating character at Terra Firma, the firm in which he has a majority stake, it was in his early years at Ravenscroft School that Mr Hands first showed he was willing to be different – playing the part of Lady Macbeth in a school play.

Another useful talent – an affinity for juggling big numbers – became evident during his university years, when he held the office of bursar of the Oxford Union Society. Educated at Magdalen College, Oxford, it was there he met William Hague, the former Tory leader. A friendship blossomed, resulting in Mr Hands asking Mr Hague to be best man at his wedding.

Mr Hands started his career as a bond trader for Goldman Sachs, the American investment bank, where he remained for 12 years, before joining Nomura, the Tokyo bank, in 1984.

In 2002, he founded Terra Firma Capital Partners, which has a substantial property portfolio in both Britain and Germany.

Mr Hands was elected a Global Leader of Tomorrow at the World Economic Forum in 2000.

With his wife Julia, in 2001 he established Hand Picked Hotels, a 14-strong chain of three and four-star country-estate hotels.

Mr Hands’s labours earned him and wife a place in The Sunday Times Rich List in 2005 with a rumoured fortune of £175 million. Two years later, the list estimated his fortunes had risen to £200 million.

He is also president of Access for Excellence, which promotes the broadest possible access to higher education. In addition, he is a fellow of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme.

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