Lilian Akot missed her interview at the British Council when she first applied to work there in 2005. She was out of town. To her surprise, she was granted another interview the following day. ‘I thought, “Wow – these guys are impressive”. And here I am three years later,’ she says.

Akot is the communications manager at British Council Uganda. She joined the British Council on December 1, 2005, after six years in a corporate communications role at a multinational firm.

Akot says that she moved straight into the corporate sector after college and was looking for ‘a change of direction and work in a different sector.’

However, there was more to Akot’s career move than moving out of the corporate sector.

‘As you know, the tobacco business is quite controversial, and after a while your conscience starts bothering you,’ she says. ‘When I saw the British Council advert in the paper, it was like life was talking to me. I applied.’

At the British Council, Akot found the change she was looking for. After the corporate world’s relentless ‘show me the money’ mentality, the dedicated passion she encountered at the British Council was both a relief and an inspiration to her.

‘The team exude such energy in whatever they do,’ she says. ‘They don’t view it simply as a job but as part of their life. That had a great impact on me.’

On a day-to-day basis at the British Council, Akot runs the media monitoring, editing and writing of various communication briefs, as well as media relations. She helps the project team with media issues as they arise each day and ensures that all the British Council’s external communication meets the brand guidelines. Akot edits the British Council’s quarterly publication as well as co-ordinating internal communications.

‘My perspective of an ideal job has changed,’ she says. ‘It is not only about what you take home at the end of the month, but about how comfortable you are in your job. Does the organisation value you as an individual? What about the team? The British Council offers all this.’

The job is not without its challenges, however.

‘I was flexible,’ Akot says of her mindset when joining the British Council, ‘but this organisation operates in the fast lane and the only way to cope is to adopt a very open mind.’

She derives a lot of satisfaction from taking on Herculean tasks and seeing them come to fruition. At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Uganda last year, for example, Akot co-ordinated the communication and branding for the British Council’s different events.

‘Seeing it stand out amid all the other organisations that had flooded Uganda was greatly satisfying,’ she says.

The CHOGM remains the highlight of Akot’s work at the British Council.

‘Seeing the complex concept paper drawn up by the director come to life and the unprecedented exposure that the British Council received – and knowing that I was a part of the team that made this a success – was quite memorable,’ she says.

‘We managed over 13 projects with a very small team alongside our usual day jobs, which was quite impressive,’ she continues. ‘The spirit of teamwork, the “can-do” attitude and the passion with which everybody undertook their role was quite amazing.’

Richard Weyers, director of British Council Sudan, is full of praise for Akot’s work at the CHOGM.

‘Lilian was recruited as our communications manager when I was director of British Council Uganda,’ he says. ‘Like many of our staff there she has a can-do attitude, which means that very few challenges present a problem to her. She amazed us all during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala when we put on the most concentrated series of events we had ever managed. Lilian co-ordinated a really slick PR and communications plan, working with several external PR agencies and ensured that the British Council's profile was raised more in that week than probably the rest of the year.’

‘Lilian is always cheerful and has a beautiful smile, which lights up the office, drawing people together,’ he continues. ‘She has used this to develop internal communication within British Council Uganda. I miss working with her.’

Having consolidated her experience as a middle manager, Akot is on the lookout for something more strategic at the British Council – an opportunity that offers ‘some hard challenges that will keep me on edge’, she says.

In the future, Akot plans to go into development communications where she hopes to use her communication skills to make a positive impact on people’s lives. Her goal is to bring about change – even if it is only in one person’s life.

‘Working at the British Council has taught me that with good leadership, empowerment and an enabling team spirit, nothing is impossible,’ she says.

To find out more about the British Council events in Uganda, click here, or read our latest news in our News in Africa section.