Life before RELX
Work is an important aspect of a person's life. It not only provides financial means, but also enhances a person’s sense of usefulness and belonging. Yet, people change, develop and grow as time passes. Simultaneously, their wants, needs and priorities shift. Therefore, it is most likely a person will have more than one job throughout their lifetime. Whether that’s in a different role, industry, or even in a new culture. This got us thinking...
Before starting a career at RELX, what did the lives of our people look like? How did their path in life lead them to where they are today? What have they learnt and gained along the way?
In this story, we meet ten employees who share what their previous chapters in life looked like before coming to RELX. They share how these experiences came about, the key differences between them and what they currently do at RELX, and how these parts of their life helped shape them as a person.
Click a name to read their story...
Hannah Lim
Practising M&A lawyer through the golden years of Myanmar’s democracy
Through a series of random events, I landed in a Singaporean law firm that had a strong regional practice in Southeast Asia. They were one of the few foreign-owned law firms in Myanmar at the time and were highly sought after. I was a corporate mergers & acquisitions lawyer from 2011 to 2017.
I was thrust into working on Myanmar matters and stuck around for seven years, since there was so much demand for Myanmar legal knowledge. It was the golden years of Myanmar’s democracy and I witnessed the gradual opening of the country. From getting into cars so rundown they had holes in the floor, to the development of glitzy malls and the opening of their own stock exchange. I am fortunate to have been involved in some of these key developments as part of the team of lawyers on some of these deals.
This role was worlds apart to my current job at RELX. Then, I was a lawyer drafting and reviewing agreements, negotiating deals, developing corporate structures and more. It was super stressful and you had to be perfect. Myanmar was a very risky place. Today, I am in a business role where the work is a lot more varied and there is always something new to do. In my role as Head of Rule of Law for Southeast Asia, I rarely focus on what the law says and more on how we can make the law - whatever it says - transparent and publicly available.
The Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar
The Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar
My experience in Myanmar shaped me as a person in incredible ways. I have always said that Myanmar has given more to me than I have ever given back to it. My experience in Myanmar opened my eyes to the importance of the rule of law. I witnessed hardship that would have been avoided if the legal system were able to adequately allocate the risks and benefits that arise in daily life. It taught me to never take anything for granted and revealed that my personal, and now professional, interests really lie in seeing how we can make the world a better place.
Streets in Yangon, Myanmar
Streets in Yangon, Myanmar
Myanmar is going through a hard time right now and it is not clear how long that time will last. But I am hoping that democracy will be restored soon and that the work of building the rule of law can continue.
Hannah's current role is as Head of Rule of Law and Emerging Markets, Southeast Asia for LexisNexis Legal & Professional
Dian Sierra
American Sign Language expert and Certified Interpreter for the Deaf
In 1996, I retired after 17 years as a full-time certified interpreter for the Deaf. I had been state-certified in Arizona since I was 19 years old and had passed the national certification four years before moving to Virginia in 1992. I had always wanted to learn how to sign but the only classes where I lived in Glendale, Arizona were at the community college. The instructor wouldn’t allow me to take her class as a kid. Then one day when walking through the school library, I saw an advertisement for a vocational class teaching juniors and seniors on how to become interpreters for the Deaf. I was a sophomore preparing my schedule for the next year, so I signed up. I had to take two semesters' worth of US History in summer school to clear my afternoon schedule to travel to Phoenix every day for two years, 18 and a half hours of immersion training in American Sign Language (ASL) and interpreting skills. As an interpreter, I worked in front of people all the time. I specialised in medical and mental health, educational and performance settings.
Dian interpreting at the University of Arizona
Dian interpreting at the University of Arizona
I had to retire being an interpreter due to repetitive motion injuries and needing to use a wheelchair to get around. I was spending half my time in Washington D.C., interpreting for the federal government and half the time in my community in Charlottesville, Virginia. I could no longer drive and get to Washington, so I became a vocational rehabilitation client and went back to school to learn computer programming. Now I work mostly with a computer. However, since I have experience and knowledge as both an editor and a software engineer, sometimes I still interpret between my editorial colleagues and engineering staff.
