At board meetings, I can never muster the indignation to be outraged when someone says: ‘Shouldn’t we wait for the boss before we start?’ when I am the boss.

And although I’ve never actually been asked to pour the tea, I certainly wouldn’t object.

I think women can be too precious about these things, and I am concerned that if we waste our energy on being offended by such minor issues we will be deflected from the important ones.

But it seems to me a particular group of hard-line feminists are taking us in this direction.

Campaigns like the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and assault have brought equality and empowerment to the forefront of the male-dominated motor industry, for which I work. But I believe that although it set out with laudable aims it is in danger of being overwhelmed by a minority who see slights, injustice and predatory behaviour where none exists.

Linda Jackson (pictured), 59, is the global chief executive of French carmaker Citroen. She shared how she became the third woman to ever run a big car company

Extremists have hijacked feminism, a cause that set out with the worthy objectives of ensuring that women have the same rights as men, and parity of pay for doing the same job.

The result is that a lot of sensible and intelligent young women are turning away from feminism because they equate it with militancy. They do not want to be associated with a cause that has lost sight of its original aims.

As a woman who considers herself a feminist in the true sense of the word, I am appalled by this development.

I was born and raised in Coventry, home of the British motor industry, and have worked in the predominantly male, macho business since I left school.

I’m now 59, and four years ago I became global chief executive of French carmaker Citroen — making me the first British woman, and only the third woman ever, to run a big car company. So, yes, I’d say I know a thing or two about standing up for yourself when you’re in a tiny minority.

I know, too, that I probably had to work twice as hard as a man to prove myself. I’d also agree, although it might not be politically correct to say so, that I’m noticed more as I’m one of a handful of women in senior positions in the industry.

I’m also living proof that women can reach the very top of their profession on merit. And in my view it is vital women are not given special treatment or given unfair advantages in the jobs market because we are in a minority.

This is why I am absolutely opposed to quotas. If I felt I’d got my job because a company I worked for needed to appoint a certain number of females, I’d be appalled. I would feel demeaned because I’d been chosen for the post, not on my ability, but because a box had to be ticked.

Yes, of course, we must encourage women to be ambitious and to apply for the top jobs. But to be appointed they have be the best candidate.

Linda who is a stepmother to two grown-up children, believes she wouldn't have achieved her career aspirations if she had children of her own

The equal pay campaign has also added to the current confusion. Businesses have been vilified for gender pay gaps when no consideration is given to the fact that they employ more men in senior posts than women, so the pay figures are skewed. Proper comparisons have to be made if the campaign is to have any credence.

Although it would be gratifying to see more women on the boards of our top companies, I think we have to recognise that such jobs demand huge personal sacrifices that some —both men and women — do not wish to make.

I admit that I couldn’t have got to the position I hold now if I’d had children of my own because I would have wanted to commit myself to the early years of their education.

Of course, every woman is different — this is a personal view — but I do not think I would have reached the position I hold today if I’d been a mother. I don’t regret my decision not to have children: I am lucky enough to have two grown-up stepchildren who have blessed me with three step-grandchildren I adore.

Linda claims having a supportive husband has also been crucial in order for her to become CEO. She met her late husband David, whilst working at Rover

And, of course, the world has moved on. Many mothers are now re-entering the workplace and climbing the corporate ladder. But, at the risk of offending those who believe women can have it all, I don’t think I could have fulfilled my role as a mum properly and reached the top in my job.

I doubt, too, whether I would have risen to become CEO without a supportive husband who was prepared to subjugate his career to mine. When I look back over my career I confess I didn’t have any kind of strategy when I started out. In fact, I fell into the car industry completely by accident.

It began when I took a holiday job stapling invoices at Jaguar. But quickly I discovered a passion for cars and found I quite liked the world of work, too. So I turned down a place to study teaching at Sussex University to stay on as an accounting clerk at the company.

I met my late husband David, nine years older and divorced with two young children, at Rover. We married when I was 22.

Rover sponsored me to take an executive Master of Business Administration qualification at Warwick University, and it took me four years to complete it, studying after work and at weekends.

Linda says she's keen to get more saleswomen into car showrooms as female customers make up 50 percent of sales

Rising through the ranks, I was appointed finance director for Rover in France, by which time David and I had decided that my career should take precedence over his. I became the main breadwinner; he my research assistant.

We were a formidable team: I remember times when I went out with him as a mystery shopper to all sorts of dealerships. These days, of course, I’d be spotted, but I wasn’t recognised then.

David and I would pretend we wanted to buy a car for me and the salesman — because it was invariably a man — would ask me about the colour and interior then turn to my husband to talk about the cost, and David would say: ‘It’s my wife’s car. She’s going to pay for it.’

This sort of attitude demeans women and I’m trying to change it. This is why I’m keen to get more saleswomen into car showrooms who don’t patronise female customers. Considering that 50 percent of sales are to women and the decision behind buying a car is often also a woman’s, we need more diversity in the industry.

Linda says it's very lonely at the top and you sometimes have to make unpopular decisions

And we also need to recognise that buying a car is often based on emotion. It isn’t a macho thing because women want to express who they are through their choice of vehicle, and personalise it.

Soon after I took up my post as head of the iconic French brand in 2014, David died of cancer. I remember thinking: ‘You can either fall apart or really make him proud by doing the best you can.’ I did the latter.

The job is all enveloping which is great, because I’m constantly challenged, but it’s also very lonely at the top. You have to make decisions, some of them unpopular, and there is no one to confer with. The buck stops with you. And I spend an enormous amount of time travelling. I feel as if the whole world is my base. I’ll go to China five or six times a year as it’s our first market, then fly to Japan, South America and all round Europe.

I’m always flitting through Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris and sometimes I think I get most of my exercise running up and down escalators there. You might also see me doing ballet moves pliés and ronde de jambes — until I was 33 I taught dance in my spare time — because they help to keep me supple.

I certainly don’t think we need to forfeit our femininity to be successful. I adore clothes and one of my unashamed extravagances is the money I spend on my wardrobe.

Linda revealed feminism to her has become about creating a work-life balance and professional environment where women can prosper

Although hard-line feminists may condemn me for frivolity, I believe the importance of our appearance cannot be underestimated.

Although I don’t have a cleaner or housekeeper — I do my own household chores — I do employ a personal stylist who regularly buys me suitcases full of clothes. I believe it is important that I look my best.

Even though I love my job I’m hardly ever at my Paris flat, or at my home in Normandy.

All that travel and hours in the boardroom consumes your life and I know that not every woman wants to be a CEO.

But I think it’s important that women — and men, of course — are encouraged to progress as far as they wish in their careers, which is why I’ve implemented family friendly policies at Citroen to help people strike the right work-life balance.

We have a rule that every meeting must have an objective. They must not take place before 8am or after 6.30pm, and none lasts longer than 45 minutes.

Neither are emails sent after 8pm or at weekends, and we also encourage our employees to factor a two- or three-hour break into each week so they can just sit and reflect over a coffee; because I don’t think we’re either productive or happy if we rush from one interminable meeting to the next without a pause for thought.

Our people can work flexible hours and we’ve also implemented a scheme where they can work from home if they choose. And since these changes we’ve found that everyone’s focus and concentration has improved. People actually accomplish more.

So this, for me, is what feminism is really about: helping to create a work-life balance and a professional environment in which women (and, of course men, too) can prosper.

As for #MeToo, I fear if we’re side-tracked by petty or inconsequential campaigns; if we get too strident or self-righteous, it will be counterproductive.