Martyn Hibberd, Santander

Martyn Hibberd is a graduate trainee in internal audit at Santander. He helps to ensure his employer complies with the requirements of the regulator. He has an undergraduate degree in applied business from Imperial College, London and an MSc in management from Cass Business School. He is currently studying for an ACA qualification.

Why did you choose a career in compliance and internal audit?

One of the modules on my masters course covered internal audit – I liked the idea that you could gain exposure to all areas of a business. At the time, Santander was an especially interesting prospect as an employer as the brand was still relatively new to the UK market.

Tell us about the structure of your graduate scheme.

As a graduate trainee here you rotate through several business sections, including risk in finance & markets, credit risk, regulatory & reputational risk and IT & operational risk. After the completion of your programme, you specialise in one area.

‘I learned about legislation during my degree, but it felt a bit dry and out of context; this is different as you provide the analysis and appreciate the importance.’

What are you working on at the moment?

I am currently working on a project with regulatory risk, which involves assessing a piece of legislation to ensure that the bank is fully compliant. I learned about legislation during my degree, but it felt a bit dry and out of context; this is different as you provide the analysis and appreciate the importance.

What do you like best, and what do you find the hardest, about your job?

The best thing is that I will gain solid exposure to every area of the bank in three years. This is also the biggest challenge! There is so much to take in, but if you enjoy being exposed to new things and have a real willingness to learn, this could be for you.