1. Where do you work?
I am the Country Examinations Manager for Mauritius, Madagascar and Seychelles.
2. How long have you worked for the British Council?
After completing a law degree at the University of Bristol, I worked in compliance and education in London and in Mauritius. I worked with an international non-governmental organisation at Yale University and as Director of Academics and Research at an international university before joining the British Council in May 2017.
3. How much of that has been in the exams team?
Actually, since I joined British Council as Country Exams Manager, I have always been in the exams team.
4. What do you enjoy most about your job as Exams Manager?
When kids are very little, we tell them ‘Be whoever you want to be!’ Growing up, I never thought I’d work in exams but everyone who knows me can vouch for how much I enjoy it. No two days are the same – one day you could be dealing with the plague situation in Madagascar, the next you could be delivering training on how to run ACCA computer-based exams to countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. There’s also this sense of belonging around our workplace. The work is hard, no doubt, but our office truly values people on a personal level, which makes the hardest days just as great.
5. How big is the exams team in your country?
We are a team of four full-time staff, but the wider country team extends to 40 members of staff. Recently, the whole exams team pulled together for an audit, put our hearts into the work and I am happy to announce that Mauritius is now the highest scoring country in Sub-Saharan Africa with regards to compliance. Desmond Tutu said, ‘When you are in a crowd and you stand out from the crowd it's usually because you are being carried on the shoulders of others’ and this couldn’t be truer for the Mauritius office with an incredibly supportive country director and an engaged exams team.
6. Which areas do you cover?
We deliver IELTS twice monthly in Mauritius, four times a year in Madagascar and in Seychelles. We work with professional bodies such as ACCA and ICAEW and also deliver university exams.
7. What is the biggest challenge you’re facing at the moment?
My next challenges include making exams more accessible to Seychellois, exploring how the British Council can extend its presence to Reunion Island and continuing to make significant impact in Mauritius and Madagascar. Bring on Monday!