RBS chief Hester frontrunner to replace Diamond

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) chief executive Stephen Hester has emerged as the frontrunner to fill the vacant chief executive position at Barclays.

A report in the Sunday Telegraph said Hester is being backed by a number of Barclays' prominent shareholders, who would prefer an external appointment to repair the bank's tainted reputation following the LIBOR scandal. One top-10 shareholder told the paper Hester is seen by many influential shareholders as an "excellent external candidate after his good work at RBS". However, in an interview with the Sunday Telegraph, Barclays' new chairman, Sir David Walker, was tight-lipped over the vacant position, stating an internal candidate or a UK-based figure could take the job. "Leaving ...