The bargain hunter

From the Silk Road, to Basingstoke, to Buenos Aires, the HSBC Group has grown into one of the most formidable names in international banking. Its recent spurt of acquisitions - which have made it the most profitable bank in the world three years running - were masterminded by the workaholic Scotsman William Purves, who gave up the role of chairman this year. His long-time deputy, John Bond, is today the taipan of a bancassurance group that grew out of the old HongkongBank founded in 1865 in a diversification strategy that is looking wiser by the day. HSBC now has a major presence in the UK, the Middle East and Latin America and owns a regional bank in America - as well as being the premier regional bank in Asia. In his first interview, the dapper Bond - shunning the HSBC-hexagon tie that Purves would have worn - sets out his vision for the bank. He spoke to Steven Irvine for two hours about bank bail-outs, who his benchmarks are, his "indispensable" investment bank and why he can't leave a room without turning off the light.