I spent the first half of my life as a core member of the Deaf community and I still use closed captioning on my TV, even though no deaf people live with me anymore. My wife says it took the first ten years of our relationship to teach me how to be a ‘hearing’ person again. I’m also considered a bilingual signer since my Bachelors in Linguistics has ASL as my non-Indo-European foreign language. I also did my honours thesis on ASL Classifiers, so it is the language in which I do linguistics research. Therefore, my brain is always thinking “How would I sign that?”
Dian's current role is as Citizen Developer, Content Editor, LexisNexis Legal & Professional
Cath Morris
Award winning musical comedy cabaret act
My cousin Marcus and I started a musical comedy act back in 2001. At the time, we were both a bit fed up. But being the creative people we are, we felt we needed to get out there and do something fun. So, with his naturally funny bones and my musical ability, we became a double act. We played the UK comedy circuit, where five-minute spots turned into headline spots. We were performing at shows with some upcoming well-known names in the UK like Alan Carr, Greg Davies, Nina Conti and Rhod Gilbert. We were also starting to win some awards along the way.
By 2005, we were a musical comedy cabaret act and now a group of four. We produced an hour-long show for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the world's largest arts and media festival and did a month-long run playing shows every night to sell-out audiences. The icing on the cake was performing at the iconic venue, Madame JoJo’s in London Soho, winning a BBC Three ‘Audience Favourite’ award and being on TV with Jo Brand, a famous English comedian. It was all completely bonkers, terrifying, exhilarating, exhausting and undoubtedly one of the best times of my life.
If I compare being part of a touring comedy act to being a Data Operations Manager at ICIS, the biggest similarity is being part of a special team. A close team which supports each other, empowers each other to make difficult decisions and a team that strives to (literally) perform better tomorrow than they did today.
The experience during those years gave me a huge amount of resilience. I try to draw from it when I need to present something to a large audience. Even now, I get nervous presenting or speaking to large groups. So, I remind myself of what I used to achieve in front of so many people before starting at RELX. It taught me that you can do anything you put your mind to if you work hard, grab opportunities, be open-minded and say, ‘yes’ more than ‘no’.
I also learnt that David Cameron, ex-UK Prime Minister, can do a great impression of an Aardvark - when forced into audience participation during our ‘hilarious’ song about animals. Lastly, it taught me that making a room full of people laugh, is one of the best feelings in the world.
Cath's current role is as Data Operations Manager for ICIS, Risk
Beth Dickerson
Hairdresser turn coder
After graduating from college, I had difficulty deciding what I wanted to do next. A late-night conversation with a friend led me to sign up for cosmetology school. I spent ten years in a fulfilling career as a hairdresser. During that time, I honed my skills and ability to talk to anyone, and be a listening ear as clients escaped their day. My days were busy as I balanced overlapping appointments working nine-plus hours on my feet. It was a job of physical labour, yet, I enjoyed being busy, having a full clientele and taking pride in my work. For me, learning how to relate to all kinds of people was the most important skill I developed and for which I will always be grateful. However, one day I realised my brain wasn’t getting the type of workout it needed. I wanted to grow in a different direction.
A few female friends of mine were leaving their jobs or finishing their studies and were attending coding bootcamps. After seeing more than one person venturing off into an entirely new field, it piqued my interest. I signed up for an online class to learn the basics of HTML and CSS to ‘be a supportive friend’. At least that’s what I told myself.
I was captivated. I wanted to find a coding bootcamp of my own to attend, so I could learn quickly and jump feet-first into a brand-new career. I applied to a programme in Philadelphia, got accepted, packed my bags and moved from South Carolina. It was fun and incredibly challenging and the friendships I made with other students helped me keep my head above water. We struggled through the experience together and encouraged each other as we looked for jobs when we completed the programme. Shortly after, I was hired at Elsevier as a software engineer. I have worked at Elsevier for five years and enjoy this second career with Elsevier Technology.
