Stars in our midst

When I received emails from Sharon Stone, Tina Turner and Ron Howard, all in one day, it got me thinking. How many more colleagues do we have across RELX with A-List namesakes?

For anyone who works at RELX it’s pretty clear that we have some stars in our midst. Across our business we do amazing work for our customers using technology to help solve some of the world’s most challenging problems. And it’s our people who drive these innovations.

But when we take a closer look, it’s true, we really do have stars working with us. In more ways than one…

I decided to get out and meet some of them.

That awkward scene

“The other Sharon Stone is a good actress and is remembered mostly for a scene in the film Basic Instinct,” said our Sharon Stone, who is a journal administrator in our STM business.

“I often get asked about that scene and while it can be a bit awkward, I just laugh it off.”

“I’m based in Exeter in the UK and don’t have any desire to live in Hollywood. But I would love to visit and quite fancy a picture by ‘my’ star on the Walk of Fame.’

“The main part of my job is dealing with editor, reviewer and author queries on a daily basis, assisting them with any issues they may have. I also have a facilities role, making sure the office runs smoothly. I am no actress, but I am good at what I do. I’ve been with RELX just over 18 years now.”

“I actually quite like sharing my name with someone famous. It has always been an icebreaker and I am always remembered. In fact, I was once met off a flight because of it. So, it has its perks. The only downside is if I’m in a waiting room and I get called out by my full name and everyone turns and looks, slightly embarrassing. I also get lots of friend requests from random people which I just ignore.”

People aren’t so strange…

Our Jim Morrison grew up in the era of The Doors and the other, ‘less famous’ Jim Morrison. The other Jim chose signing, song writing and poetry but for our Jim it has always been about technology.

Jim is principal quality test engineer in our STM business, based in Dayton, Ohio in the US and just celebrated 20 years with us.

“What lights my fire is working as a software test engineer within our STM business. My job is essential since my team and I are the last ones to look at software products before we release them to our customers. We test, certify and find as many bugs as possible prior to letting our customers use the system. The bottom line is, we raise the quality of our products and that’s what I love about my work.”

“I quite like having a famous name. It’s a great communication subject, plus, I grew up in the time period, so it means even more to me.”

More computer code than The Da Vinci Code

Ron Howard. You remember? Richie Cunningham in Happy Days?

These days he’s probably better known as the Hollywood movie maker with films such as Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind and The Da Vinci Code to his name.

However, what that Ron does is nothing compared to our Ron Howard, a software engineering manager for Risk & Business Analytics, based in beautiful Boca Raton, Florida, US.

“I joined LexisNexis in 2013, a decade after founding a start-up technology company that built self-optimising marketing software for e-commerce websites and email campaigns,” said Ron.

“I consider myself a technologist at heart and love working in a dynamic workplace with people who challenge themselves and others to perfect their craft. My team of super-coders build and maintain the Master Back Office System (MBS), a platform that consists of 32 financial, billing, back-office applications and products that drive billions in revenue.”

“Outside of work, I enjoy traveling abroad with my family, outdoor activities, boating, fishing and working on all kinds of projects from home improvements to fixing cars. I love the movies Willow, The Da Vinci Code, Backdraft, A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13 and Splash. Clearly the other Ron Howard and I have much in common…”

“I don’t mind in the least when someone makes a reference between me and the other Ron Howard. In fact, my father was also named Ron Howard. It often sparks light-hearted conversation when meeting new people.”

Simply the best

It turns out that the real Tina Turner is a lawyer within our Legal business, based in London. A specialist in dispute resolution, she may not be a US rock legend but her work is legendary nonetheless.

“I’ve been at RELX since late 2018 and work as part of a team of experts to produce up to date practical guidance for dispute resolution lawyers,” said Tina. “Outside work I enjoy spending time with my family, fitness and evenings out with friends. But no singing.”

“People often hesitate when I give my name and I have had people hang up on me before. A lot of people will attempt a funny comment, but I have heard it all before.”

“I was approached by a TV producer once, looking for people who share their name with a famous person to take part in a game show where people had to ask questions to work out who you were. Needless to say, I didn’t respond.”

“I took my famous name when I married my husband and, no, that wasn’t the reason I married him,” said Tina. “And so far, I have to say it’s been simply the best.”

The very last of the Starks?

Our very own Jon Snow prefers cycling in the mountains to serving time with the Night’s Watch on the Wall.

Jon, a software engineering manager for Reaxys, part of Scientific, Technical and Medical (STM), is based in Frankfurt in Germany and has been with us since early 2017. He admits to never having been to Westeros, or even having watched a single episode of Game of Thrones (GoT).

“Honestly, I had to do a bit of research on my namesake, given I am no GoT nerd,” said Jon.

“I may not be that good with a sword, but I am really good at working as part of the Reaxys development team, helping to deliver meaningful value for our customers. I’d like to see the other Jon Snow do what I do every day.”

“I think it’s fair to say that while I share the same name as this famous character, we don’t have too much else in common. I guess family is important to the both of us but mine is a little more ‘normal’. I like to think of myself as a bit of a warrior too. I rarely back down from a challenge. While he is sure to be better than me in any fight; I make my own Biltong. I bet he can’t do that!“

The RELX-files

The name Gillian Anderson probably makes you think of the 218 episodes of the sci-fi classic The X-Files.

But you should really be thinking about our own Gillian Anderson who is a finance associate, in Reed Exhibitions based in Norwalk in the US.

“I’ve been with the company 23 years” said Gillian. “Longer than the other Gillian Anderson did the X-Files. And that’s saying something.”

“My work is all things relating to point of sale for our consumer event stores in the office and on-site, also while on-site I work in our autographing area. Outside of work I’m a keen baker, an avid reader and love to spend time with my family.”

“I actually think it’s fun sharing a name with someone famous. It’s definitely a conversation starter.”

The (martial) arts of spreadsheets

Lucy Liu is an American actress who is best known for playing the role of the ill-mannered Ling Woo in the television series Ally McBeal, the assassin O-Ren Ishii in Kill Bill, Alex Munday in Charlie's Angels and Master Viper in Kung Fu Panda. Our Lucy Liu, however, is a little less ‘fighty’ and much more approachable.

“Lucy is actually my ‘English’ name. It was chosen from a list of popular names that my school teacher wrote on the blackboard with a piece of chalk in my first English class.”

“I’m a finance manager for Reed Exhibitions Australia, based in Sydney. I have been here for about 12 years. My current role is focused on budgeting, forecasting, analysis and reporting.”

“When I’m not working I love travelling, bush-walking and spending time with my children. I can also make some great Chinese dishes, including dumplings using a recipe passed down from my mum.”

“When I introduce myself, I often get the reaction ‘aha Lucy Liu!’ or people ask me what my next movie will be. I think it’s all quite funny. I don’t have much in common with the other Lucy Liu though. I don’t know if she would enjoy a career in finance and I certainly can’t act or perform any martial arts!”