For those already fed up of being back at work (January tends to be the busiest month for job seekers after all), former Bank of America Merrill Lynch banker Yacine Amor might serve up some inspiration.

Diligently working on French IPOs a year ago, by spring Amor - the US bank's former head of equity-linked bonds for Emea - had bid farewell to his 20-year City career. Well respected in the banking sector - former colleagues describe him as "passionate, driven and technically very adept", a "bright guy [and] risk taker" - he was waving farewell to a lucrative career full of people he knew well.