'It’s a completely different dynamic from working in a plc'

His combination of Irish ancestry and a south London upbringing has produced a young man who likes to talk… Unfortunately, his enthusiasm is undermined by a naturally miserable face. These words form part of an occupational psychologist’s report on candidate Stephen Lehane at a Unilever graduate recruitment day in 1984.

“You can tell it damaged me, because I can remember the exact words,” jokes an amiable and engaging, yet still miserable-faced, Lehane, who today is group HR and corporate affairs director at Alliance Boots. The assessment continued: On the evidence of this interview, he will try to make anything sound interesting. Let’s see if that’s still true.