- Name: Diana Szpotowicz
- Age: 28
- Current location: London, United Kingdom
- Home town: Vancouver, Canada
- Education: MSc Anthropology and Development Management, (London School of Economics) Bachelor of Journalism, High Honours (Carleton University)
- Current position: Communications Manager, GODAN (Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition)
- Organization description: GODAN is encourages corporations, governments, and NGOs to share their data sets when it comes to best practices for agriculture, so small farmers can benefit from shared knowledge and improve yields.
- Bio: Diana started her career as a freelance journalist, which saw her work in several newsrooms, on television productions, at the Vancouver and Sochi Olympic Games, as well as Youth Olympics in China and Austria. While she had great experiences, she knew working in a newsroom ultimately wasn't for her. Since completing her Masters in Anthropology and Development Management, Diana has been the Communications Manager for international NGO, GODAN, based in London, England. Her work with the NGO takes her to countries all over the world - sometimes with less than 24 hours notice. She spearheaded the creation of a documentary web series about the organization's work and was the lead planner for a 800-person open data summit in New York.
- Countries I've worked in: Canada, USA, England, UK, France, Netherlands, Austria, Russia, China, Japan, Italy, Kenya, Morocco, Colombia
- Sector / subsectors: Communications, International Development, Agriculture
- Areas of expertise: Anthropology, international development, climate change, sustainability, open data, journalism
- Country: UK
- Region: Europe
- Sector: Communications
- Degree subject: Anthropology, Business & commerce, International development, Journalism
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Who are you, what's your role and what does that entail?
Meet Diana, and find out what how her work helps small farmers grow more food.
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Paint us a picture of an average week in the life.
Last year Diana went to 15 new countries for her job - which translates into keeping a suitcase packed and ready to go at all times.
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How did you get to where you are now? Talk to us about your career trajectory.
Find out how a summer of backpacking across Europe led Diana to find her dream Master's program.
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And how did you get the job you have now?
Find out how Diana 'clawed her way' into her current role.
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Wait, so after sending an email explaining why not hiring you was a mistake, the same boss ended up offering you a job!? That's sort of amazing. How did you have the guts to do that?
"When you have nothing, you have nothing left to lose". Diana explains why sometimes you need to fight for your dream job.
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What is the best part of working internationally?
When it comes to buying an beautiful jacket, or a plane ticket - Diana always picks the plane ticket. She talks about making her career dreams come true, but also talks about some of the challenges.
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What abilities and qualities does it take to succeed in this line of work?
Be persistent, open-minded, and… scrappy?! Diana talks about how to make wonderful opportunities come your way - and the one accomplishment that almost made her cry.
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What's our there in the your field? What are the various streams or entry points?
Diana breaks out all the ways you can enter the field of international development - depending on what you're bringing to the table in your 'skills toolbox.'
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What educational background do you need for this field? Do you need a formal education?
Diana talks about how and why a formal education helped her in international development.
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What's your best advice for someone looking to do this type of work?
Diana says she's seen people shoot themselves in the foot when it comes to this one important tip.
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Do you have any advice when it comes to intervewing?
Don't be afraid of looking stupid, and other tips, from Diana.
