2) Moya Greene, chief executive, Royal Mail
Is there a higher profile job in private business in the UK at the moment? Maybe some of the bank and utility bosses would beg to differ… but the woman at the head of the largest fleet of commercial vehicles in the UK has a mighty list stccked in her in-tray.
Since joining Royal Mail in 2010 (she previously oversaw the privatisation of the Canadian National Railway) she has helped turn its consecutive years of losses back into profit, now achieving £4.5bn turnover in the first half of 2013-14.
Only half of its turnover comes from parcels, and mail is a shrinking market. Couple that with increasingly militant union activity looking for a high profile win and Greene has many problems to sort out. And that is all before delivering shareholder value.
If she gets it right, she can shape the public’s minds about what role a successful, private, logistics business plays in the UK economy.
And, don’t worry – if Scotland votes for independence the SNP will look to renationalise the Scottish part of the business. That will be painful, complicated and high profile again.
