Sir Hector was knighted just as he started the job, rewarded with the title for five years at the helm of the Financial Services Authority. But the Barclays role may have turned out more to be more difficult than bargained for - as the bank struggled with numerous compliance issues including Libor-fixing, the mis-selling of payment protection insurance, mis-sold mortgage-backed securities, and alleged irregularities on foreign exchange trading. 

'Sheer amount of work'

He went on stress leave in mid-October, diagnosed with 'exhaustion and stress', according to The Daily Telegraph. That was meant to last for three months. He has now resigned. The Telegraph's sources say that 'the sheer amount of work involved in the role….was the trigger for the exhaustion'. Source: The Daily Telegraph