Nick Salmon is expected to move back to the UK to take up an investment banking job in London after resigning from his position as executive vice-president of Alstom, the troubled French engineering group.

His move comes after a period of intense volatility for Alstom. Since the French government was forced to step in last summer to rescue the company from imminent bankruptcy, Alstom has negotiated a debt rescheduling and a capital increase. It has completed several asset sales with the aim of further reducing its debt.