Just imagine this cabinet reshuffle farce at a big company

Picture for a moment moving the head of international to the head of legal in a private company, writes Chris Blackhurst. Wouldn’t that be ludicrous?

As the CEO here you can base your selection on various factors, none of which have anything to do with someone’s ability to do the job (PA)

Allow your mind to wander. You’re CEO of a Ftse 100 company. Finally your shareholders have got to you, and you’ve accepted it’s time to shake up the executive committee.

You call in the head of international – everyone’s said he’s useless, and when an overseas operation was in major crisis recently, he chose to remain on his sun lounger, on holiday. You read somewhere that he did law, so you move him across to legal. He has a fit, starts blubbing, so for good measure you chuck in Deputy CEO. It looks good on his business card, even if it’s meaningless – he’s daft enough to be placated by the important-sounding title, so let him believe he’s No 2.

The chap in charge of property development is also rubbish, can’t get anything done, and besides, every time he does attempt anything people start questioning his motives because he got too close to a leading player in the sector at a dinner, the idiot. He’s out. Period.