Sydney, mate.
September 14th.
“You have been nominated to apply for the Havas Lofts program.”
How exciting!
September 27th.
“You’re going to Sydney. You’re leaving in three weeks.”
Really? ..Really. This is definitely the best news I could receive right now.
November 20th.
“We are pleased to inform you that you have been upgraded to Business class on your flight to Sydney”
Okay, that is just the cherry on the top, but I have to admit I had a very enjoyable 20 hour flight from Dubai to Sydney. Who would have thought?
So here I am. We’re now at Wednesday the 26th and I realize how time flies! I arrived only a few days ago, but I am already filled with good vibes. The natural and multi-cultural situation of Sydney makes it a city unlike any other, and the inhabitants, from what I saw, are the friendliest people.
My first days at Havas Australia have been both exciting and challenging. I think there is no better opportunity to learn than going outside of your comfort zone and just share ideas, understand another way of thinking and enrich your habits with an all new methodology. I didn’t say it was easy! Discovering another culture and another agency in a different language takes some time for sure.
I wouldn’t be able to list all of differences that exist between my agency, Rosapark in Paris and Havas Australia (which is actually a good thing from my point of view)! I would just say that Strategy in the Sydney Village is more digital oriented than I am used to on my daily basis. I guess it is one more thing that is new and challenging, but it is really inspiring to see how insights can meet innovation, UX and data, for the good of fresh ideas (even if I might be a bit lost when it comes to technical considerations).
Fortunately for me, the entire team has been nothing but understanding, supportive and welcoming from the very beginning (I can even tell they are also qualified in first-aid, but that is a different story). And since I believe the most important thing in a job are the people you work with, I have every reason to be confident. I’m sure the best is yet to come.]
