Superwoman tipped as next Bank governor leaves L&G

ONE of the most powerful women in the City has stepped down from her job as head of Legal & General Investment Management – intensifying speculation she could be in line for the governor’s role at the Bank of England. Dame Helena Morrissey’s shock departure follows the revelation in the Mail on Sunday last month that she was interviewed earlier this year for the top job at the Bank, with incumbent Mark Carney due to step down at the end of January.

LGIM, which has more than £1.1 trillion under management, announced that the mother-of-nine – who has run the business for less than three years – was leaving ‘to pursue other opportunities’.

She said: ‘I’ve really enjoyed my time at LGIM, but I see a changing Britain and have a lot of ideas and other things that I want to achieve. I am looking forward to the next phase of my career at a time of great change and opportunity.’

Morrissey, a prominent proponent of gender diversity in the City, would be the first female governor of the Bank of England in its 325-year history.

A backer of Brexit, known as the ‘City superwoman’, she lives in Notting Hill with her husband Richard, a Buddhist monk.

Their children range from the ages of ten to 27, and include acclaimed singer-songwriter Flo, 24.

Morrissey, 53, founded the 30% Club in 2010 to encourage more woman into the boardrooms of FTSE 100 companies. With her help, the proportion of female directors has risen from 12.5pc to 32.6pc. Before moving to LGIM, she spent 15 years as chief executive of Newton Investment Management.

Educated at a comprehensive school before winning a place at Cambridge University to study philosophy, Morrissey ( pictured) also wrote a book between jobs called A Good Time To Be A Girl.

She even baked the cake for her oldest son Fritz’s wedding in 2017.

An announcement on who will take over from Carney was expected this autumn, but it has been pushed back as Brexit has consumed the Government’s time.

The final decision will be made by the Treasury and Chancellor Sajid Javid.

Other frontrunners are thought to include Andrew Bailey, boss of the Financial Conduct Authority, Santander UK chairman Baroness Vadera and London School of Economics head Dame Minouche Shafik.