We’re all very excited about the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. It shows bold and pragmatic leadership, and an openness to embrace the new wave of change in the region.

department was her mission, and she went about it with determination, cutting the departmental headcount by 60 percent. “One of my mottos has been ‘adapt, adopt or sink.’ Emirates NBD had its group offices overlooking Dubai Creek, so we could see the potential for sinking very clearly,” she recalled.

Away from the world of finance, two other connected issues are on her mind. The first is an extension of her fascination with governance, but updated for the next generation. “The cyber and digital sector, with artificial intelligence and robotics, is moving so fast on a global level but it needs to be better regulated. This has to be done on an international level, and I think the UAE and the Middle East can be at the forefront of it,” she said.

The second priority is the place of youth in the region, where unemployment for young people is an issue for policymakers as the role of the public sector comes under economic pressure. “I worry about the youth. We were lucky and privileged, but now there are greater challenges. That means Emirati parents have to be active partners in their children’s upbringing. You can’t leave that to our expat friends,” she said, pointing out that the UAE has a 22-year-old female minister for youth affairs, Shamma Al-Mazrui.

We seem to have come full-circle in our conversation at Coya. Qassim does not want to discuss childcare, but she is adamant about the importance of responsible parenthood. “My father said his best investment was in the education of his four daughters. He was an individual who worked hard all his life, but he always said ‘physical wealth was never secure, it could vanish, but education would always be there’.”