Sharing passion and knowledge, and enjoying life
“Since I joined OneChocolate, I have gained in experience and autonomy, and it has only confirmed my choice of a career as as a Press Officer. I have learnt a lot and am now able to fully assist Account Directors, while passing on what I know to interns and junior colleagues.”
Throughout her career at OneChocolate, which started in December 2017, Alexandra first held the position Account Executive before becoming Account Manager in September 2020. Her position requires her to work closely with the Account Directors, the Managing Director and her junior colleagues to implement the PR strategies of the agency’s clients. She is passionate about always seeking the best opportunities for these clients. Being a true adept of teamwork, she also enjoys transferring her knowledge, since her responsibilities include intern recruitment and training.
Daughter of a musician, music lover and David Bowie fan, Alexandra quickly knew she wanted to pursue a career as a Press Officer. Indeed, after a master’s degree in international and societal relations in English and a thesis entitled “The influence of rock’n’roll on the American Youth in the 1950s”, she started working in PR for an agency specialised in tourism. There, she met Bernadette Py, who greatly influenced her choice to become a Press Officer. To quote Alexandra: “The crash of a Malaysia Airlines plane – one of our clients at the time – in 2014 and the crisis management that ensued was a major event that definitely confirmed my passion for this job.”
Having developed an interest for the English language from an early age, she now has the opportunity to use it every day at OneChocolate since most of the agency’s clients are based in English-speaking countries. She sees herself as a motivated and involved collaborator, who takes pleasure in her work. As she facetiously puts it: “If I had to choose one superpower, it would be the ability to read the minds of journalists.” However, her interest in her work does not prevent her from enjoying life to the fullest – a life she shares with a developer, which is a great asset in an agency with so many IT solutions clients! As a reader, she is fond of Jeffrey Eugenides’ work and she found a great source of inspiration and a true model of perseverance in her grandmother, who “at 45, decided to become a caregiver and did all she could to achieve her goal, despite the many obstacles that stood in her way.” She hopes that one day, she will be able to demonstrate the same strength of character in both her private and professional life.
Quotes
- What does work mean to me?
In my opinion, work represents a significant part of life. Since we spend a large amunt of our time working, it is essential that we enjoy it, that we thrive on it, and that we feel good doing it. Besides, work has sometimes had a particular influence on my life. For example, most of my first clients were airlines, and I ended up developing a very strong interest in this field! To this day, whenever someone tells me they are flying somewhere, I always ask them for the name of the airline, the type of aircraft, etc.
- One of the most surprising situations of my life?
A special moment – which has a direct connection to OneChocolate – comes to mind: the day I decided to accept the position as a junior Press Officer at the agency. I was enjoying well-deserved holidays on a Maltese beach. I phoned Edouard [Managing Director of the agency] and the wind was blowing so hard that we could not understand each other properly. So much so that I had to hide behind a rock and I remember thinking that it is not every day that one takes a job in such an incongruous context.
A portrait by Benjamin Mallais
