To counter market conditions and low consumer confidence without cutting prices to secure new contracts what Standard Life has chosen to do is focus on existing customers. "The majority of flows we get will come off existing schemes where you have people who'll contribute more and that's where we've turned our focus. As long as new business is a bit slower because of the economic conditions we'll focus on existing business and ... make return off the back of that."

Hunt and her fellow board members are making sure the 188-year old business doesn't go the way of other venerated and well-established financial institutions in this prolonged financial crisis. And it is this point she wishes to emphasis, that business leaders are about building and nurturing sustainable companies that last hundreds of years despite the current public perception that business is about a fast buck.

The current anti-business sentiment spreading from politicians and the public "troubles" her. "It started as a lack of trust from the banking crisis and it does seem to have spread beyond that. I absolutely fundamentally believe that there's been no other thing that has created greater social good than the whole concept of enterprise. It's vital that we do amend this perception and turn around this sense.

She's clear that Standard Life embeds strong values into its business "more than anywhere I've work", but whether others will follow the strict governance and transparent pay structures the business applies "remains to be seen".

For now however Hunt can only influence the business she helps run, but if her boldness is a sign of the times and her advice heeded by women then we can only hope to see more women heading to the executive board as well as filling non-executive roles.