Bill Rhodes, Citigroup senior vice-chairman, made his name three decades ago in helping to defuse a series of international financial crises. Some of his early experiences included helping Jamaica restructure its debts in the late 1970s and working with Nicaragua's new government after the Sandinista revolution in 1979.

That work meant he was poised to play a key role when financial turmoil hit much of Latin America in the 1980s. Starting with Mexico in 1982, Mr Rhodes headed the advisory committees of international banks that negotiated debt restructuring agreements for much of the region, going on to tackle Argentina, Brazil, Peru and Uruguay. When a financial tsunami hit Asia a decade ago, Mr Rhodes was brought in to help restructure South Korea's debt.