Anne
Job title 
Senior consultant in charge of French and Spanish development
Company and location
The Kingstree Group
London
Industry sector
Consulting
Background
Studied at ISIT (translation school, Paris) and ISG Business school (time spent in Paris, New York and Asia),
10 years of experience working for Chubb Insurance Company and five years at Kingstree
Why is Spanish important?
I could never have worked for the organisation I work for without it.
How do languages come into play?
Languages open up opportunities. Although we are perceived as an Anglo-Saxon firm, we gain instant credibility by showing our language capacity.
How would you describe your job?
We are consultants who specialise in spoken communication. We prepare our clients for their key communications to clients, prospects, staff, the financial community and their industry.
What kind of skills do you need?
To excel at this job, you need to be focused, adaptable and outgoing, on top of being on the leading edge of the skill you pass on to clients when you advise them. When I started my career, I worked for a big American firm and was quickly spotted for my abilities in English, which weren't that common 15 years ago in the insurance industry in France. They transferred me to London after five years and although I was running the French desk, they also asked me to supervise the launch of the Spanish desk,- it had been established that my level of Spanish was very good and that the Spanish team would trust a French girl to start their operations!
Today, in the circles I advise, two languages are an absolute minimum and the difference comes from my Spanish, which opens up barriers and gives me sales leads and jobs. I am even considering learning a new language!
Source: ConsejerÃa de Educación