What and where did you study before your Mountbatten internship?
I read Law with Transnational Legal Studies at King’s College London and spent a year focusing on economics, finance and law with Georgetown University (Washington, DC).

What made you apply for the Mountbatten program?
I always knew that I wanted to practice law internationally and I knew in order to do this successfully,  I needed to have international experience in some of the best legal and finance jurisdictions in the world. Applying to Mountbatten and having exposure to the hub of the world’s legal and finance landscape was something that would enable me to have that expierence. Mountbatten would give me the professional exposure as well as allow me to develop personally by immersing myself in a completely new environment.

Describe your sponsor company and your role within it.
I was one of three US business leads for the Global Standards project at HSBC which HSBC entered into pursuant to its Deferred Prosecution Agreement with the Department of Justice. I helped revamp client onboarding and KYC requirements for the North, Central and South America Private Bank and Wealth Management divisions, and was a member of the project’s steerco.

What was the highlight/most memorable moment of your working experience during this year?
Being selected to join the Global Standards steerco and presenting to Management on the progress of the project from inception, in order to allow HSBC to respond to the US department of justice’s requests.

What was the social highlight/most memorable moment during this year?
Spring break, Cancun. It was one of the best holidays of my life!

Please share a little wisdom/philosophy that you acquired during your internship
Wake up, get dressed and head to the bus station. Take a bus anywhere that you fancy on the map… live a little, sometimes spontaneity is the best way of living!

What happened after completing the year – what did you do next?
I spent a bit of time travelling the west coast of America! I then came back to the UK and qualified as a lawyer, whilst continuing to travel… I have visited over 27 countries in the last four years!

Where are you now in your working life and what do you do?
I am an international lawyer and advise global financial services firms, market participants and investors on a range of complex UK and EU regulatory issues, with a specific focus on FinTech.
I was also recognised as one of the “Top 100 Women in Tech” in 2020 and received the #TechWomen100 award by WeAreTechWomen.

Do you have any future plans that you would like to realise & what are they (career & social)?
I would like to spend some more time working abroad, either in the Middle East or Asia as these regions, along with the UK, are FinTech hotspots. I would also like to become more involved with Asian women’s rights focusing on survivors of acid attacks and domestic violence, something that I am very passionate about.

Socially, post-Covid, I am planning on taking 6 weeks off work to travel south east Asia, and maybe also adopt a baby rhino!

What would people be surprised to learn about you?
I swam the length of the British channel (22 miles) in aid of breast cancer when I was 16!

Is there any other information that you would like to be included?
My time in New York, gave me so many opportunities, it was the best year of my life! I wish I could do it all again!