“I grew up in New Jersey. My Londoner mom was a pro ice skater in Holiday on Ice and was travelling a lot for work when she met my dad - she actually thought I was jetlag at first! My dad was from Italy and worked in the travel industry for Thomas Cook. When his company was taken over, we moved to Florida where some of my family still live. I went to university and graduate school to study communications, before working in advertising sales, for the YMCA selling memberships and as a comms professor teaching public speaking.
“I’ve never had one set path when it came to my career. I once worked on a sailboat as the communications instructor and as part of the study abroad program, sailing the Caribbean twice. I speak Italian and my Spanish isn’t bad either. After my dad passed on in 2013, I moved to Italy, then to Scotland where I took a position as a Caseworker for the Scottish Government, working for an MSP in Aberdeen. I also worked with OGUK, the leading representative body for the UK offshore oil and gas industry, as a member relations adviser responsible for retention and growth. Post covid, I worked in various marketing, comms, retail and business development roles, including writing marketing plans for businesses.
“Another interesting role I have is working as a Scottish Ambassador for Change the World Model United Nations, the largest international youth forum on the planet, and attended each year by more than 10,000 students from all over the world eager to engage in the major issues on the international political agenda. My role included training students in soft skills, debate and negotiation as they took part in conferences at United Nations buildings.
“Once settled in Aberdeen, I founded an organisation called Connecting Our Women, a working and support organisation for women to meet, network and support each other. As a woman who has travelled around the world, I also became an organiser for Girl Gone International, a volunteer powered organisation which creates safe, free communities across the world for people to find new friends and feel at home. As an organiser, I began looking for events and things to do locally, getting on email lists. My friends always joke that I know everything that’s going on in the area! And this evolved into helping local businesses to spread the word about what they had going on.
“When I saw the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card Merchant Engagement Ambassador program role come up, I thought to myself, ‘this is what I do now already, engaging with local businesses and helping them promote themselves and their services’. I knew I’d be able to bring my existing knowledge set to the role to support the 7400 merchants who are part of the programs, and encourage even more to join! For merchants, the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card is a win-win. It’s free to be a part of the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card program, and brings new customers and new revenue.
“Out of work, I have six rescue pets; four cats and two dogs. A goal of mine is to have a rescue home for animals. I also love to cook and bake as I find it restful, and enjoy reading, walking, going to the theatre and listening to podcasts. I’m definitely the organiser for my friends; we’ve got a brunch coming up that I’m excited about.
“Small businesses are the heart and soul of our communities, they bring diversity and vibrancy to our Scottish towns and cities but many small businesses don’t have the time or resources to market themselves. The beauty of the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card program is that it connects smaller businesses to the community and to each other through a powerful and collaborative Gift Card program. Being a part of the initiative is another way for local businesses to be seen and known for what they do. I’m really excited to tell the stories of local businesses. To get into the town and city centres and find the best food, culture, shopping and more. There is so much possibility with the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card program and I can’t wait to get started.”