After 20 years of living in the mid-west one of the first questions I am asked is where am I from? To which the answer is England and specifically Warrington a town half way between Manchester and Liverpool. After this there is almost always a follow up question concerning how did I end up in Indianapolis?

The answer takes a little longer.

After 6 years as an employee in the IT department of Royal Insurance in Liverpool I left and began my own consulting business. As a consultant I was able to learn many new aspects of IT but I also realized the opportunity existed to experience other cultures. IT gives you the opportunity to work in different countries as it is a universal language. I decided that the opportunity to travel was something that I’d like to pursue and I was supported, as always, by Nick who helped me to find contact information for firms specializing in international recruitment. As with all the best plans Indy was a chance opportunity that arose after I chose to look for a position in the United States as I wanted to go somewhere that spoke English*. Initially I was offered opportunities in Houston which I was sure would be too hot; New York where I had family and so would not be the adventure that I wanted or Indiana, so Indiana it was!

Quite a few years later I have been here to see Indianapolis thrive and the downtown area transform from a sleepy backwater to the host city for a Super Bowl. Personally my new home in Indy has given me friends, colleagues and clients who have helped me grow and thrive personally and professionally. I am also the mother of two Hoosier sons who further strengthen my commitment to our community.

*more on that in later blogs!

Backdrop

A book I’m reading for pleasure: An Echo in the Bone: A Novel (Outlander) by Diana Gabaldon

A book I’m reading for business: Good to Great and the Social Sectors by Jim Collins

What I’m listening to on my ipod: Snow Patrol’s Fallen Empires

Sustaining quote: “Life is not about how fast you run, or how high you climb, but how well you bounce.” – Unknown