Whereas most companies’ chief executives try hard to convey the glamour and excitement of their industries, Paul Pindar of Capita is happy to embrace the austere image of the business-process outsourcing field his company dominates.

That dullness is now starting to look like an asset as consumer confidence fades, and fellow chief executives look enviously to the long-term collection of outsourcing contracts that have allowed Capita to look for growth as most other companies batten down the hatches.