Five minutes with Golnaz Al-Jahdali

From Egypt to London, our Account Manager, Golnaz Al-Jahdali, has already moved about a fair bit throughout her career. We caught up with her to ask all about her latest move to the bright lights of New York city, where she’s helping Fox Agency’s US team hit the ground running.

Tell us about your time at Fox Agency so far? 

When I think of my time with Fox Agency, many words come to mind: challenges, motivation, inspiration, passion, experience, dynamic, reward, grateful, appreciation and most importantly growth. Looking back at my first steps with Fox Agency as a fresh graduate with little experience but loads of enthusiasm and dedication, I can see how far I have grown both professionally and personally. Being surrounded and mentored by an awesome group of managers and co-workers that have always recognised my efforts and encouraged my future achievements, has created the greatest supportive environment that guided me to where and who I am today. Fox Agency is not just my employer; it’s a place I call home.  

What excited you about the opportunity of relocating to New York? 

Firstly, the trust that the Fox Agency team had in me to even present me with this opportunity. I sometimes suffer from impostor syndrome, I think most people do, so when the senior members of your company turn around and offer you an opportunity like this one – I couldn’t say no.   

The second thing that got me really excited about this opportunity was how my role is going to evolve, along with helping the US team expand into a new market. We are pretty much building the company from the ground up in the states, and I will be a part of that – how exciting!  

Lastly, the fact that I get to live in and experience New York! New York has always been a city that I wanted to live in and visit, but this dream was always in the back of my head. I never expected it to happen so soon! 

How are you settling into your new base in NYC? 

I am very much a city girl. I grew up in Cairo, Egypt then lived in London, UK for a few years, so I absolutely love the city life (& the chaos that comes with it!). New York is the perfect mix of Cairo and London for me, I absolutely feel right at home.

New Yorkers are also very kind and welcoming. On a few occasions since arriving, I’ve been in the subway quite confused of where to go, or how to find my platform. At this point I don’t even need to ask for help because people would just approach me (I am sure they see the confusion on my face) and ask if I need any help – how lovely!  

What are you most looking forward to, both with Fox Agency and personally? 

With Fox Agency, I am really excited about expanding into the US market and working as a team to do so. There is so much opportunity here and so much to learn – I am eager and excited.  

Personally, I am looking forward to meeting the proper New York version of myself as well as meeting new people and exploring the city and the US. 

What does your role as Account Manager involve, and how will this evolve in the states? 

As an Account Manager, my role involves working with the internal teams to deliver a best-in-class service to all our clients. Responsibilities include ensuring projects are delivered on time, and client objectives and goals are achieved.  

My role will surely evolve as America has its own style of work ethics and culture. Americans are focused on productivity while maintaining a friendly attitude. Building a new business will surely develop my communication skills as I’ll have to build new relationships with new co-workers as well as new clients. I will learn to align my goals with that of Fox Agency’s new market and be able to track and assess developments.  

What do you love about working with clients? 

The best part of working with clients is building strong and trustworthy relationships. The satisfaction that arises from a job well done and the positive feedback one gets from happy and grateful clients are the highlight of being an Account Manager. The creative process of solving clients’ issues and exceeding their demands brings me the highest level of joy and fulfilment. 

Tell us something interesting about yourself? 

One fascinating aspect of my background is my proficiency in three dialects of the Arabic language: Egyptian, Levantine, and a bit of Gulf. Growing up in diverse linguistic environments exposed me to these variations, enriching my communication skills and cultural understanding. Additionally, I spent over a decade as a competitive swimmer, honing discipline, resilience, and teamwork. Beyond language and sports, I thrive on human connection and enjoy engaging in conversations with people from all walks of life, making meaningful connections and broadening my perspectives with each interaction.