Lorna Croft is an account manager in the London Healthcare practice. Earlier this year, she spent six weeks working in our New York office. Below are the highlights of that experience.
I’ve been at Fleishman-Hillard for three years now and recently undertook a fantastic opportunity to transfer to the New York office for a short-term assignment. Would you say “no” to the opportunity to learn from some of the most respected individuals in the business, our FH New York healthcare colleagues? At the same time, it was a tremendous chance to get an inside perspective into the evolving American healthcare system under President Obama.
Many people have asked, “How did you do that?” The answer: Well, I asked! Fleishman-Hillard is committed to its staff members and their development, and during a meeting with my manager, I discussed my personal career goal of working in another city. We had an open conversation, and months later I was on my way.
In May I landed in New York City, got settled in and dived right into work. I set about learning the ropes of the New York office and the healthcare team by immersing myself in everything they do, from client brainstorms to internal team meetings and media events, as well as helping organize the social side of agency life.
The weeks flew by as I enjoyed the 24-hour city as a short-term resident. And looking back, it was an invaluable experience where I learned many things:
- The U.S. and UK are very similar in some respects, but also different in many ways. That sounds obvious, but it’s not until you get the hands-on experience that it becomes clear what those differences are.
- I quickly found that the healthcare PR landscape in the U.S. is geared more toward consumers, given the U.S. direct-to-consumer approach. For me, this was a great opportunity to return to my consumer roots and engage with this audience.
- The current U.S. healthcare landscape is dominated by the changes Obama’s administration is proposing in healthcare legislation.
In addition to these key learnings, I was also able to share “London (U.K.)” points of view, listen to New York perspectives and meet many colleagues outside of the healthcare team, including consumer, digital and media relations team members. I had the opportunity to share my time with newfound friends and colleagues, and it reminded me how invaluable our large network is for business and resource sharing.
Lorna
September 18th, 2009 |