When did you leave Chesterton Community College?
I was at Chesterton from 1995 to 2000.
What is your current job title or field?
My job title is Head of Content (Digital) at Disneyland Paris. I’m in charge of the digital editorial team and also lead on content strategy and SEO/AI. My team produces all the French and English content on the Disneyland Paris website and mobile app, and we also work with UX and UI designers to develop new features.
Did you know as a teenager which career you wanted to pursue or did you come to realise this later on?
Originally I wanted to be a classical musician. Then I wanted to work in the Third Sector in the UK after taking part in several volunteering opportunities including a 6-month intercultural exchange programme between London and Ghana. But moving to France changed all of that because the context is so different.
I initially taught English to kids and adults of all different levels and in lots of different contexts, but I knew I didn’t want to do that forever. I got an opportunity to work at a web agency and that was my first step into the world of Digital!
When I then got a job at Air France (the French version of British Airways) as an English copywriter for their web and app content, I also got the chance to work on the full redesign of their ticket booking flow and I learned all about UX and UX writing. A few years later, I was hired by Disneyland Paris to build and manage the digital content team.
My job involves recruitment, managing the team, managing a budget, leading on strategy and ensuring quality control of all the content my team produces… all in French AND English!
How did you start on your career?
I enjoyed French GCSE at Chesterton and went on to do French A Level at Hills Road Sixth Form, then studied French and Linguistics at university, but I never imagined in a million years that I would end up permanently living here in France and becoming truly bilingual. I’m very proud of myself because it took a lot of resilience to get to this stage and now I have the privilege of seeing the world from a new perspective, not just the UK perspective!
What do you like about your job? High points?
I love working at Disneyland Paris because of course it’s a magical destination and a huge brand, and also there are plenty of Brits who come over to visit the Parks. So even if my work and home life is very French, I also have Brits around too! Because it’s such a big company, I work with a lot of different people and have learned a lot about marketing and sales, and tech/digital, which is far from anything I knew when I first started out.
I never had a clear idea of exactly what I wanted to do in terms of career, but I’ve always had a clear understanding of what makes me tick and what I’m good at, even if it’s just “I have excellent attention to detail, good people skills and a geeky love of words”.
What is the first advice you would give a student wanting to follow in this direction?
I would say my job and my previous career choices have always been based on these questions:
- ‘Will it be an opportunity to learn something new?’
- ‘Do I feel excitement in my tummy about this opportunity?’
- ‘Does it fit with my values?’
- ‘Will I be able to play on my key strengths?’
For a student wanting to follow in this direction, I would recommend starting with volunteering in your local area to build skills and gain confidence, so that when you start applying for professional opportunities, you already know yourself and have experience that you can talk about!
