International Women’s Day 2021: Celebrating our achievements

Laura Ko, Senior Graphic Designer

My biggest accomplishment of the last year was buying our first house (and moving into it in a panic on the first day of lockdown!)

Owning a house seems unachievable for so many people in their 20s so I’m very proud we managed to make it work! I now have lots of new DIY skills from decorating all the rooms, landscaping the garden to make it appear twice as big, and building a giant walk-in enclosure for my pet rabbits.

Martina Poehler, VP of Marketing

The recent achievement I’m most proud of is actually a team achievement. The pandemic hit the marketing team at a transformational time, with three new marketing managers joining us during the first lockdown. Even under normal circumstances, bringing several new members into an existing team at once can be quite disruptive. But with the lockdown in place, we faced the additional challenge of not being able to work from the office which made it harder to get to know each other and collaborate. 

I’m glad to say that we successfully navigated the situation. Thanks to regular team meetings, individual catch-ups, informal coffee breaks and everyone’s positive energy, our all-female team has developed a great team spirit and collaborative way of working. It’s hard to believe that we’ve never all met in person and I can’t wait for us to finally have a proper team lunch soon!

Camilla Bass, Content Marketing Manager

The accomplishment I’m most proud of recently is learning how to speak Spanish. I have been taking weekly Spanish classes for the last few years, fitting extra studying and homework sessions into my lunch breaks and pockets of free time.

I’m proud that I’ve been able to commit to my studies and that I can now (almost!) fluently speak another language. I’ve met some amazing people and have learnt a lot about Spanish and Latin American culture in the process. 

Talissa Kojuman, UI/UX Designer

I’m a Brazilian-Italian citizen and all my life it’s been my goal and dream to move to England to work as a UI/UX designer. In 2020 I finally made that dream come true. I am very proud that although everyone said that it was almost impossible for someone to move away and get a job outside Brazil, I did it!  

Huriyyah Dhanse, Head of Account Management

I have taken my love for food, cooking and baking up one level by starting my very own instagram page.

It’s very much a work in progress but I’ve hosted a bake along with my team and inspired people to cook who didn’t think it was possible. Be sure to give me a follow and try one of my recipes out. 

My passion for cooking is at the heart of all my recipes. Whether it be creating a delicious meal or baking a scrumptious dessert, I've tried my best to make it fun and easy to do.

In the process, I've also become a video editing expert and a food photographer.

Roheena Chogley, Account Manager

Starting a new job during lockdown has been a challenge, but for someone who's an active health freak - keeping fit with nowhere to go has topped it. 

So, how does one keep active and sane without the gym or any home work out equipment? (I mean they all sold out within the 1st week of lockdown so it was never really an option!) My solution - walk. 

I won't lie, it is hard to drag yourself out to go for a walk especially in the cold. But there is a sense of accomplishment and if you do it enough times it becomes part of your routine. We're all going through a period in life we didn't expect so for me it was important to be able to control the aspects of my life that I could. 

I've walked 635,206 steps in 28 days. Can you beat that?

Daisy Gray, Customer Success Consultant

Last year I designed and built a cat tree for my new kitten. With a lot of time on my hands, it was the perfect time to try something new! I enjoyed woodwork at school and have always wanted to make something from scratch as an adult.

I loved following the full creative process; making scale drawings, visiting lumber yards for recycled wood and using a Dremel to do things that a Dremel shouldn’t! Most importantly the cat loves it and I feel proud to have created something that I could only hope would even stand upright.

If I learnt anything it’s that you should just Give It A Go! You might find a new passion or achieve something amazing. Oh, and you should always wear protective gear when using power tools!

Lucy Russell, Head of Product Management

As many parents will relate to, my biggest achievement this year has been surviving lockdown with two primary school aged children, while also juggling work. Learning how to be a teacher and experimenting with what motivates my children to focus (often unsuccessfully) has pushed me to my mental limits!

In addition, I’m now over a year into my life at Fresh Relevance and I’m super pleased to have just gained a promotion, part of which is due to the amazing, supportive team of people I have around me.

Vicky Beech, Partnerships Manager

2020 was a year we never planned for, so everyone needs to pat themselves on the back because we did accomplish it! 

With so much time spent at home, I’ve gained such an appreciation for the simple things in life: cooking and walking. 

I've walked more miles this year than any year to date and I'm not stopping anytime soon. It's the best way to clear your head and it makes you feel great. And secondly cooking - on a weekend you will find me in the kitchen spending hours on a new dish to delight my family. My top dishes so far include prawn laksa, ramen and gyoza!

Sophie Oglesson, Developer

My best recent achievement was entering my first, albeit online, open fitness competition in October 2020. I'm in no way an amazing athlete, but it was a fantastic experience and I achieved PBs in some lifts - snatch and deadlift - which was great. 

Natasha Kenyon, Senior Marketing Operations Executive

At the beginning of 2020 I decided to keep a 1 second a day video diary of everything I had been doing. I’ve never been good at sticking to diaries, but I managed to keep it up for the whole of last year and this year so far, despite often having very little to document during the various lockdowns.

I’ve found that it has been great for my mental health and motivation, as it provides me with that extra bit of drive to go out and explore my area, or find a new hobby to do at home that I wouldn’t usually. It’s also been a great way to reflect on what I have achieved and experienced in the last year.