Sir John Parker has been linked with just about every important chairmanship in the FTSE 100 in recent years, and with good reason. Senior businessmen who have worked with him say that he is one of the outstanding chairmen of his generation. He has the natural charm and gentlemanly manner expected in a City grandee, but what sets him apart is a steeliness that was forged in the Belfast shipyards of Harland and Wolff.

How appropriate that Sir John has been appointed to head the board of Anglo American, the huge mining group. For although it boasted revenues of $26 billion last year and about 160,000 employees, Anglo is perceived by some shareholders to be a listing ship. It has underperformed some of its rivals and there is concern that Cynthia Carroll, the chief executive, has failed to stamp her authority in a constructive manner.

A merger-of-equals approach from Xstrata, its London-listed rival, has enlivened the debate over Anglo’s future and brought the issue to centre stage in both the City and South Africa, Anglo’s historic base.

Some investors find the idea of Mick Davis, the Xstrata chief executive, running Anglo to be highly attractive, although not on the financial terms that he has offered so far. Others would be happy for Anglo to remain independent, but only if the company were given a metaphorical kick up the backside.

Sir John’s appointment will do much to strengthen Anglo’s position and calm jittery shareholders. He has already backed Mrs Carroll and reiterated the board’s position that the Xstrata approach undervalues Anglo’s assets. However, friends of Sir John said yesterday that his support for Anglo’s management should not be seen as unconditional and that Mrs Carroll would still have to prove herself.

Paul Lester, the chief executive of VT Group, the defence services company, has known Sir John for 15 years. They first met when Sir John was the chief executive of Babcock and, most recently, when Sir John took on the chairmanship of the merged BAE Systems-VT shipbuilding business. Mr Lester said: “Knowing John, he will give management a good chance to prove themselves. He will listen to other people’s opinions but, ultimately, he will make up his own mind. He is an extremely fair man but he will not walk away from tough decisions, whether that is telling shareholders they are wrong or firing the chief executive.”

Sir John’s career began in Belfast, where he studied naval architecture and mechanical engineering at Queen’s University. He joined Harland and Wolff, which built the Titanic, as a ship designer in 1964 and held a number of management positions in production and sales. He moved to Sunderland to run the Austin & Pickersgill shipyard in the mid-1970s and returned to Harland and Wolff in 1983 as chairman and chief executive. He joined Babcock in 1993 and has been the chairman of National Grid since 2002.

“John’s career is really up there as something to admire,” Mr Lester said. “He has a lovely, soft, Irish manner but there is also an iron fist. He has this gentlemanly integrity that is second to none, but I’ve also been on the end of the steely side of him, and he can be ruthless.”

Directors at National Grid say that Sir John is an excellent mentor to company managers and non-executive directors. Ken Harvey, the senior independent director of National Grid, said: “Of all the chairmen I have worked with, John has been the most outstanding. He is a stickler for corporate governance but also understands how to get the best out of the non-executive directors for the benefit of the company.”

If Anglo American is in need of a firm hand on the tiller, as some shareholders believe, Sir John appears well suited to the task. How he gets to grips with Anglo in the coming months will, therefore, be of great interest to both agitated investors and the company’s would-be suitor.

Hands-on executive

Current roles
Chairman of National Grid (since 2002), chairman Anglo American (2009), vice-chairman DP World (Dubai, 2006), joint chairman Mondi (2007), chairman BVT (2007)
Positions held
Member of the Prime Minister’s Business Council, vice-president Royal Navy and Marines Charity, Chancellor of the University of Southampton
Style
“Iron fist in a velvet glove”
Family
Married to Emma, with two children and two grandchildren