Reflecting on my time at RGS there were plenty of clues as to where my professional career might end up, even if it didn’t feel like it at the time. For A level, I studied Politics, Philosophy & Ethics, History and Drama. Outside of the classroom, I was involved in a range of extracurricular activities including rugby, drama performances, stand-up comedy at open-mic nights and was part of the group that established the Sixth Form Christmas song tradition (which I hope is still ongoing).

I look back on those years in Sixth Form as my favourite and most formative of my entire education, and the group of friends I spent them with remain amongst the closest that I’ve made throughout my life. It was also during this period that my interest in current affairs blossomed, and I became an avid reader of news, encouraged in part by the then Head of Sixth Form Mrs Richard’s current affairs lessons.

I went to study Politics at Durham University but found more passion outside of the lecture hall. For three years, I volunteered for an 80-student residential outreach programme for disadvantaged young people from the North East, ultimately leading the project in my third year, and was on the executive committee in multiple roles at Van Mildert College Rugby Club.

I graduated with a 2:1 and little idea what to do with it. I spent six months applying to graduate schemes across every sector imaginable. With limited sense of direction beyond knowing I wanted to work in London and was happy to wear a suit, the 50+ programmes I applied to yielded just two interviews.

Throughout my studies I’d remained an avid consumer of news across many formats. After setting my sights on financial services, I was fortunate enough to get picked up by a recruiter who suggested that financial services communications may be a suitable intersection of my interests and skills.

After an afternoon of interviews, my professional career began in earnest at a small strategic communications consultancy called Greenbrook that focused on private equity firms, hedge funds and crisis and issues management.

Strategic communications is an industry that remains something of a mystery to most people but, at its core, it’s about advising companies on how to manage and build their reputations in a way that supports their commercial objectives.

It is heavily relationship-driven across clients, journalists and wider industry contacts. It demands close attention to detail and an ability to remain calm in often stressful situations. Today, the role is broader than ever, encompassing traditional journalism, new media formats, industry conferences, thought leadership content, digital marketing, paid advertising and pretty much anything in between. Much of the job entails being someone who listens to a client’s concerns and gives thoughtful advice and an outside perspective.

I always say to people I’m incredibly lucky because from day one, I loved it. The work is fast-paced, high-stakes, and working across multiple clients means each day is genuinely different, if not invariably long much of the time.

After 2.5 great years at Greenbrook, I moved to another consultancy, Hawthorn Advisors, where I continued to focus on investment firms, while gaining exposure to FTSE-listed companies, technology, oil and gas, public affairs and some celebrity (!) PR. However, ultimately, I wanted to return to the specialism I’d been developing in financial services communications and joined my current firm, a global independent integrated marketing and communications agency called Prosek Partners in 2020.

I’d never lived abroad or done any gap year-style travel, but I knew when I joined Prosek that I wanted to have an international component in whatever form that would take—a secondment, regular travel or potentially moving.

After spending a week in the New York headquarters in 2022, a time when the city was still finding its feet following the pandemic and the office mostly empty, I came home knowing I had to test myself by moving there. The morning I landed from that trip I requested to move, initially for six months and quickly changed my mind and upped it to “no less than a year”, keeping an open mind on how it might play out.

It was the best decision personally and professionally I’ve ever made. I prevaricated for over a year and, beset by the standard visa drama that comes with any move, landed in NYC in August 2023 knowing barely a handful of people and with just three suitcases of belongings.

The past three years have flown by. The challenges of re-establishing myself in a much larger office, making new friends and building a life entirely from scratch have been the most fulfilling things I’ve ever done. I’m still awed by the size and scale of the professional opportunity in the US and experiencing it firsthand has brought a new level of perspective. Here, the sky genuinely feels like the limit.

This year, I received my Green Card and permanent residency, and while I’ve always said, “never say never”, I see the next chapter of my life being here.

Ryan's Top Tip

So, what advice would I give myself if I were leaving RGS now, or more relevantly (hopefully) for someone in that boat? I actually have three top tips:

1. Be interested in as many things as possible. It gives you depth and keeps you open to new ideas and experiences.
2. Remember that life isn’t linear. The right thing might not fall into your lap immediately and it’s fine for decisions you make to only be steps on the journey to where you eventually want to end up.
3. Deliberately make yourself uncomfortable. These are the moments where most growth professionally and, more importantly, personally happens.

If anyone from the Reigatian Community is ever in New York, please do not hesitate to reach out for recommendations, a coffee or a pint. Otherwise, see you on Christmas Eve!