Executive search firms everywhere will be itching to get the latest high-profile candidate on their books. Nick Leeson, the ‘rogue trader’ who famously defrauded Barings Bank out of £791m in the early 1990s, has announced he is back on the job market.

Leeson, 36, told the Financial Times that he is interested in ‘mainstream’, nine-to-five work. Since his activities were exposed in 1995, Leeson has served prison sentences in Singapore and Germany, survived colon cancer and been divorced.

But Matt Cawood, commercial manager for the north east division of search company Sellick Partnership, urged recruiters to think twice about taking Leeson on as a candidate.

“From a professional point of view, I would be concerned when our clients start asking me to chase up references on this guy,” he said.

What sort of role could we find for him? The post of credit control assistant springs to mind.”