She says, he says: a tale of interruption
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She says, he says: a tale of interruption

Is banking due its own #MeToo moment? So far, there have been few whistle blowers in this testosterone filled industry, perhaps suggesting either that banks are much less sexist than some might fear, or that there are still a lot of stories yet to surface.

On a recent meeting with an Asian bank, I tended towards the latter view. Sitting down opposite a quintet of the bank's bigwigs, I was treated to a history lesson on this firm’s many impressive deals over the year — each deal (however innocuous) serving as an undeniable proof that this bank was truly the best in class.

Most of the discussion was conducted by a deputy director of one of the capital market teams, but a female colleague next to him also attempted to share some of her experience. I’m not sure why she bothered.

Although she certainly knows how to do her job, her colleague clearly felt she didn’t know her place, because every time she tried to make a point of her own, he spoke over her, not letting her make her point.

At first this seemed a simple coincidence: people talk over each other frequently. But as she tried again, and again, and again, he interrupted her every time. Your columnist counted six attempts to speak — and six interruptions from a man who thought he knew better.

Perhaps he might have heard about the gist of the #MeToo movement but is still a little fuzzy on the details? After all, every time his colleague made clear she had something to say, he couldn’t help but think — me too!

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