Whichever way you look at it, 2010 was a huge year for Standard Chartered in Europe – and that wasn’t just because it got its name emblazoned on the famous red shirts of Liverpool FC as sponsors.

The real success story was in the energy sector. The emerging-markets focused bank last year reaped the rewards of bringing in two big names in oil and gas mergers and acquisitions: Martin Lovegrove, whose boutique advisory firm it bought in 2007, and Kevin Smith, seduced from Merrill Lynch Bank of America to act as head of oil and gas advisory.