The biggest difference between these careers is switching from left-brain work to right-brain work, but I like to say that it’s because I now sit all day, work shorter hours, and have more benefits. Yet, there are still a few interesting similarities. I still work with my hands and could not escape hand cramps. Mistakes which are made are not permanent. Lastly the work is, above all, with people. And the way we treat each other, see each other, and respect each other is the most important part of what we do.
Beth's current role is as Software Engineer, HESI Compass, Elsevier
Lisa Marie Hayes
Languages expert
After dropping out of high school and working a few unskilled jobs, I decided to pursue higher education and loved it. I was originally studying to be a veterinarian and was well into my science studies when during an argument with my mother, a native Spanish speaker, I realised we were fighting because she hadn’t understood what I had said in English. At that point, she had lived and worked, speaking English the whole time, for 40 years in the US. That made me question, why is a new language so difficult for some adults to learn and so easy for others?
After changing my major multiple times, I finally earned a dual Bachelor’s degree in Spanish and English. I then decided to head to my mother’s home country, Mexico, to pursue a Master’s in applied linguistics. I never got the answer to my question as there are so many variables, but I did learn more about my mother by being immersed in life in Mexico. As a master’s student, I began teaching at the university where I was studying. Then after graduation, I became a full-time teacher at another university in my mother’s home state, San Luis Potosí. Overall, I spent six years teaching university-level English-as-a-foreign language and academic writing in Mexico.
Lisa in Guanajuato, Mexico
Lisa in Guanajuato, Mexico
In 2008, the cartel war hit the city I was living in and I decided to return to the US. But I arrived during the recession in 2008 and had difficulty finding any work, despite my experience and education. I finally secured three part-time positions: tutoring students online, scoring TOEFL exams for students learning English, and editing technical documents for a local government contractor. Through persistence and a willingness to adapt to circumstances, the latter job led to a full-time position as a technical writer reviewing and submitting proposals for US government contracts at another local government contracting firm.
Ultimately, this opened the path to the career I have now. When a colleague left that firm and began working for what was then known as Reed Elsevier, she thought of me when a position came up for a communications manager at Reed Elsevier Technology Services (RETS) in 2012. She felt my language and technical experience would be a good fit for the role. She was right and I got the job. In 2013, I was laid off from that role at RETS and worked as a contractor for a project at LexisNexis Legal & Professional, Australia. I later went to work as a communications manager elsewhere, but I loved RELX so much that I continually watched for openings. Eventually the role I am in now opened and I applied. It has been the best decision ever. I love what I do and how I am regularly challenged. I'm never bored, and that is a huge advantage.
My science and language studies background have always helped me excel at what I do; I am still immersed in language. Perhaps more importantly, my time in Mexico taught me flexibility, understanding of diversity, and adaptability. This helps immensely in working with colleagues around the world. Like my mother, I got to experience what it was like navigating a foreign country with different norms, culture, and many different languages. I learned that life isn’t black and white, but a medley of colours, and that’s what makes it exciting.
Lisa's current role is as Senior Communications Lead, Innovation, RELX
Flavio Villanustre
Neurosurgeon technologist
While I have been a technology professional for three decades now, my formal education was in the medical field. I graduated from medical school when I was 23 years old and completed my medical residence in Neurosurgery by the time I was 27. By then, I was already working professionally in the technology field as a consultant but was also treating patients as a doctor. It’s hard to say which one of these activities was my profession and which one was akin to moonlighting. Eventually, the load became unbearable, and I made the decision to focus on technology and leave my medical practice behind.
I got into technology when I was about 9 or 10 years old and became interested in electronics. This became my hobby and my passion and evolved into computers and programming at an early age. From there I became interested in the then nascent field of online Bulletin Board Systems (BBS), becoming a sysop (system operator), and developing an interest in computer networks, which landed my first few consulting engagements of the time. On the medical side of things, having a medical doctor as a parent (my mom) can be a strong incentive. As a curious kid who always wanted to learn how things worked, medical school seemed like a great way to go to learn how the human body works. And by the time I was closer to finishing my medical degree, getting into neurosurgery seemed like a great idea to learn more about the brain.
