I joined Michael Page in 2000 in London as a recruitment consultant and in 2014 it felt the right time to explore international opportunities.
Learning something new about yourself and other people, learning new ways of recruiting in different markets has always been the main driver behind my attachment to PageGroup. Moving to Sweden took this to a whole new level.
The trust placed in you when you move abroad is inspiring, realising how much there is to learn gives you extra energy and living in a different environment positively challenges you professionally and personally.
In Summer 2018, one move leading to the next, I decided to take on a very different challenge – back in London! As the Head of Programme for Customer Connect, I lead the team deploying our newest technology platform across the globe– what an opportunity! Again, a very exciting time taking on a new position and learning something completely new.
The role is completely different to what I was doing before: no more monthly closes or fee negotiations. This is about working with technology partners and a programme team to revise and streamline processes, build sponsorship and engagement to deliver the new technology into our markets across the globe. It’s incredibly challenging, amazing to see how much goes on behind the scenes and I’m inspired by the incredible effort and planning needed to keep all our operational teams moving forward.
Living in Sweden for several years definitely brought lots of learnings and experiences. Certainly, the lifestyle elements of being outside and keeping fit have stayed with me and my family. More recently, some of the lockdown experience has been very similar to a long winter in Sweden! As a Country Head, I also learned a lot about being accountable, which has been enormously helpful as was having the added exposure to all the different moving parts of the business, finance, marketing, digital, etc.
If I was asked by someone who’s hesitating to make an international move today, I’d tell them ‘Do it!’ I recall saying to my wife I would prefer to look back and say that I tried, rather than reach old age and not have taken the risk. A truly special experience for myself and my family – and we managed to acquire a Swedish dog and still sing Happy Birthday in Swedish!
