ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½

After a 10-year career in the finance industry, working in London and Tokyo, and another 10 years working as a researcher in the Euro-Asia Centre of Insead Business School in Fontainebleau, France – where I met my husband Miles – it seemed like a good idea to do a PhD. In 1998 I arrived in Cambridge as a mature doctoral student at Judge Business School (or the Judge Institute of Management Studies, as it was known in those days), and was happy to find a new home in ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½. Apart from a couple of years elsewhere as a lecturer, I have lived in Cambridge ever since, conducting research on various business-related topics until retirement.

What first inspired you to pursue your field of research?

My previous career led to a strong interest in Japanese business practices, and my doctoral research focused on inertia and change in various lesser-studied industry sectors in Japan during the 1990s. That focus continued somewhat in a post-doc research project on global value chains in the UK, Germany, US and Japan, conducted with a team at the Centre for Business Research here in Cambridge.

What has been one of the most surprising or rewarding moments in your career?

Some two or three years into the very start of my working career, being offered the chance to move to Japan was a life-changing opportunity.

What drew you to Cambridge originally, and what connected you to ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½?

As a locally based alumna of ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½, I was pleased to be granted Senior Membership nearly 20 years ago. After a spell as a College Research Associate, during which I led the group for several years, I returned to Senior Membership following retirement and was Senior Member Observer in 2019-2023.

As a Senior Member of the College, what do you value most about being part of this community?

There are so many interesting people to interact with, both within the Senior Membership and in the wider ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ community, with many opportunities to hear fascinating talks, attend wonderful musical events and participate in all sorts of activities. It's important to me also to contribute a little to the functioning of the community, whether through proof-reading dissertations, invigilating in-College exams or simply financially. Plus, the fish and chips on Friday are fantastic!

What do you enjoy doing beyond your academic or career pursuits?

Miles and I travel a lot, with a focus on our house in France until we sold it last autumn) and now with a broader plan to explore more widely in Europe, and a second focus on Australia. I'm a keen reader and longstanding member of the ÌÇÐÄVlog¹Ù·½ Reading Group, and I enjoy visits to the theatre, cinema and exhibitions, plus walks in the countryside near and far. I'm also an enthusiastic supporter of Miles's photographic interests, wherever his current passions take us.