Global Functions

HSBC’s Global Functions play a vital role in supporting the bank’s Global Businesses and offer a broad range of career opportunities in areas from legal, risk and finance to human resources, sustainability, marketing and communications.

Our operational and functional teams around the world help HSBC’s Global Businesses to operate efficiently and effectively on a day-to-day basis. They also focus on controls and governance to reduce risk and protect the Group’s reputation.

Find out more about the work of each of our Global Functions below.

Company Secretary

This function leads, develops and manages corporate governance throughout the Group. It is responsible for:

• Advising the boards of directors on corporate governance issues
• Establishing and managing stock exchange listings and directing and managing shareholder meetings and equity raisings
• Representing the Group’s interests in the development of laws and regulations

Global Communications

Global Communications designs and implements communications strategies that support HSBC’s business objectives, in line with our values, and that enhance and protect the bank’s reputation among key stakeholders.

Global Finance

Global Finance plays a vital role in ensuring that HSBC manages costs and deploys capital in the most effective way. The team provides financial insight, accuracy and control, using analytical skills to support our Global Businesses and influence and challenge business decisions.

Global Internal Audit

Global Internal Audit provides an independent, objective assessment of HSBC’s risk management, control and governance processes. This enables management and risk and audit committees to understand whether they are operating effectively.

Global Legal

Global Legal plays an important role in protecting HSBC’s reputation, helping to safeguard the organisation by providing robust and comprehensive advice on legal issues and risks. Our lawyers advise senior management and the Global Businesses and Functions. They offer a range of legal skills, jurisdictional experience and practice specialisms across all the countries and territories in which HSBC operates.

Global Marketing

Global Marketing helps our Global Businesses increase their revenues by ensuring that we make the most of marketplace opportunities, our brand strength and customer insight. We have dedicated marketing teams that work with our Global Businesses to help them achieve strategic priorities, as well as centres of excellence that specialise in core marketing disciplines. Our teams work in areas including:

• Advertising and marketing communications
• Digital customer engagement: managing websites and other digital channels
• Sponsorship and events
• Market research and customer insight
• Marketing planning and budgeting
• Branch design
• Marketing governance

Global Risk

Global Risk supports HSBC globally in all aspects of risk management. It manages a varied range of risks, including security, information security, contingency, geopolitical, operational, credit, pension, insurance, compliance, regulatory, market and reputational.

Financial Crime Risk

Financial Crime Risk is a global function that brings together all areas of financial crime risk management at HSBC. The function enables the Group to set the industry standard for knowing our customers and detecting, deterring and protecting against financial crimes such as money laundering, sanctions, and bribery and corruption and fraud.

Global Sustainability

At HSBC, sustainability means achieving sustained profits for our shareholders, developing long-lasting customer relationships, and managing the social and environmental impact of our business. Global Sustainability is responsible for developing and implementing sustainability strategies and policies across the Group. It focuses on:

• Managing the challenges of climate change and of social and environmental risks of projects that the bank finances
• Identifying business opportunities that have an environmental or social dimension
• Overseeing global philanthropic programmes (which focus on education and the environment)
• Managing HSBC’s global environmental footprint

Global Strategy and Planning

Global Strategy and Planning helps inform strategic decision-making and acts as a catalyst and driver for strategic change. The team challenges the Global Businesses and Functions with critical thinking and insight to improve the way we operate.

Human Resources

Human Resources is responsible for implementing HSBC’s people strategy. It facilitates talent management, succession planning and employee mobility while defining and overseeing frameworks that support employee performance management, reward, learning and development, resourcing and engagement.