Banking chief Sarah Deaves often plans unusual business trips for clients – she’s recently taken 25 women on an all-girl fly-fishing trip in the New Forest.

“It’s great fun and it takes your mind off everything else because you have to concentrate on getting the fish,” she said. “Some of the women will have been before but others won’t. They come because they are curious and because they can talk to people in a natural environment.”

Deaves, 46, is the first female chief executive of Coutts, the UK’s leading private bank, which is part of the Royal Bank of Scotland. Coutts has around 60,000 clients in the UK, a third of them women, and all potential customers must have liquid assets of at least £500,000 before the bank will consider taking them on. Deaves travels extensively around the UK, and occasionally overseas, to visit clients.

Why is Coutts taking people fishing?

We have a one-to-one relationship with our clients and get to know them, so that we can understand their aspirations and requirements. We also have client events so that people can mix and share experiences. Networking and putting like-minded people together is very important. We do a lot of work meeting and entertaining clients in a relaxed atmosphere.

What other business entertaining do you do?

Coutts sponsors a lot of theatre and sustains productions that might otherwise struggle. For five years we’ve been the principal sponsor of the Almeida in London, which is one of the world’s most innovative and dynamic theatres. We also sponsor the all-male Shakespeare company, Propeller, and work with the Live Theatre in Newcastle. We like to support things that might not have got off the ground and then provide a relaxing atmosphere for our clients. Typically on an evening, we might have 60-100 clients who we will take for dinner and then on to the theatre. We have many customers who are actors and directors and they are delighted with the support we give to the arts.

You must have some funny tales from the nights out?

We were expecting the Almeida to push the boundary for one production, and I deliberately never see a show before the clients because I want to as surprised as our clients about the performance. The show was called ‘The Goat’ and, at the end, there was a dead goat on the stage. But it wasn’t a real goat. I think.

One of the most extraordinary aspects of the evenings is to hear from the directors, playwrights and actors, and how they all come together like a family for a production. And then you’ll see them go home on the Northern Line.

How do you travel around the UK?

By train almost all of the time. I live in Islington in central London and it’s the easiest way to get out. You can use your phone and BlackBerry and the environment is very good – you just can’t do that if you drive. I go first class because there is space to do work and it’s easier to make telephone conversations. People complain about the train services but it’s efficient and I don’t think it’s particularly expensive. Recently, I’ve been to Newcastle, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol and even a trip to Newquay on the train.