Robin Phillips has quietly navigated a slew of restructurings at HSBC’s investment bank over the past 14 years and come out on top, giving him a reputation that led one former colleague to dub him “the great survivor”.

But while his understated management approach has enabled him to climb the corporate ladder, he has come under fire in recent weeks over his stewardship of HSBC’s global banking division by a group, who claim to work for the bank, calling for his departure.