Wendy Butler is positively glowing. Not only is she savouring her first six months at Coutts but she is also on the verge of moving back to her newly repaired house in Oxfordshire, after it was damaged in the torrential floods of last July.

"We don't live on a flood plain but the little stream that we have at the back of our garden overflowed and completely flooded us out. We are due to move back this month – I can't wait!" she says, enthusiastically. Whilst the house has been repaired, Wendy and her husband have decamped to their flat in Islington, north London, where she normally stays during the week.

And if suffering the trauma of a flooded home wasn't stressful enough, within this time Wendy also started her new job as head of HR, Wealth Management. Even though it's only been six months, Wendy admits it feels like much longer. "It's just the feel of the place and the culture, it makes you feel that you are very much part of the organisation from the start." And this is something she wants to ensure every new employee experiences when they join Coutts and any of the other Wealth Management businesses.

"I am fascinated by how organisations work and develop, and I think that is down to the culture of people that work here."

Having worked in other divisions of the RBS group for most of her career, Wendy was always aware of Coutts, and set her sights on working for the private bank at some point. Now she's settled in to her new role, has anything about Coutts surprised her? "I have learnt so much that I didn't know about the brand. I have worked in the RBS organisation for so long but I didn't really understand the depths of what Coutts offers – it's been a real eye-opener for me!"

Wendy believes she made the right move. Wealth Management is a complex business with a high net worth client base, and is spread across the world. "I am fascinated by how organisations work and develop, and I think that is down to the culture of people that work here," she explains.

But there is still plenty of work to do. She says: "We need to work harder internationally to attract more people. During the next few months, I will be working with my team to ensure the brand is attracting more of the right people as well.

In the brief time as head of HR, Wendy has found that many of the people issues are similar within different countries even though cultural differences exist. Wendy explains: "We have ways of working in an organisation that sometimes will be different to the country culture. One of my tasks is to match those two things and allow people to operate in the most effective way."

International travel makes up a big part of Wendy's timetable, and although she feels the whole travelling process can be monotonous especially as 'one hotel looks like another', she does enjoy meeting new people and embracing different cultures. Within two months of joining, she was soon off to Shanghai for a three-day conference, which she cites as a definite highlight so far. Outside of work commitments, travel is readily one of her passions. She recently visited Alaska and saw first hand the effects of pollution and greenhouse gases. "Seeing the icebergs melting before your eyes really helped bring home the fact that global warming is actually happening," she insists.

And living in London during the week also helps Wendy do her bit for the environment. "I walk to work which is fantastic! On my way into work I think about what I need to do during the day, and on my way home I download, so by the time I get home I am ready to relax!"

"Seeing the icebergs melting before your eyes really helped bring home the fact that global warming is actually happening."

Playing and coaching tennis also helps her to combat stress, and is also her claim to fame. When she was 16, she played tennis with Sue Barker, now BBC sports correspondent. "It was the year before she won the French Open and even though I lost – it was a great game!" she laughs. Her other great passion is football. As a Chelsea season ticket-holder, Wendy can often be seen in the stands cheering on her favourite footballer, Frank Lampard.

After six months of meeting her team, getting to know the businesses that fall under Wealth Management remit, Wendy is keen to get stuck in. "I feel settled in now and am looking forward to doing some great work with my team in helping the business move forward." She adds, with a knowing look, "The other big thing will be moving back into my house – I miss having my family around. It will be super to move back in!"

By Rupa Sudra