In-house lawyers have become more visible in recent years, but one stands above the others: Mark Harding, group general counsel at Barclays. Harding, 50, was the driving force behind the formation of the GC100, a group of senior lawyers from Britain's biggest companies. Although he has handed on the role of chairman, Harding remains a prominent voice — witness the way law firms snapped into action when Barclays demanded that they started to take diversity seriously. The bank is one of the biggest spenders in the City and if Harding, pressured by the financial crisis, starts tightening the screws the ripples will spread throughout the market. A graduate of Jesus College, Cambridge, and the College of Law, Harding has worked at Clifford Chance and UBS, the Swiss bank. In addition to various financial committees, he sits on the board of the London City Mission and is a governor of the College of Law. He lives in Sevenoaks, Kent, with his wife and three children.

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