In the first few minutes of striking up conversation with a stranger, Yasaman Hadjibashi is inevitably asked a question we all get: “what do you do?”

The answer she gives is intentionally vague.

She could mention her MBA from Harvard Business School, or the fact that she’s a top executive at Barclays Africa Group. Instead, the Johannesburg-based chief data officer offers a less-than-detailed answer which, she hopes, will separate her work identity from who she is outside of work. “I would like people to get to know me before they know my credentials,” she says.