Jessica Grange

Country of origin: United Kingdom

Placement: Amadeus

My role in Amadeus was extremely varied; I was exposed to a number of different areas within Group Communications. I mostly worked with the Executive Communications Director. Part of my primary objective was to liaise with the Industry Event Organisers worldwide and the Amadeus Business Units (Airline, Airports, Hotels, Rails, etc.) to agree on an Events plan for the year. I was in charge of supporting my manager for all the negotiations with the providers as well as agreeing with them on sponsorship packages, reduced delegate fees, branding opportunities, etc. The biggest event I worked on was one organised by The Economist where Amadeus was the sole sponsor of the event. This meant we had a strong say in the creation of the agenda. I then became The Economist’s point of contact in Amadeus. I was also fortunate enough to attend this event which took place in Madrid where speakers such as Michael O’Leary (CEO Ryanair), Taleb Rifai (Secretary General UNWTO), John Andrews (Contributing Editor, The Economist) and Tony Wheeler (Founder of Lonely Planet) appeared on the panels.  My second role consisted of writing press releases and blogs on behalf of the Senior Management team. For example, I wrote a blog on Lean IT for the Executive Vice President of Global Operations. I also took part in an eight month project which resulted in the creation of an 80 page report entitled ‘The Future of Travel’. The study was done in order to understand tomorrow’s traveller and identify the segments or ‘tribes’ which will emerge in 2030 and shape the future of travel. 

I really appreciated the friendly, open environment of working at Amadeus. Even though Managers and Directors had their own offices, the doors were always open and the hierarchy was never felt. I even became close friends with the Senior Vice President of HR, Branding and Communications because she discovered my passion for horses and the fact that I work on a ranch in Montana every summer. I also really appreciated the support everyone gave me, if I had any problems I knew who to contact and if I made a mistake, no one made me feel like I was ‘just an incompetent trainee’. Team lunches and outings often took place and it helped make the work experience a pleasant one.

Within Amadeus I gained many new skills which will help me in any future career. I strongly believe that a combination of those skills coupled with those I acquired through my many years of volunteer work around the world, will be what eventually leads me to a successful career. Overall however, I have learned to be a more patient person and I have realized the importance and value of prioritizing work. My communication abilities have certainly improved and I know that no matter what you do, a smile goes a long way!