Few people will tell you frankly -- and many would struggle to even acknowledge - their regrets, weaknesses or strengths, especially those sitting on the executive boards of the UK's top companies. But then Jackie Hunt, chief financial officer of FTSE 100 insurer Standard Life, is an exception in many senses.
It's not an easy time to be a chief financial officer of an airline business. Increased incidence of natural disasters, volatile fuel prices, a possible double-dip recession and falling passenger numbers have all combined to severely dent most airlines' profits and prospects, so to join the board of an airline at the time of one of its worst financial years is a job only for the very experienced.
CFO Profile: ITV's chief financial officer Ian Griffiths
Argument that executive salaries must rise in order to attract the best talent "is a myth"