Mark Carney takes tube to office on first day as Bank of England governor Mark Carney arrives at the Bank of England shortly before 7am on Monday morning. Photograph: Bank of England Mark Carney started his first day as governor of the Bank of England with an old London ritual - a trip on the Central line. Carney arrived at Threadneedle Street by tube shortly before 7am, ahead of most camera crews and photographers hoping to catch a glimpse of the governor feted as the rock star of central banking. The former Goldman Sachs executive was wooed by the chancellor, George Osborne, last autumn from the Bank of Canada with a bumper £874,000 pay deal that makes him one of the UK's best-paid public servants. Mark Carney on his first day at the Bank of England. Expectations are running high that Carney, described by Osborne as "the outstanding central banker of his generation," will be able to provide the kickstart that propels the economy out of a shaky recovery. He is tipped to shake up the 319-year old institution, which has been criticised by politicians for insularity and group-think and not enough vigilance in the runup to the financial crisis. The change of style began with a journey on the Central line, stuffy on a midsummer morning, although he did at least get a seat. "It is nice to see someone being suitably parsimonious," said Justin Urquhart Stewart, the managing director of Seven Investment Management, who spotted Carney on the tube. "I've established he definitely wasn't George Clooney," he said. I wished him good luck. Urquhart Stewart also advised Carney on the best exit to take at Bank station. New governor Mark Carney and outgoing deputy Paul Tucker attend a briefing at the Bank of England. Photograph: Jason Alden/EPA Carney also took part in another national pastime on Sunday, when he watched a cricket match at a Bank of England's sports day, affording him a chance to mingle with his new colleagues. Sir Mervyn King, the bank's retired governor and a keen cricketer, stepped up to the crease, as did Danny Alexander, the chief secretary to the Treasury. Carney, who played hockey in his youth, did not try his luck. On his first day in office, which is also Canada Day, Carney is being bombarded with advice from all sides. The British Chambers of Commerce has called on him to boost the economy by expanding the Bank's quantitative easing (QE) programme, while the former Conservative chancellor Lord Lamont urged him to shun the printing press, arguing it makes recovery harder in the long run. Carney will face this dilemma at the Bank's monetary policy meeting on Wednesday, where he could find himself on the losing side. Former governor Mervyn King bowls during a Bank of England sports day at the weekend. Photograph: Luke Macgregor/Reuters It is a different world for him. Everything we know about a man like this is that he is very confident about how to deal with people, "said Urquhart Stewart. There is not a huge amount he can do, but he is a breath of fresh air. The new governor earns a basic salary of £480,000, pension contributions worth £144,000 and a £250,000 a year housing allowance to help him adjust to London's overheated property market. Earlier this year his wife, the British-born economist Diana Carney, sparked a Twitter flurry after she seemed to bemoan the difficulties of finding a home in London.