Rawlinson left red-faced after overheard lunch
IT’S THE nightmare scenario we all dread. Going for a meeting with a prospective employer and getting spotted (and overheard) by your current boss. But that’s exactly what happened to mining investment maestro Michael Rawlinson when he was thinking about leaving his role as head of mining at Liberum Capital during the summer.
Amid talks with Barclays about a possible move, Rawlinson was also approached by Alexis de Rosnay, head of Canadian investment bank Canaccord Genuity.
The pair met at City eatery Galvin La Chapelle in August to chew over Rawlinson’s next move but unbeknownst to them, chief executive of Liberum Simon Stilwell was sitting on the adjacent table, parted only by a screen and able to hear every word.
We can just imagine the conversation when Rawlinson got back to the office. The rest, as they say, is history. A few weeks later Rawlinson, who acted as an adviser on the giant Glencore flotation, announced he was off to Barclays to be co-head of its global metals and mining team.
Perhaps Rawlinson should have chosen a restaurant a little bit further away from the Liberum office…