Medicine and technology can be perceived as far apart as any two careers can be, but I can say that many of the skills that I developed during my medical tenure are still applicable to my current role. Most certainly, the drive for a lifelong learning experience and the determination to be a self-learner, if not originally learned in medical school, was definitively reinforced there. Empathy and compassion also received a significant influence from my days as a doctor, and these are two key very desirable attributes for any leader. And even more deeply technical concepts are still useful today. For example, learning how biological neural networks operate helped me easily understand how artificial neural networks work, which is at the basis of modern artificial intelligence (AI) and deep learning methods.
Those years in the medical field did help me get a bigger understanding and appreciation of the value of human life and have a more human centered focus in my professional career. Empathy and compassion are very important leadership qualities, together with transparency and truthfulness. These are qualities that I certainly improved in across all of those years of treating ailing patients.
Flavio's current role is as SVP, Technology & CISO, LexisNexis Risk Solutions
James Weekley
Gold mine geologist
I started my working career a mile underground in South Africa as a mine geologist. I had just qualified with a degree in mining geology from the Royal School of Mines and I was keen to use my skills in the hunt for precious metals. There is nothing quite like seeing the glint of gold reflected from your lamp in the gloom - it’s quite emotional. Even though it was dangerous work I found it addictive. My job was to assess the gold deposit in designated parts of the mine, crawling through tight spaces at the sharp end of the operation and then use my skills to direct the blasting for maximum yield. I had been fascinated with rocks, minerals, chemistry and crystals all through my childhood and so this was my dream job come true. Getting paid to look at rocks, blow stuff up with explosives and find gold.
Mining Geologists, including James [fourth from the left], looking for uranium in France
Mining Geologists, including James [fourth from the left], looking for uranium in France
I was brought up in the edgy suburbs of south London, so this was quite a departure from everything I knew. Most of my friends and family thought I was eccentric to say the least, but I enjoyed it. And, for me, it was an invaluable experience. It was a tough environment with little or no support. You just had to rely on your skills and wits to see you through. I only left because one day I was nearly killed when a whole area of the mine, wired with explosives, was detonated accidentally without warning and I was inside the exclusion zone. The ground around me lifted and I was thrown down a tunnel by the blast. I thought that was me done but I was smothered by a colleague who protected me and dragged me out. I’ve never been underground since.
My working life today couldn’t be more different. As a corporate communicator the most danger I face is someone getting upset because I start a sentence with the word ‘and’ or I split an infinitive. I love what I do, I love working at RELX and I love the people with whom I work. When I think back to my first job, I hardly recognise myself, but all these steps make us who we are, and I wouldn’t change a single thing. Not one.
James' current role is as Head of Internal Communications, RELX
Jamie Cole
Police officer, special victim’s unit detective and crisis negotiations team leader
Prior to joining LexisNexis Legal & Professional, I served as a police officer, special victims unit detective and crisis negotiations team leader. After I graduated from college, I started my career as a police officer in Ohio until I had my children. I then pursued a law degree and started a new career as a corporate attorney in mergers and acquisitions for eight years.
However, in 2015, after being promoted to shareholder, I stepped away from practicing law to rejoin the law enforcement community in Arizona during a tumultuous time. I traded billable hours for an hourly wage and joined an Arizona police department. The drive to serve others never truly left me. I felt compelled to improve public perception of police officers by setting an example. After accomplishing my personal and professional goals and serving the community for five years, I eventually relocated and returned to the practice of law and joined LexisNexis in 2021.
Everything about my working day is different as a content manager. I am not weighed down by 25 pounds of equipment, including extra rifle magazines loaded with ammunition, a thick rifle plate, and a variety of concealed back-up weapons.
After managing several high stress critical incidents, my perspective on life is vastly different. I value the experiences and interactions I had during my time as a police officer. I am thankful to be healthy and appreciate all that I have. My three daily goals were to get home safely, act with integrity and change public perception of police officers and policing.
