When David Spina took over as chief executive officer and chairman of State Street in May last year, following the retirement of long-term incumbent and éminence grise of global custody Marsh Carter, his message was blunt: 'Win in Europe'. To this end, Spina dispatched Mike Wilson to London to oversee a structural reorganisation aimed at more closely aligning the firm's asset management, investor services and treasury activities within the Europe, Asia and Middle East region.

Wilson says: 'The bottom line is David is committed to growth outside the US and to becoming a truly global firm. That has a lot to do with mindset, becoming less US-centric, and I think that will be a key part of his legacy.'