Dapper Reid steps up

Venture Preference boss Stuart Reid’s ascendancy has certainly got insurance tongues wagging. “I didn’t know they picked chief executives based on looks alone,” one wag teased Reid (who looks remarkably dapper in his new publicity shots).

Pundits have also been keen to know how much Reid is earning, after former co-chief executives Chris Blackham and Paul Meehan departed this week. “None of your business,” was the swift response from Reid, who was nonetheless keen to tell Backchat that his new salary was not three times what is was before Blackham and Meehan departed.