As a global business, Amane recognizes there are immense benefits to be had from working across borders, languages, and cultures. It’s one of the reasons why we resource project teams with consultants from different regions and create opportunities for consultants to travel to other offices to work on projects. It’s also why we’re proud to offer an international Secondment Program twice a year to our employees.
The Secondment Program enables team members to be based at one of our international offices for 12 weeks to experience new cultures, deepen their relationships with local clients and team members, and develop their skills by supporting different types of projects and initiatives.
Two team members have recently returned home after completing our Spring Secondment program. Senior Consultant Mairead Helmes hopped across the pond from our Philadelphia office to Paris, while Consultant Aurore Mairot traded in her homebase in Bahrain for a stint in Oxford, UK.
Mairead taking in the Parisian sites and culture.
For Mairead, it was the first opportunity to support French-speaking clients.
“A lot can get lost in translation, but it was great to challenge myself in that way while experiencing the nuances of the Parisian work culture and I was fortunate to have native French colleagues available to assist me,” she said.
Those colleagues also ensured Mairead made good use of her time to soak up everything that Paris has to offer.
“My coworkers went out of their way to invite me to different events around the city and took time to catch up for lunch or on the weekends.”
“In addition to having the opportunity to work on interesting new projects, I appreciated having the chance to picnic along the Seine and take in the beauty of the buildings and parks. It was an opportunity of a lifetime, and I am so grateful for the experience,” added Mairead.
The sentiment is echoed by Aurore, who was born in France, but grew up in the Middle East and has now been working in our Bahrain office for nearly two years.
“I’ve always enjoyed being surrounded by people with different experiences and backgrounds and my secondment to the UK was another valuable opportunity to immerse myself in a new culture.
Aurore and members of our Paris team join the Oxford office for a team lunch.
“I had previously had the opportunity to meet many of the team members during our last company retreat, but spending three months working closely with the team was a great opportunity to get to know everyone better and put my skills to use in new ways.
“I’m very grateful to Amane for giving me this chance to develop as a person and as a consultant,” added Aurore.
Ida Johansson, Principal in charge of International Mobility at Amane, has high hopes for the program.
“I am thrilled to hear about Mairead and Aurore’s rewarding secondment experiences. The secondment program has become a highlight which people talk about way ahead of time, and we hope it will keep our team excited about working in Amane and the many ways in which they can continue to grow with us.”
The secondment program will return in the Fall with Senior Consultant Laura Chamberlain, typically based in Philadelphia, being seconded to the Oxford office, and Alisha Krishan, typically based in Oxford, heading to the Bahrain office.
