Regarded as one of the most powerful figures in the asset management industry, Emmanuel Roman has been considered the driving force at Man Group ever since the company bought GLG Partners, where Roman was chief executive, in May 2010.

At the time, the deal was referred to by many in the marketplace as a "reverse takeover", in a nod to the fact that Roman ensured that GLG executives were chosen over their Man Group counterparts for key roles in the combined firm.