Jan Krzysztof Bielecki stands atop the largest bank in Poland and central Europe, a journey as improbable as his unexpected ascension to become Poland’s prime minister 17 years ago at the age of 39.
Mr Bielecki led his bank, Pekao SA, through the most complicated merger in Polish banking history, a process he likened to a “madhouse” thanks to the determined opposition of the Polish government of the day.