Bunhill: Anyone for tennis?

I THOUGHT readers might like to be reminded of the prodigious talents of Jan Leschly, the chief exeutive of SmithKline Beecham. Last week, Leschly paid dollars 2.9bn to acquire Sterling Health. The deal has rocketed SmithKline right to the top of the pharmaceuticals sector.

As my picture shows, before embarking on a business career, the 52-year-old had a successful time of it on the tennis court. However, although primarily known as a tennis player, he is almost certainly a better businessman.

You see, he never quite made it to the top in tennis - he was once ranked 10th in the world. But he is now ranked number one at SmithKline.

(Photograph omitted)