Please introduce yourself by telling us where you are from, which city you live in, and your profession.
It’s complicated, I would say that I’m from both the UK and Taiwan. I live in Leicester and London to balance work and family life, and I work as a Senior AML Surveillance Officer in a French bank in London.

What do you love about your job? 
My job is to help prevent financial crimes and contribute to regulatory compliance. This gives me a strong sense of purpose, knowing that no matter how small I am, I am still able to contribute and do my part to make this world a better place. My job also provides me with a platform to meet a lot of like-minded people from a wide range of backgrounds and form strong bonds with them either professionally or personally (or both!).

What does success mean to you? 
Personally, success means being able to achieve something that I once thought was impossible. 
It’s about going through that process of initially thinking “I can’t do this” - to rolling up my sleeves and think “let’s see what baby steps I can start with” - to doing some preparation, learning, constant self-reflection to further improve [until] the goal is reached. 
Regardless of the result, or how others define success, for me, success is having gone through this process and when the situation presents itself again, you have changed your mindset from “I can’t do this” to “I can do this”.

What’s a moment in your career that you’re particularly proud of? 
The most random moment right before bed after a long day at work, when I was thinking back to my very first day at work straight out of university, who knew nothing about banking or work or just even how to get through a day without asking for help to where I am now and be able to offer to help people who used to be in the same situation as me.

How do you balance ambition with other aspects of your life (family, hobbies, mental health)?
I have been fortunate enough to never have to this about this question…For me, everything in life is about balance, no matter how busy I am at work, I’d still set aside some time to do the things I enjoy with the people I love.
It’s just like what they say, you work to live not live to work. And at the same time, work provides me with a sense of social purpose and responsibility, so I guess subconsciously, I’m always balancing the two without really having to think about it.
 
Who is the woman that has inspired you the most, and why? 
My grandma is the woman who inspires me the most, not only because she worked tirelessly to provide for her seven children but also because of her courage and individuality.
Despite the cultural expectations, restrictions for women, and judgement prevalent in the Asian society back then and now, she was never afraid to voice her opinions and express herself either through her words or her personal style.
She always used to tell me, “Life is short, as long as your actions are not impacting others in a negative way, you should be yourself and do what you want to do, or you will regret it and by then it would be too late to do anything about it.”

How do you stay inspired and inspire others?
Just by hanging around friends who are passionate about their lives and have that positive mindset and energy. I also enjoy listening or reading about other people’s stories, how they navigate and overcome their challenges. This helps me stay inspired and driven.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
It’s what my granddad used to day to me all the time when I was little – Believe in yourself, be confident and most importantly be kind.
What advice would you offer to younger women navigating their careers in your field? 
Believe in yourself – never underestimate yourself, you can achieve and do more than you think you can. Stay open minded and be prepared – Chances come when you least expect it. Be kind to others and yourself – this will get you further in life.

How would you describe your style? And what does timeless style mean to you? 
My style is very weather/mood dependent. On sunny days, I like to wear light-coloured clothes and on dull/rainy days, I prefer wearing darker colours. But to summarise, I would say simple and cute.
Timeless style to me, is a style where even after 10, 20 or 30 years later, I’d look back and would still think that it’s something I’d wear.

Is there a piece of jewellery you’ve inherited or been gifted that has sentimental value? How does it shape your view of accessories?
Yes, I received a 24K gold ring from my parents a few years ago. It was my dad’s wedding ring (Taiwanese people from older generations don’t really wear their engagement or wedding rings. They usually just keep them in the safe). It’s a very simple gold ring with minimal patterns on it.
I used to only wear silver accessories and was less open to trying gold/rose accessories. But ever since, I tried to incorporate the ring into my daily style, I became more open to accepting and wearing accessories and jewelleries that are not silver when it comes to styling.

How do you incorporate jewellery into your daily style? 
This really depends on what I’m planning to do or wear on a specific day.
Earrings and rings are a must for me. I have a habit of fiddling with my earrings when I’m thinking. And I always feel like I type faster and more productive at work when I see my beautiful rings on my finger that day. It just helps to boost that work motivation, I’m not sure why.
It also depends on the clothes I’m wearing that day, if it’s something simple, I’d pick a more funky, visible piece to balance out with my outfit. Similarly, if there are already a lot of patterns or colours on my clothes, then I’d go for simple styled jewellery.
There are also days where I see a piece of jewellery that I want to wear for the day, I’d pick clothes to match with the piece.

What role does personal style play in your professional life?
First impressions are important especially in a professional setting, and personal style helps to shape that first impression.
When I put effort into my personal style, knowing that although I’m in a corporate environment where there’s this rigid expectation from you as a banker or compliance officer, I still have the freedom to express my real self through my personal style, it gives me more confidence and helps me stay more motivated and powerful at work.

How do you approach confidence and self-expression in your work? 
I gain confidence through thorough preparation and practice especially in a workplace environment. I constantly find ways to learn and improve myself to reach a point where something I used to dread about becomes like second nature to me.
And through this process, I would become more comfortable in this environment with the people around me, and this helps a lot with self-expression as I’d be more open to share my ideas and perspectives without the fear of thinking how others would judge me.