How and why did you decide to go into communications?

After spending a year teaching English as a foreign language in France and having studied languages and business at university, I quickly realised that I wanted to pursue a career in communications. I believed it was a perfect way to build on my interest in the power of words in bridging cultural gaps and facilitating understanding across different perspectives. As a result, when I came back to London, I was drawn to a career in financial communications! It felt like an immediate great fit for me, especially as I love how working in communications gives me the opportunity to work across diverse projects, leverage my language skills, and explore my curiosity for what’s happening in the world.

Describe your working pattern over the course of an average week and how you find a work-life balance.

I enjoy the flexibility in choosing some of the days I am in the office, and as a result am often part of the small but devoted group that comes into the office on Mondays. I feel that by doing this, I’m able to properly mark the start of my working week and also enjoy the other benefits to coming in on a Monday – total control of the office speaker, quieter journeys in, and less queueing at the food stalls on Leather Lane! I also enjoy coming together with the whole team in the office on our set days, and tend to head out after work to explore all that Clerkenwell and Farringdon have to offer. It’s proven to be a really helpful way for me to strike a great work-life balance.

What areas or trends interests you the most at this time?

One area that currently intrigues me, and that I’d like to learn more about, is healthcare investment. It’s a sector that we were all naturally exposed to through the Covid pandemic, and it has been fascinating to witness how it has changed since. I find it especially interesting for its huge growth potential due to the ongoing advancements in technology, demographic shifts, and the increasing focus on healthcare accessibility and innovation. It’s also quite amusing to see market leaders naturally reflecting what’s going on around us – I’m looking at the Hollywood Ozempic epidemic on that one!

What do you do in your spare time?

I love film and I go to the cinema mostly every week. One of my favourite cinemas, the ICA, also has a fantastic bookshop, engaging art exhibitions, thought-provoking discussions and Q&A sessions, and an excellent bar and gig space. I really enjoy the fact that an outing can take on many different forms, so I’ll often be found there! On top of that, I have been stepping outside of my comfort zone recently and am excited about some concerts and festivals I have lined up for the rest of this year, both in the UK and abroad. Also, I enjoy watching football and tennis and have plans to take to the pitches and courts myself this year…

Tell us about the last book you read or the last podcast you listened to.

The last book I read was “Simple Passion”, an introspective novella by celebrated French writer Annie Ernaux, and hopefully my first of many of hers. It’s set in Paris, as is most of Ernaux’s work, and did an excellent job of evoking obsession and a sense of longing through its sharp, stark style and short diary-style entries. As for podcasts, I haven’t been listening to many of late as I have been much preferring audiobooks. Most recently, “I Who Have Never Known Men” by Jacqueline Harpman really captured my attention as it offered a thought-provoking narrative of a terrifying not-so-distant dystopian future that had me absolutely hooked. I completely understand people who say they “can’t get into” audiobooks –I think a large part of it is picking a book with a great narrator.

Name one goal, professional or personal, you have set yourself for the next 12 months.

A personal goal I have set myself for the next 12 months is to sketch more. I have always been interested in drawing, having set myself up with all the kit years ago, but only this year have I put pen to page, and I’ve really enjoyed my time with it. I’d like to make more of an effort to carry my sketchpad around with me and take inspiration from the everyday things – better than writing in a journal, I find it’s a great way to capture exactly how I’m feeling at a moment in time.