Linda Cook, head of gas and power at Royal Dutch Shell and one of the most senior women in the international energy industry, has set several conditions before our interview. She does not want any “posed” photographs. She would rather not discuss her Catholic faith. And she can spare no more than 45 minutes.

The last of these strictures means there is no time for small talk or admiring the slow rotation of the London Eye through the picture windows of the Shell Centre’s plush 24th floor office. But the 47-year-old petroleum engineer from Kansas is not one to seek, or to offer others, a relaxed or easy ride.