Odd one this. Most complaints about pay relate to the size of a fat cat’s salary. But Eric Knight, of Knight Vinke, is more concerned about proper disclosure. Can’t blame him for that. Though I can’t help feeling that if Flint really has sorted out the sub-prime crisis HSBC found itself in, he is worth every penny to the investors. The FD of another high street bank I sat next to at a dinner recently told me that, despite everything, HSBC was a terrific business and rated Flint very highly indeed.

Still, executive pay needs to be properly disclosed, whoever the executive happens to be. It’s a basic tenet of corporate governance and a key responsibility to investors anxious to know what they are paying for their return.

Now, to be honest, I don’t know whether Knight’s complaints are justified. But whether they are or not, they present a very unflattering view of HSBC’s executives to the public. And here’s why. Flint also happened to chair the review of the Turnball guidance on internal controls, on behalf of the Financial Reporting Council, and has also served on the Accounting Standards Board. These roles have placed him at the forefront of decision making on corporate governance and quality accounting. If anyone knows how to disclose remuneration properly, he should.

Which is what makes Knight’s critique so biting and no doubt caused Flint some considerable discomfort. How do you lecture everyone else on governance while being accused of inadequate disclosure yourself? Tough one. I certainly wouldn’t like to be in Flint’s shoes.

Gavin Hinks is editor of Accountancy Age