Q. What brought you to Christie’s Education?

I was an intern at Christie's Amsterdam after which I joined them as part of Front of House. At Christie's Amsterdam I found out about Christie's Education. I really wanted to study abroad, had never been to London and decided to sign up for the Master’s Programme. Christie's Education seemed like the perfect place as it granted access to beautiful artworks and experienced people. On top of that it offered a nice balance between theory and practice.

Q . How did you develop your passion for art?

I think like most people a passion for art develops through being exposed to art; I have a mother who used to drag me and my sister to museums and luckily I really enjoyed it - my sister did not. I also loved to paint and draw myself, but I discovered early enough that I should stick to studying art instead of making art.

Q. How should a new student make the most of their time at CE?

Go to all the exhibitions and really explore London and find out what it has to offer, because there is a lot. It's through looking at artworks and challenging yourself to formulate opinion about exhibitions, that you develop your knowledge and develop your expertise. You'll also realise that a lot of the networking in the art world revolves around discussions about what you have seen and it is very beneficial to be able to participate in these conversations.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Through Christie's Education you'll meet wonderful artists, gallery owners, auction professionals etc., Ask them anything - how did they get where they are today? Always keep in mind that people enjoy sharing their experiences and most of the time will be happy to give you advice or help you in other ways.

Q. What does your current role involve?  

I am Business Development Executive at Talents|KCA (Abu Dhabi), this is a company that develops 'Engaging Visitors Experiences’. To give an example Talents|KCA recruited, trains and mentors the tour guides at Louvre Abu Dhabi. Therefore together with the Louvre Abu Dhabi Education Team we look at how we can improve people's experience at the museum, how can we make sure visitors have memorable experiences when they participate in a tour or workshop. It is these experiences that are run by the guides that result in return visits and an increase of visitors in general. Besides recruitment, training and mentoring, we can also design exhibitions, develop educational resources and set up operational plans for anything art, culture, heritage or education related.

In my role I try to gain new business for the company in the UAE but at the same time I'm also involved in the operational side of our current projects.

Q. What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

Problem solving and people management - with every project there's a start-up phase with an immense build up lead by plenty of expectations, and throughout there are highs and lows which is what keeps it interesting.