It’s been 10 years, four visas, six moves, three jobs, many a summer festival and one oyster card – and now I’m British.

Like a slow-burn relationship that has finally come to fruition, I’ve been accepted officially as a Brit and I have the certificate and medal (yes, medal!) to prove it. In a town hall ceremony with 35 people from 17 countries I pledged my oath to the Queen and country, and now I’m a bonafide Australian Brit.

Having always been part of the Commonwealth with a healthy respect for all things royal,  particularly different to be British – it’s like waking up the day of your birthday wondering if you’ll feel older. There is a new-found freedom though that comes with UK citizenship; I can take a step back and relax knowing I don’t have another visa challenge ahead, I don’t have any more ‘life in the UK’ tests to pass and I can finally give a good tut as a trueLondoner.

So I’m revelling in my Britishness whilst hanging onto my Australian heritage and an accent that will never fade. And while I may never find the right response for the elusive “alright?”, I’m certainly looking forward to avoiding the “all other passports” queue at the airport at 11pm on a Sunday.

Long live dual citizenship!

One of the things to really jump out during the workshops was that at this time when every pound of PR spend needs to deliver, the power of local knowledge and capability is difficult to underestimate.

For instance, Italy and Poland provide a contrasting picture. The Italian economic situation has done nothing to remove the appetite for creative communications. Great ideas are still expected and pitched. But many don’t see the light of day. In Poland however, outside of the Eurozone, a buoyant economy is creating an exciting PR market. This is despite the fact that media organisations and the journalists are under considerable pressure. The budgets are there to fund creative new approaches to reach audiences.

The temptation to regionalise communications has to be balanced by the need to localise from the start. And that’s where the power of an international network like GlobalCom can really deliver for clients.

The brief will see us focus on raising LinkedIn’s profile among UK recruiters and marketers drawing on the rich insights that its member network creates.

In the UK this network is now an incredible 11 million strong – and worldwide it’s more than 200 million.

We can’t wait to get started…

Sophie joins us from the City of London where she was an Executive Officer helping manage communications around ‘low-key’ events such as the Diamond Jubilee, the Olympics and St Paul protests as well as ensuring the wider City agenda was heard beyond the Square Mile.

She joins as account manager in the Corporate team.

Hannah joins as an Account Executive having graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History with Politics.

Most recently Hannah was working at Michael Page (just down the road!).

Welcome Hannah! We look forward to enjoying a drink tonight in The Mitre…