Goodbye Citi. Why hello there, London.

Today is a bittersweet day for me. It is my last day as VP of Social Media for Citi. I have been offered an amazing opportunity with a UK agency. Where exactly? Well, I am keeping that to myself because-as we all know- I have a flair for drama and a history of being a tease.  That said, with this move I am not only leaving behind my amazing coworkers, a better-than-average work husband, and a great company- I will soon too will be leaving the good ole’ US of A. Terrified and excited. Sad and overjoyed. Prepared and completely unorganized; I feel like I am living up to every stereotype my blonde hair affords me. My life is changing and changing fast.

When I joined the Social Media team in October of 2009, I never could have imagined that we’d be where we are today. I was naive and silly; I thought everything would be simple and that the entire bank would end up in a circle singing Social Media kumbaya by the end of my first week. My former boss, use to claim he was keeping me in a bubble- protecting me from the influences of banking culture. Somewhere down the road I guess the bubble popped and I realized everything it was going to take to make Citi successful in the space. Blood, sweat, and chapstick have gone into building Citi’s Social Media presence and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Over the past 18 months the company has gone from having absolutely no Social Media presence, to being an example in the industry.  The ability to witness the birth and growth of a brand in the space is an opportunity I will always be grateful for. Every messy situation and bump in the road helped me to learn and grow in unexpected ways.  I can only speak praise of all the amazing people I’ve had the opportunity to work with. I’ll miss the never-ending team meetings, late-night office sing-alongs, gossiping by the bathrooms, and being a part of the most elite floor fire safety team in all of Long Island City (and perhaps the entire 5 boroughs). These people were more then coworkers- they were & are friends. I am forever indebted to them (and their patience) for making me who I am today.

So it’s with much sadness that I close the doors on one chapter of my life and jump full swing into another.  As difficult as this change is, I am delighted to join my new team in London. They’re a smart bunch and I going to have to do my best work to keep up with them.  It’s a big adventure and I’m doing all I can to prepare. I can only hope the UK’s ready for glitter, snark, and animal hats- because one Anna Obrien is coming their way.