Opinion: My Best Hire

'Serra was Cubitt's first hire, and delighted in the nickname of "Employee Number One". She became first call for clients and new biz in a firm which grew, on her watch, from nothing to 50 people in London and New York.

'She arrived as a green pea from Brunswick, in search - she said - of Savile Row rather than Oxford Street. At interview, asked about her languages, she said "I speak Turkish. Indeed, I am completely Turkish", in LSE English reminiscent of a stripling Celia Johnson. She would do.

'Serra's presentational skills must carry blame for the growth of our early years, but the talent for many a client was honest counsel and media nous.'

Serra is now director of corporate communications Europe at Lehman Brothers International.