Even though many of our graduates will have progressed in their careers since completing a case study, they are still of interest to students who wish to gain an understanding of the world of work.

I currently work within the Global Commerical Banking team, with a focus on protecting the Bank from the risk of Financial Crime.

- On a day to day I conduct assessment and assurance of the Bank's in country Financial Crime Risk controls.
- I provide independent verification on the effectiveness of current processes, as well as the fitness and completeness of ongoing implementation plans in line with the Bank's strategy to prevent Financial Crime.
- To do this I work closely with global, regional and in country leadership, as well as Relationship Managers, to ensure financial crime risk knowledge is appropriately embedded and applied.
- It is a global role, covering 52 countries, and involves a significant amount of travel.

The strategic importance and pace of the role. There is little chance of becoming complacent or bored as it is a high risk area and the financial crime environment is evolving almost daily - especially when you factor in the Bank's global footprint.

While it is also an enjoyable aspect for me, the travel can at times be demanding with a young family. Balance is key.

A career in Banking appealed to me as it is an extremely broad sector that provides the opportunity to develop my skill set across a range of disciplines.

It is quite feasible to completely change departments every few years and therefore objectives / responsibilities / drivers do not become boring.

In my view, it mainly comes down to people skills. I spend a lot of time working with different people across the bank so it helps that I have a broad range of experience, including doing Relationship Manager role myself in more than one country, as it helps me to relate to the challenges they face.

Detail is important to the role, but application and relevance even moreso. I have been able to use skills gained from my Law degree to ensure I focus on the relevance of the information presented, which I believe ensures I have a pragmatic approach.

Upon graduating in 2007, I initially worked within a call centre role at NatWest in Sheffield.

I was fortunate to be accepted on HSBC's Executive Management Trainee graduate scheme, in which I completed three placements in Retail Banking, Commercial Banking and Strategy.

Since completing the scheme in 2010, I have worked in several Commercial Banking front line roles for HSBC in London and Toronto, most recently as a Global Relationship Director looking after c.20 Corporates with turnover between $50m - $350m. These roles provided me excellent lending and risk management skills, but most importantly provided me a basis to understand customer needs.

I have recently moved into a role within Financial Crime Risk Management, covering Global Commerical Banking.

Whilst at HSBC, I have completed a BSc in Banking Practice & Management [ACIB].

I want to remain close to customer roles as ultimately they are the reason the bank is in business.

I have been lucky enough to work in the UK and Canada, and travel extensively, and remain open further international assignments.

I maintain that it is important to take each day as it comes, excel in my current role, and continue to work as hard as I can. If an opportunity arises, I will review it on it's merits. Work life balance is equally important to me though.

I did not wish to pursue a career in Law, however it gave me a fantastic foundation and many transferable skills.

When it comes to a career in banking, my advise would be:

1) Take time to reflect on where you want to work. I had no experience of banking and my first job after uni gave me a solid basis to build upon. I feel better placed now knowing that I did not panic and cluster bomb every big financial instituation, but took my time to establish what I really wanted to do and where I felt I could best achieve this.

2) Roll up your sleeves. University is a fantastic experience however you need to be able to apply the skills in the work environment. A good degree is not a divine right to sail through the ranks, and you have to prove yourself against many other talented individuals. Flexibility, graft and building relationships are the most important characteristics in my opinion.

3) Don't chase promotion. The best leaders in banking are well rounded, patient, and have a core knowledge of product, customers and risk management. This only comes with experience. You'll be better in the long run if you take the time to learn. Often a "sideways" move to another discipline is the best way to do this.

4) Know your customer. You can not truely understand banking unless you understand the customer's objectives, interface and experience. This typically means ensuring you spend time in "front line"/customer facing roles. This may not appeal to all, but I have learnt more in these roles than any other "head office" roles combined.