From the top floor of private equity firm Eurazeo’s headquarters, discreetly tucked away in the chic 17th arrondissement in the west of Paris, you can just about make out the wrought iron gates of the Parc Monceau.

Virginie Morgon, the 52-year-old chief executive of one of Europe’s largest private equity firms, strides into the room, sporting a pale blue corduroy suit, teapot in hand. It is the day after the first round of the French presidential elections, with only two candidates remaining in the race. Morgon, a former investment banker, doesn’t want to comment on the elections. “It would take more than just a comment,” she says.