Issue 4 2008 > An American in London
An American in London: Elizabeth Bolgiano
Group Director of Human Resources, Smith & Nephew
Elizabeth Bolgiano is what you might call a typical working woman. Devoted to all aspects of her life, she juggles her roles as a mother, wife and boss extraordinarily well. So when her job moved her family halfway across the globe, how did she get to grips with British attributes? We tell her story...
Three and a half years ago, Elizabeth Bolgiano joined Smith & Nephew, a FTSE 100 global orthopaedic company, and moved from Princeton, New Jersey to Memphis, Tennessee, the location of Smith & Nephew’s U.S. headquarters. While promising an immediate step up the corporate ladder, there was also an understanding that a significant promotion could be in order if the job was done well. Thirty-seven months later, Elizabeth was offered the role of Group Director of Human Resources. However, there was a catch–the role would be based in Smith & Nephew’s UK headquarters, London. Yet, Elizabeth didn’t hesitate in accepting the role, “it was an easy decision to make–I was being offered the job of a lifetime and the opportunity to experience another culture with my family by my side.
"There were a lot of factors to consider of course, but ultimately it was an offer I couldn’t refuse. Memphis was actually a more challenging move!” Elizabeth’s family has been very supportive of her decision. Her husband, Peter, was even prepared to move his own consultancy business overseas. Luckily the change in location hasn’t dented the business and he has retained some of his U.S. clients. In fact, the move has made Elizabeth and Peter’s work/life balance more manageable; Peter can fit work commitments around the family so he can take their two young boys to school for instance. “I think of our relationship as a partnership,” says Elizabeth. “Peter is the home manager and I am the work manager–that way we get to look after our family together, just with slightly different roles.”
However, Elizabeth didn’t undertake the transatlantic move lightly. With the help of experts from Crown Relocations, she undertook thorough home and school searches and even an intercultural training course to ensure her family was going to be comfortable in the UK. As their global service provider, Crown has managed over 180 international relocations for Smith & Nephew and that experience has been invaluable to the Bolgianos.
Making the transition...
Vicky Woods, assistant account manager, was appointed to the family to guide them through the process. “Crown was our guiding light throughout all stages of our move. Whenever we hit a bump in the road our point of contact was there to get us over it as quickly and smoothly as possible,” added Elizabeth. Crown’s services involve more than simply moving people and their possessions. The Bolgianos opted for services such as home and school searches, local orientation and a cultural awareness course.
An education consultant was appointed to the family with the job of recommending schools. This involved locating the best schools to fit the children’s needs and securing them spaces. Crown’s expertise also came into play when finding the family a place to live. “My husband came over to the UK in May, 2007 with the purpose of arranging suitable schools for our two boys, a perfect home for our family as well as sorting out appropriate childcare,” said Elizabeth.
“We were delighted that it was made possible for all these crucial areas to be organized in such a short period of time and without us having to make further trips across the Atlantic.” The Bolgiano family arrived in the UK on July 23, 2007, with the hope of residing there for the foreseeable future. In order to get accustomed to the new culture the family undertook an intercultural training course. Elizabeth commented, “the intercultural training was a great exercise for us; we found it very informative and it gave us a real understanding of the ways in which people in the UK do things differently to those in the U.S. Not only was the course educational but also intellectually stimulating–the training was based upon plotting various cultures and their differences, which certainly made us feel more sensitive to our new surroundings.
“I have done a lot of traveling in my past and experienced a number of new cultures but I would strongly recommend cultural awareness courses–there is a noticeable difference between living in and traveling to a new country.” Indeed, the Bolgianos have found a few British attributes somewhat unusual. When bumping into another person in the street, Elizabeth found Brits to be far more apologetic than Americans. Their respect for queuing far out weighs behavior in America, and when it comes to introducing themselves, the Brits come across as very reserved.
Elizabeth is extremely pleased with how straightforward her family’s move was and offers advice to other working women in a similar position. “The most important factor to consider when moving abroad is to ensure your partner and children are properly taken care of. You must be sure that they will fit into the fabric of the local culture with ease. Always keep a positive mind about the reasons for your move and absorb the new culture in every way you can; after all it will be your new home. Fundamentally, you can make anywhere work but with the help of relocation specialists you will feel a real sense of home in your new location.”