Barclays CEO falls victim to prankster

LONDON: Barclays chief executive officer (CEO) Jes Staley responded to emails from an impostor pretending to be chairman John McFarlane, the Financial Times reported on its Alphaville blog.

The sender, who used the john.mcfarlane.barclays@gmail address, criticised a Barclays shareholder who had sought to oust Staley at the lender’s annual general meeting on Wednesday.

The CEO, who was re-elected to the board, responded with praise for McFarlane, citing his “grit” and comparing his “fearlessness” on the guitar to that of Eric Clapton.

Staley, the bank’s CEO since McFarlane hired him in late 2015, has faced calls to resign since the lender publicly reprimanded him last month for persisting with his pursuit of a whistleblower after being told it was inappropriate.

“You are a unique man, Mr McFarlane. You came to my defence today with a courage not seen in many people. How do I thank you?” Staley wrote. Bloomberg