But fundamentally, I translate my active listening skills and inquisitive nature into my role as a Practical Guidance content manager. I still use the same active listening skills to communicate effectively with colleagues, customers, expert authors, and other business units within LexisNexis. This allows us to identify and successfully achieve key objectives. I am happy to be a part of a company that values the Rule of Law. Outside of work, I continue to serve community members experiencing difficult situations and am passionate about promoting equal access to justice for all.
Jamie's current role is as Content Manager, Corporate and M&A - Practical Guidance, LexisNexis Legal & Professional
Matt Tudball
English teacher in Hong Kong
A girl I worked with in my first job had met an English man who lived in Hong Kong. She fell in love and moved out there to be with him. When I was made redundant and was deciding what to do with my life, she said ‘why not move out to Hong Kong and come and work with me?’ I thought ‘why not?’ It was either that or become a BMW salesman: Hong Kong won.
At the age of 26, I moved to Hong Kong to become an English teacher in a small private company. I spent my days teaching children and adults the joys of English grammar, and then spent my nights enjoying the vibrancy and diversity of the city with all my new international friends.
When comparing teaching the English language and my current role, which involves talking about recycled plastics all day, it may sound pretty different. Yet, there are a lot of similarities. When teaching English, you must really know your subject, so it took a lot of steep learning to get it right. It is the same with the market I cover, there are lots of complexities and processes to learn. But the best bits about both jobs are the people, spending all day talking to people from different backgrounds and with different views. It’s what makes both jobs so interesting.
It was also in Hong Kong that I made probably my single-biggest life-changing decision, which was to come out as gay. A couple of people had known before I moved, but it was while living out there that I was able to be truly myself and open. I also had the chance to meet other LGBTQ+ people and start to understand who I really was. The year I spent in Hong Kong gave me the opportunity and confidence to be my true self, and I’ve never looked back.
Matt's current role is as Senior Editor, Recycling for ICIS, Risk
Robert J. Hanson
Designer of some of the world’s first features in computers and telecomm
I am 68 years old and have been working with computers since high school in 1971. In college I studied digital design and programmed mainframes. During this time, I created a novel split curriculum in computer hardware design and software programming. My customised curriculum later became the 'Computer Engineering Degree', which up until then did not exist.
After earning a Bachelor’s and a Master’s in Electrical Engineering, my first job was at Texas Instruments in Houston where I designed and programmed microcomputer boards for industrial applications, such as the TM990/101M. In 1982, I moved to Naperville, Illinois, to join the world-famous Bell Laboratories where I worked on UNIX servers and cellular switching equipment for 19+ years. I also did performance engineering for several AT&T servers, until AT&T left the computer business in 1995.
Highlights of that time included working on the architecture team of the world’s first laptop computer with a modem and dialup networking - the AT&T Safari. I also led the design team to create the world’s first virtual address cache memory for a production UNIX system and developed the world’s first parallel recovery feature for the 'LifeKeeper High Availability Cluster' manager. After the dot-com bust, I had many diverse jobs such as DSL order testing software at SBC, financial trading verification at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, I.V. pump systems engineering at Baxter, and developing customer acceptance tests for an IBM supercomputer.
In August 2011, I joined LexisNexis Risk Solutions as a contractor in Chicago, working on the ClaimFocus product. In February 2012, I then became a full employee. When the ClaimFocus product was sunset, I was moved over to the Insurance Data Services Portal, where I develop reports and monitors, and work on the batch processing side.
LexisNexis Risk Solution's Insurance Data Services (IDS) Portal
LexisNexis Risk Solution's Insurance Data Services (IDS) Portal
The similarity between jobs I have had in the past, to my current job, is that I am still now using old-fashioned UNIX/Linux software again, even after 40 years. However, instead of designing computer and telecom hardware, I am programming for insurance.
Over the years, I have learned to appreciate diverse people and situations, be flexible, and always open to new things. Of all the places I have worked, I must say that RELX is the nicest place to work and has the best corporate culture, and I hope to continue working into my seventies.
Robert's current role is as Senior Software Engineer, LexisNexis Risk Solutions
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