It's been three months since I joined the Mercedes AMG PETRONAS F1 Team - and what a couple of months it has been! While moving across the world from Australia to the UK, a country I've never been to before, was a leap into the unknown, I could not have asked for a better start.
My role as the team's Sustainability and Environmental Data Consultant as part of the Akkodis Lead the Charge campaign has been a thrill from application to my first day; and the excitement is yet to wear off!
Not only did my time at Adelaide University studying Mechanical Engineering and Renewables, and playing my part in the University's motorsport team, serve as an educational foundation to build my career on, it confirmed my desire to work in a role that combines my two passions of sustainability and F1. Having the opportunity to merge these two areas is a rarity that is not lost on me. I'm soaking up every moment.
After reading all about the 2023 Akkodis Lead the Charge programme through the Team's platforms, I knew I could not pass up the chance to apply. The application process included a series of interviews with multiple Akkodis representatives, their Virtual Challenge, and final interviews with Alice Ashpitel, Head of Sustainability for Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team. Akkodis' Virtual Challenge was a great opportunity to meet with people across the world and work together to solve puzzles.
When Akkodis reached out to tell me I had been the successful applicant, I had just finished running my last event for my university's motorsport team. It could not have been better timing: as I was concluding my time on my university's team, I found out that I got to be a member of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team!
From hearing the news to joining the team here in Brackley, everyone at Akkodis and my new Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team colleagues have been so welcoming and fantastic to work with. While I do sometimes miss the warmer Aussie climate, the support from the team has more than made up for the temperamental English weather.