Insurer RSA’s agreement of a £7.2bn ($9.6bn) bid from two foreign rivals is one of the biggest UK deals to emerge during the Covid-19 crisis. At the side of the British institution is a Goldman Sachs dealmaker who has slipped into the shadows in recent years.

Karen Cook, Goldman’s co-chair of investment banking, was key in major UK takeovers throughout the 1990s and 2000s and was a formidable figure in the City for decades. She advised Cadbury on its 2011 sale to Kraft and helped AstraZeneca fend off a bid from Pfizer in 2014.