‘Why can’t women be proud of those who made it in finance? Feminism for me is the opportunity to do whatever you want’

• This monologue is part of a series in which people across the financial sector speak to Joris Luyendijk about their working lives

We’re meeting in a bar in Canary Wharf at seven in the evening. It’s one of those places where once inside, you realise you might be anywhere; the interior design is nondescript airport chic, the TV is set to an international news station and clients as well as staff are one big racial mix. She is a woman in her early 40s, well dressed and with the demeanour of someone who is not uncomfortable making important decisions fast. She is a lively talker and interrupts herself a few times, saying: “OK, take a breath.” She orders a glass of white wine. When we’re done talking an hour and a half later, she goes back into the office to finish things up.