Elizabeth Pastor-Jacome

I hadn’t decided on a future in tech when I was a student. My interest has always been in society, and what makes it work. While studying my Master’s in Security and International Law, I did a module in cybersecurity, which made me interested in that as a potential career path.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, I realised the importance of technology and how it’s such an essential part of society. It impacts every single moment of our lives. With the emergence of AI, that impact is even bigger. One thing I feel passionately about is ensuring AI is used properly and for the benefit of society.

“The whole environment at HSBC makes you feel heard and treated like an individual.”

Breaking barriers and inspiring change

So, while I knew the intersection of law and technology was an area I wanted to explore, I didn’t know how or where until I saw an advert for HSBC on social media. I didn’t know too much about the bank, but the advert featured a young woman, just like me. It made me feel connected to HSBC and started to challenge some of the misperceptions I had about banking and tech being all about men.

Now I’m on the Technology graduate programme, I’m seeing the reality for myself. While more change needs to happen, there are more females on my programme than in previous years. And I hope to be a role model for more women to join it in the future.

Solving complex problems every day

I enjoy working on challenging and interesting projects. Right now, I’m helping to ensure that as VISA enters new countries, the technology HSBC uses meets local laws and regulations. I’m in the Service Performance Management team where I also help to check all HSBC initiatives. One of these is a ChatGPT-style bot and ensuring it aligns with Mexican laws and regulations on compliance of both internal and external data management. This uses HSBC data, so it must be secure, compliant, global and user friendly. These are all problems I’m relishing trying to solve.

The whole environment at HSBC makes you feel heard and treated like an individual. Hybrid working helps me balance the things I like to do outside of work, along with my day job and studying. All this gives you the confidence and energy to work hard, believe in yourself, offer new ideas, and take risks. I’ve already proved to myself I can do more than I imagined – like learning programming languages with no coding experience. At HSBC, I feel at my best.

Learn more about opportunities for students and graduates in Mexico.