Co-Op Bank & Paul Flowers

Yet another grubby individual has hit the headlines due to incompetency - how do these people get these jobs?

A Methodist minister for some 40 years, the Rev. Flowers rose up through the mutual organisation's ranks, becoming a member of its North Regional Board.

In 2008, he joined the board of the Co-op Group, the bank's 100pc shareholder, and later became deputy chairman.

A year later, in 2009, he was appointed chairman of the Co-op Bank, following its merger with Britannia Building Society.

The need for him to stand down was laid bare at this month's Treasury Select Committee hearing to discuss the bank’s poor performance. He bungled his figures during the meeting, telling the committee that the Co-op's balance sheet had £3bn of assets, when the actual answer was £47bn.

He also failed to answer questions about the amount of loans on its books.

When questioned by the Treasury Select Committee, he stated ' "‘I took the exam of the Institute of Bankers. I completed part one and the best part of part two of those exams before I became a Methodist minister. I would judge that experience is out of date in terms of needs of contemporary banking." '

In addition to his work with the church and the Co-op, the Rev. Flowers has been involved in a number of high-profile public roles.

He served as a Labour councillor on the City of Bradford Council for ten years, and, in 2010, was appointed by Labour leader Ed Miliband to the party's finance and industry board.

He has also been involved with a number of charities, including the Terrence Higgins Trust, where he remains a trustee, and the Lifeline Project, which works in the field of drug abuse.

Paul Flowers apologised after allegations were published in the in The Mail on Sunday newspaper involving crystal meth, crack cocaine and ketamine.

The paper alleged that the 63-year-old Methodist minister was caught on camera discussing the purchase of illegal substances (footage shown on the news so he couldn't really deny it).

The paper said the event allegedly occurred just days after Flowers had bungled an appearance before lawmakers on parliament's Treasury Select Committee to explain the lender's dire finances.

Some are saying that Rev Flowers has caused irreparable damage to the Co-Ops 'ethical approach' - do you think this is a fair statement?

How did he ever end up running that Bank? Was it a job for the 'boys'?

Re: Co-Op Bank & Paul Flowers

Another case of 'do as I say not as I do ' by an overpaid person in a position of authority .

according to an item on the radio Flowers did have some experience in a bank when he was 16 but didn't progress because he failed the banking exams .

It seems he was a charismatic preacher and that got him a long way in his career.

Re: Co-Op Bank & Paul Flowers

We'll all have to work on our charisma then - that must be where some of us are going wrong in our job searching

Re: Co-Op Bank & Paul Flowers

Hmmmm - 'praise the lord and pass the spliff and/or cocaine'.