Moving offices from London to Perth: Sam’s story

By Sam Petker, Global Sourcing Manager

​Recently, Guidant Global’s Global Sourcing Manager, Sameenah Petker, moved from working at our London office to Perth, Australia. She shares how her move came about and what you should do if you’re thinking of taking your career abroad.

Seven years ago, I joined Guidant’s London office.
Before moving to the UK, I had grown up in Africa and lived in Australia. I started working at Guidant in 2014 from the London office as a Recruitment Business Partner before being promoted to a Senior Business Recruitment Partner, and then later, Client Services Manager.

Moving to Australia was not a work-related decision.
It was by no means an easy decision, but ultimately, my husband and I felt that Australia was the ideal place for us to raise our four-year-old son.

Having lived in Australia previously, I knew what the environment was like and favoured the idea of raising my son in the Australian climate and nature. Having family in Australia helps too as it means my son is able to see his cousins regularly.

Good timing and an honest conversation.
When my husband and I decided to move in September 2020, I had a conversation with my line manager to inform her of my decision. To my surprise, she disclosed to me an opportunity that had recently become available in Australia as a result of a new global client win.

While I was aware that Guidant had presence in Australia, I knew we did not have existing presence in Perth (which was where we were looking to relocate to), so being offered an internal position in Australia was a pleasant surprise.

The opportunity to stay with Guidant made the move to Australia easier.
I have loved working for Guidant over the years, so being able to continue working at Guidant while challenging myself within a new role and environment could not have come at a better time.

I’ve been lucky to work with amazing and supportive teams in the UK, so saying goodbye was very hard. That being said, as I’m currently in a transition phase, apart from working with the APAC and the US team, I also get to work with the UK team from time to time so we still keep in touch!

Working with colleagues across three regions is new to me.
Initially, it felt daunting working across time differences spanning twelve hours, but everyone has been so accommodating of the different work hours. The knowledge I’ve gained from working and learning across the business globally has been eye-opening and was something I wish I had taken more advantage of earlier.

Be open about your career needs if you’re thinking of moving.
I would recommend having conversations with your managers and teams if you are considering moving abroad – I could have missed out on a great opportunity had I not been transparent with my manager.

Talk to your colleagues across the business and get to know what the company is doing further afield. Particularly within Guidant, there were so many things I have learnt since working with teams from all across the globe. I understand the business even better now and can lean on different people for different kinds of support.

We’re proud to support our people and develop their careers in a way that suits them. Come join #TeamGuidant today >