Omotola Oyebanjo, Communications Team Leader, Nigeria

Joining the British Council from Unilever, my friends were certain that although it was a promotion, I was in for a slower pace of work and a less challenging environment – how wrong they were!

I started work at British Council Nigeria in December 2006 as Communications Manager responsible for servicing all communication needs for two of our four offices. From my first day at work, I was expected to deliver at the highest quality level and at racing car speed. Everybody wanted their materials yesterday! It was exhilarating and also very challenging.

In November 2007, we went through a restructuring process to help position us to better serve our customers and then I moved up to head the newly reconstituted Marketing Communications team servicing all our four offices and outreach activities.

As Team Leader, I’m responsible for developing and delivering the country’s communications strategy, developing marketing campaigns for our different projects, PR and media management and of course line management for my team. We’ve been charting a new course for ourselves especially in online communication and it’s been really fruitful so far.

Outside work I love listening to and making music. I’m in a church choir and hope to release an album sometime soon! I also enjoy watching movies – my husband tells me I turn into a zombie when I’m in front of the TV! My wonderful husband also works in marketing and we are blessed with a beautiful daughter who is an absolute darling, when she’s not tearing the house apart!

I really enjoy my work because it’s constantly evolving. I have a tendency to get bored quite easily, but since joining the British Council I haven’t had that problem! I enjoy the liberty you are given to manage your role while still being held accountable to a high level of delivery. The diversity of people, warm culture, great learning and networking opportunities are also definite advantages.

It’s not often you get people who can sincerely say they look forward to coming in to work everyday, but I can truly say I’m happy to be one of those few.

Benieke Schott, Manager Press & PR, Malaysia

I bring an Australian accent to the team as well as global experience. Having worked in similar roles across Europe, and in Sydney, I joined the British Council late last year.

My previous roles have included rolling out Tourism Australia’s marketing strategy in key European markets and bringing Austria to the southern hemisphere as Marketing Manager for the Austrian National Tourist Office Australia/New Zealand.

I have a BA in Management (Tourism) and in International Studies from the University of Technology Sydney. I am of Dutch and German parentage and I speak my parents’ languages as well as French and some Italian. I am working on my Bahasa Melayu and I’m engaged to a Brit.

I develop and execute the British Council Malaysia’s external communications strategy and maintain key relationships with local media resulting in positive coverage of the British Council's activities in print, broadcast and online.

Miki Kunimura, Personal Assistant Director, Japan

My relationship with the UK started when I decided to study English abroad. I wasn’t particularly thinking of going to the UK at that time as I didn’t have much knowledge of the UK back then. When I asked someone for advice, it was pure chance that she had just returned from studying in the UK and really liked it. So, I just followed her advice, but it didn’t take long before I fell in love with Brighton and its people.

After that I was a cabin crew member for four years for Virgin Atlantic Airways and Air France. I was based in London and Paris and had many opportunities to travel around the world and meet various people.

I joined the British Council in 1999 to have a more down-to-earth life. My role at the British Council is to provide administrative support and help to Jason James, Director Japan, to make the best use of his time. Also, during my nine years at the British Council, I have been involved in many projects – parties, seminars, symposiums, education fairs, rock festivals, the Christmas Lectures – and now I am involved in the performance scorecard. I have met so many people from all over the world through these projects. This is what I like most about my job and I believe this is the greatest benefit of working for the British Council.

So somehow I am still involved with the UK. I am beginning to be convinced that I must have '縁 (EN)' with the UK – a link by fate.

I am interested in many things and I'm currently into golf. I am also studying 'Teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language' which I was inspired to do by my English teacher colleagues. If you ever come to Japan, feel free to contact me. You are welcome to come and play golf with me and have a free Japanese lesson!

Mahmood Noman, HR Consultant, UK

I can’t be the only one, but I joined the British Council without a full appreciation of what it does.  I’d never heard of the British Council from my careers officers.  Two decades later, I am still very much a part of this unique organisation which provides the environment, commitment and reach to engage with so many people around the world. 

I am in my eighth role now and currently working as a Consultant in Pay and Employment Relations.  This involves designing, developing and implementing employment policies in the areas of pay, benefits and employment relations.  I also provide expert consultancy and advice to Human Resources service teams and managers. 

A large part of my career has been spent in Learning and Development and Human Resources roles in the UK with management roles abroad in Bangladesh and Ghana from 1997– 2004.  Bangladesh was a fantastic learning experience for me both professionally and personally – meeting my wife Taskeen there was a bonus!  My time in Ghana has instilled a great affection in me for Africa and its people. 

I’ve also been fortunate to travel to many countries enjoying rich experiences with colleagues and friends across our wide network of offices. Being caught in cross-fire in Bangladesh and nearly drowning in Sierra Leone do spring to mind as does enjoying the nightlife in Colombia and ending a governance conference in Kenya with a safari.

Outside of work, and when time allows, keeping my 18 year old car looking and running well is never-ending.  I also like to spend my time doing the usual CV fodder of reading, travel and watching movies. If you’re a culture vulture like me, then being based in our central London office at the top of the Mall is a big plus point as it allows easy access to all the attractions London has to offer.

As someone who didn’t expect to be here for so long, looking back, this is my own rich and diverse experience of the British Council 20 years on.  

Mayur Porwal, Head e-Services, India

Find a job you enjoy doing, and you'll never have to work a single day in your life! Within a month of joining the British Council, I realised that I had not only found that job, but also found myself in the midst of fantastic people - people who see innovation in every hurdle and people who are determined to enjoy every moment they are together.

I joined British Council India in June 2008 and my key responsibility as Head e-Services are to bring innovation to our online presence, so that we can offer our customers more opportunities to interact and engage with us and each other.

I am a graduate in Commerce from Delhi University and hold a Post Graduate Diploma in Operations Management from Symbiosis, Pune.

I have more than seven years of expertise in Software/Web Application Design, Development and Management for diverse industries like IT, law, education, and recruitment and staffing. My career started with a short stint in Arcquent Technologies, followed by a two-year tenure in Manupatra.com and thereafter in Study Overseas. My last assignment was as Senior Manager IT (Applications) with Manpower, where I was responsible for managing all IT business applications with a dedicated team of software professionals and implementing strategic IT Projects like Data Centre and Disaster Recovery Management.

My current subjects of interest are cyber law and cyber crimes. My hobbies include writing poetry, coin collection, watching TV (especially the History Channel) and swimming. I enjoy travelling and like reading about financial markets and the Indian economy.