Janice Lee, MGC 1998 Leaver

If you’d asked me 20 years ago what I’d want to be when I grew up, I would have laughed in your face if you’d told me I’d end up leading a regional function for a global disruptor of travel. I knew I liked writing; it was why I had come to an English boarding school. But as a young person full of doubt about my own abilities, any suggestion of leadership would have seemed laughable to me.

After reading an English degree at Leeds, which was about all the ambition I had had at Malvern, I became a journalist at a newspaper in Singapore. The job took me everywhere, from covering a conference about premature balding to interviewing Morgan Freeman in Los Angeles. Looking back, the job taught me to be thoughtful, inquisitive, proactive and self-driving - traits I attribute a lot of my success to today. I later made the switch over to communications, learning the ropes in public relations and dabbling in brand marketing.

Today, I can claim to be a fairly dynamic communicator and business collaborator with over 16 years in journalism and communications. I’ve helped hotel properties deal with situations that have been tragic and I’ve told CEOs what they should say on and off camera. My current career has me applying myself in a fast-moving hi-tech environment which also feeds the geek in me. Somehow my love for writing found its place in the world and I know I am one of the lucky ones who can genuinely say I love doing what I do.

In my spare time, I chase after adrenalin on my mountain bike and otherwise spend most of my time with my husband, two little girls and dogs.

What does success look like?

Success is living through all the follies and failures in life and knowing that you don’t regret a single one – that each has had a part to play in making you who you are today.

What is your best piece of advice?

Always ask why and never stop wanting to learn and be better.