The job of running Google’s largest overseas outpost may be the most sought-after position in European technology but, when Nikesh Arora was approached about the role, he was not impressed.

In 2004, Google’s European, Middle Eastern and African operations amounted to fewer than 400 people, 80 of them crammed into a small office in London’s Soho. Mr Arora sat in the conference room and told Omid Kordestani, Google’s worldwide sales boss: “It looks like a great company but, honestly, these offices do not reflect what I’d expect of it.”