It goes without saying that moving to another country can be one of the most difficult challenges you can face, both professionally and personally.
But as daunting as it may seem, the opportunities that present themselves when starting life in a new city are endless, open only to those who make that brave leap into the unknown. Unsurprisingly, the best people to speak to about a move abroad are the people who have done it themselves.
The attention to detail shown and the perspicacious nature of K2 Corporate Mobility’s Relocation Managers can be a result of shared experience. Several of our Relocation Managers have either lived in, or are currently living in a country away from home, and thus have gained invaluable insight that only those with first-hand knowledge can offer. Marion Udall, who joined K2 as a Relocation Manager in 2022, gained that insight by living in Hong Kong for nineteen years.
From the UK to Hong Kong: Marion Udall’s experience as an Expat
Marion was apprehensive at first about the idea of moving to Hong Kong. The opportunity had arisen from her husband’s job being relocated, and what came with moving there was leaving behind her family, a promising career at a law firm, and having to move with her three-year-old daughter.
“We didn’t have any relocation support. We saw Asia as a completely new world, so we were taking a huge risk in moving to Hong Kong, not least because we had to manage the move all by ourselves!”
After solving challenges such as researching where to live, budget strains, tax implications and schooling, Marion embraced her new life in Asia.
“Our first stint in Hong Kong lasted two years, and those two years were enough for me to fall in love with the city, culture and people. During that time, I had gotten a job in advertisement marketing, and it was selling brochure advert space to a relocation company that introduced me to some people in the industry.”
Marion moved back to the UK after two years due to rising living expenses, but when a chance came to move back to Hong Kong three years later, she leapt at the opportunity.
“My first two years in Hong Kong taught me so much: a wider worldview, a deeper interest in people and their cultures, becoming open to change and challenges… I wanted to put these new-found skills into a career that would make use of them. Speaking to a friend made it clear to me what I should do next. ‘You live and breathe Hong Kong,’ she said. ‘You love learning, walking off in any given direction just to see what’s there…you’d make a great Home Search Consultant.’ Made possible as a result of the contacts I made through my advertisement job during my previous stay, I became a Home Search Consultant. That’s what I did for seventeen years in Hong Kong. And I loved it.”
This experience equipped Marion with a set of skills which help her to relocate our clients from one country to another. From emigrating from the UK with no professional help (and before the time of smartphones and social media!), to living in Hong Kong for nineteen years, Marion knows exactly how it feels to be in the shoes of the people she is helping to relocate.
“It’s the personal stories I tell that resonate with the people I am moving. Reassuring them that whilst relocating abroad can seem overwhelming at times, the discovery and opportunities that await you on the other side – no matter where you are going – make it worth it. Be as social as you can be, go along to as much as possible…you never know who you might meet and how they could take your life in a new direction. That’s exactly what happened to me in Hong Kong.”
Moving back to the UK after a total of nineteen years abroad, Marion found her role at K2 through the contacts she had made out in Hong Kong. And instead of helping people to relocate to just one city, Marion is utilising her skills globally.
Marion’s story is just one of many expat experiences that our K2 Family share with our clients. The degree of empathy our teams have helps us to provide the excellent quality of service that we do.
Gain an insight into K2 Operational Lead Negin Bardaei’s relocation as she speaks about our Destination Services, here.
