An American in Ireland

This one is going to hurt.

Today is my last day in the office at Kellogg’s European Headquarters in Dublin, and if I can get through it without tears it will be a miracle.

My expectations when I first joined Kellogg’s in July 2013 were purely professional. I hoped to apply what I’d learned in my previous roles to help grow the company’s digital marketing capabilities, further develop my knowledge of European business and gain an understanding of FMCGs (that’s Fast Moving Consumer Goods for the uninitiated, which I was at the time). In a nutshell, do a good job and not make a fool out of the guy who hired me. If I made a few friends and acquaintances along the way, well, that would just be icing on the cake.

So it’s a wonderful and heartbreaking thing to say that I’ll be leaving behind some very special people today, who in a relatively short period of time have become life-long friends.

It’s no wonder when someone leaves Kellogg’s, they always talk about how much they’ll miss the people. The culture of the company is truly special, and my colleagues genuinely respect and support one another – even when under intense pressure. The emphasis on assuming positive intent, building relationships and nurturing trust has greatly influenced the way I approach work…and life.

One of the things I’ll miss the most is walking down the halls and hearing French, Italian, Spanish, Greek, German, Flemish and a whole array of Irish and English accents. I’m grateful to have had the chance to work with people from all over Europe.  To that point, this job has allowed me to travel to places I’d never been, like Geneva and Graz, and revisit some of my favourite European cities such as Paris, Barcelona, Milan, and London. To have this be part of the job is simply a dream come true and the exposure to such a variety of cultures has greatly impacted the way I view the world.

But again, it all comes back to the people. From the canteen lunch ladies (and Noel!) and building staff, to the procurement team and Finance and to our agency partners – I am going to miss you all so much. And to my own team – thank you for your guidance, support and most importantly for the craic (not the drug, it’s an Irish saying)! As the only American in the group, you’ve always made me feel like one of the gang despite my cringe-worthy fake Irish accent and my utter ignorance on Irish pop culture.  I hope I’ve been able to give you something in return for all you’ve given me; please know that I will miss you all terribly, but I am leaving knowing our paths will cross again someday.