He was an accomplished sprinter and won a silver medal at the World Student Games in 1975. He worked at BP before joining Barclays as a graduate trainee. Jenkins left to work for Kleinwort Benson for seven years, but came back to Barclays in 1994. He worked for them in many roles which included Chief Executive of Barclays Capital's Private Equity Group, and as Executive Chairman of Investment Banking and Investment Management for the Middle East. He was involved in the 2008 $7.3 billion pound investment that the ruling families of Abu Dhabi and Qatar made in Barclays.
Jenkins left Barclays in 2009. In 2005 it is estimated that he made between $40 and $75 million pounds, which made him London's highest paid banker. He started the advisory firm Elkstone Capital in 2010. In 2011 he became a member of the Management Committee and Investment Committee of the Brazilian bank BTG Pactual. In 2012 he was dating model Elle Macpherson and the pair attended the White House Correspondent's dinner together.
