On International Women’s Day 2020, Laura Brunton shares her experience of taking a big leap of faith.

Seatbelts Fastened 

I closed my eyes as the plane left the runway and took a deep breath. I was really doing this, no turning back now, a new opportunity awaited on the other side of the world… 

A step back in time 

I have always wanted to work abroad. However, growing up the oldest of three children in a low-income family in the North East of England meant a gap year ‘to find myself’ wasn’t really an option for me. So, after I finished a Master’s in Project Management, I eagerly jumped into full time employment as a management graduate in a global manufacturing and distribution company in the West Midlands.  

My HR Director from that business had moved to Amey and contacted me about a role in Business Improvement. Fast-forward nearly 13 years, 12 managers, 10 roles, 9 locations, 5 Business Units, 4 Group HR Directors, 3 CEO’s and 1 Chartership in Human Resources later, I’m happy to report that I am still thriving and enjoying a fulfilling career. 

Australia - how on earth did that happen? 

I spotted an advert for HR Manager role in Texas, USA for one of Amey’s sister companies. Interesting indeed! It wasn’t long before I was speaking with their Vice President of HR. He was highly supportive and spoke openly and honestly about the requirements of the role, the culture, the opportunities for progression, and the various commitments I’d have to make for the move. While the role sounded amazing, there was something instinctively that told me it wasn’t quite right for me at that time. 

I spoke with one of our international Directors about the potential move and he asked if I had considered working in Australia, to which I laughed, ‘not really, I can’t just get up and go to the other side of the world’. In that split second however, something changed in my thinking, and I said I was in fact interested and would love to explore the opportunity further. 

So, there were just a few ‘small things’ standing between me and an opportunity of a lifetime… 

1.      Convince husband to leave his job for a year. 

2.      In order that he could stay at home with our two young kids while I went to work. 

3.      Tell our families that we were whisking their grandchildren away. 

4.      Find somewhere to live, a school, find friends. 

5.      Doing a role that was completely out of my specialism. 

6.      Had I mentioned we hadn’t been to Australia before either? 

Gulp. Not deterred; I knew this experience could be life-changing for us and was worth the risk!  

My new job(s!) 

This role was out of my specialism in HR and would be primarily as a consultant to a major client in Sydney. This quickly evolved to also becoming a Project Manager of a multi-million-dollar rail venture as well as becoming the People & Culture Lead for Amey Australia. I quickly learned, as the song goes, ‘be careful what you wish for, as you just might get it!’  

We had Christmas Day on Bondi Beach, did the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb, snorkelled in the Great Barrier Reef, fed kangaroos and cassowaries, watched the fireworks on New Year’s Eve from the Harbour Bridge, hiked in the Blue Mountains, went wine tasting in the Hunter Valley… A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. If you haven’t clicked off in disgust yet, keep scrolling as there’s a plot twist coming. 

I do want to be honest with you. It wasn’t all sunshine and BBQ’s on the beach. I may have grown up watching the idyllic, soap image of Australia on Home & Away and Neighbours, but you soon realise there are subtle cultural differences and like anyone who moves away from home, it’s not as easy to make friends as you think. 

Plot twist! 

Sadly, after a year I got the news that my assignment would be coming to an end shortly and we needed to head back to the UK. To say we were gutted was an understatement. We’d fallen hard for Sydney. Our oldest son had started Bondi Public School, we had made wonderful friends and had been living a 7-minute walk from Bondi Beach. We really did feel like we had been living our best lives!  

It was a big transition back for the family, finding another role in Amey, my husband going back into his old company, sorting out schooling and nursery etc. This led me to a new role in a fantastic team and ignited further my passion for coaching and mentoring, which I am thoroughly enjoying. 

So, you may be wondering, what lessons did I learn from this? 

1.      Don’t play small, this is your life, curate it as you would like it to be.  I have found that feeling scared is often the same as feeling excited. 

2.      Surround yourself with inspirational and brave people who will support you and your dreams. This could lead to something you may never have imagined. 

3.      Don’t make assumptions – I can be a mother and an ambitious employee. I would often get asked what my husbands’ job that was took us out there, with many not thinking it was because of my career.  

4.      I found honest communication key with my husband, to ensure we’re moving towards things that are important to both of us. 

5.      Sometimes, things are utterly out of your control. Choosing to embrace such change with real grit, humility and a positive outlook will get you through most challenging circumstances.  

I spent International Women’s Day 2019 in the Sydney Opera House listening to talks from inspirational politicians, poets and authors. I remember leaving the event at dusk and looking over at the ferries crossing the Sydney Harbour and thinking how blissfully happy and lucky I felt to be there at that moment in time, something that my mum and nan before me could have only dreamed of. 

This year I shall be with colleagues at The Women Leaders Association where I have been shortlisted for the WLA Member of the Year Award 2020. I’ll still have just as full a heart and as big a smile as I look around a room of inspiring guests as we learn, laugh and are inspired to strive for equality for all. 

Finally, with a new (female) CEO at the helm of Amey, I’m excited to see what 2020 and beyond brings for me, my family and our business as we move into a new decade where we can all strive for a world that is equal for all.