A life of privileges is to be expected for men like Gary Hoffman, Barclays Group vice chairman.
His life in banking is a far cry from families who use centres in Dudley.
But when two worlds meet there are often many similarities. Gary Hoffman takes time to do just that and confirms why for some, an effective corporate responsibility strategy can make a real difference.
The young woman who met Gary Hoffman on his visit to the Kate's Hill & Sledmere Children's Centre in Dudley may not have realised her thoughts had left such a big impression.
She is just one of many who use the centre run by the children's charity, NCH and Surestart. One of the centre's successful projects is Financial Futures that through a £1.8 million community investment by Barclays Bank is being rolled out across England and Wales.
Gary, whose board responsibilities include leadership of the banking group's CR strategy, believes while the commercial opportunities are important it is the difference being made to individuals' lives that make the effort really worthwhile.
"I think it is important that people have access to financial advice and support that someone like me takes for granted," explains Gary.
The centre is a focal point for families and the Financial Futures project launched at Kate's Hill in June 2007 enables people to get independent advice from the Citizens' Advice Bureau and local Credit Union, working with people on low incomes.
Workshops on money management and skills sharing are held on a regular basis run by Barclays volunteers, who also support practical projects like garden makeovers.
The young woman grew up in the Coventry area, close to where Gary spent his childhood - her parents still live near his childhood home and the banker had a clear insight into her background.
"Barclays, like other banks, is very good at monitoring and coming up with business cases," says Gary.
"But my real judging comes from the stories that people tell me. Individuals like this young woman who lived in Coventry, down the road from me. She was able to tell me what a difference the centre had made to her life. That is worth more than ten business cases and brings home to me what makes a difference."
Barclays, like many other national banks, has now got a growing interest across the world. For every young woman in Dudley, Gary knows there are more benefitting from other projects supported by the bank in Ghana, India and Kampala.
He has worked for the bank for 25 years and took on the vice-chairman's role in 2006. Prior to this he was chairman of UK Banking and chairman of Barclaycard, following five years as chief executive of Barclaycard.
The bank's briefing about Gary's career includes "protecting and enhancing Barclays' reputation" and is realistic that the CR strategy is undertaken not just because people want to feel good.
Gary says: "We are not a charity and it is not only for altruistic reasons. The work does make people feel good but in the long term having more people in the banking system is good news."
It is a frank and refreshing response, for those cynics who believe big business is exploitative and overbearing.
Gary says: "Ten, even five years ago, if there was a community project it would have been a separate budget, separate people, separate initiative - now it is in the mainstream."
The bank encourages its employees to get involved with different projects and will match an hour's volunteering time like for like. Funding projects like one matching money raised pound for pound are successful, with the banking group in 2007 giving £56 million to charitable causes.
"Often the biggest challenge has been in my own case to decide what has made an impact. Up and down the country 40,000 people (who work for the Barclays Group) are making an impact but sometimes there are so many initiatives it is difficult to know what has been effective."
After visits to project like this one in Dudley, Gary knows that the relationships being built between communities and the banking teams are key to the ongoing success of the strategy.
"People understand better about the challenges facing other people," says Gary.
A successful CR strategy is, says Gary, about being good neighbours and becoming part of the community.
The right strategy can make a difference. Just listen to one young woman who shared her experiences with one of the country's influential bankers in a busy community centre.
