LUXEMBOURG OFFERS A WORK-LIFE BALANCE THAT IS DIFFICULT TO FIND ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD. ITS CENTRAL LOCATION IN THE HEART OF EUROPE, QUALITY OF LIFE AND RANKING AS THE SAFEST CAPITAL IN THE WORLD, HELPS THE COUNTRY TO REMAIN A WORLD LEADER IN ATTRACTING AND RETAINING TALENT. MEET SOME OF THE PEOPLE OF OUR #MOVETOLUX CAMPAIGN WHO MOVED TO LUXEMBOURG TO BALANCE A GREAT CAREER IN INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES WITH THEIR LIVES.
WORK, LIVE AND KICK
Monica moved to Luxembourg from Mexico City fourteen years ago. After achieving a degree in computer science, she began her career working as an IT specialist in Mexico’s financial sector, before taking up a job in Luxembourg.
“I started working for Credit Suisse, a Swiss bank, and two years ago moved to Clearstream, a global leader in post-trade securities services.”
Monica believes the more knowledge you have, the more choice you have to choose the path you want to go down. She recently completed an MSc in Project Management, which was supported by the Luxembourgish government. Continuously supporting lifelong learning, Luxembourg offers up to 80 days of paid time off your job to study during your career.
“It is continually changing. You are challenged to learn many new skills. You have to be updated very often. Since changes are constant, then I like to be prepared to face different challenges.”
Monica’s passion is martial arts, and she practices Krav Maga and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the numerous green spaces and parks across the city.
“I practice Krav Maga around five times per week. It’s very empowering to train and to get better at a martial art. I like it because it’s fastpaced, but it’s also very skillful and beautiful. It helps me to be in shape and to get to know people of all kinds of nationalities.”
I practice Krav Maga around five times per week. It’s very empowering to train and to get better at a martial art.
Monica Ruiz
There is work and there is life afterwards. Always time to go and grab a drink and meet with friends in a beautiful environment.
Jean-Yves Litampha
WORK, LIVE AND EXPLORE
Jean-Yves moved to Luxembourg to kick off the European head office for Hiscox, a leading international insurer. “For me, it was a huge opportunity to start something new while building on twenty years of European experience.”
Qualified Quebec Lawyer and graduate in German, French, Quebec and Canadian Law, he also holds a Masters degree in International Economic and Foreign Investment Law.
“Hiscox is a very creative insurance company, creating new products, reaching out to new customers, and this international multijurisdictional environment, is a real challenge, so for any legal person, this is the perfect place to be. The regulator is very helpful, is interested, and it´s always a relationship of give and take.”
Jean-Yves enjoys being part of Luxembourg’s international and welcoming community. “There is work and there is life afterwards. Always time to go and grab a drink and meet with friends in a beautiful environment
We have this very international and welcoming community around us. You will find people from everywhere in Luxembourg, and this is something quite unique.”
One of his greatest pleasures is to explore Luxembourg and the entire region, which includes Germany, France, Belgium, with his young family.
“I’m passionate about history about how cultures evolve. It’s imperative to me that kids have a historical background, that they know where we are coming from and that Europe wasn’t built in a day. Now that they live in the centre of Europe, we cross borders every week without seeing any border controls. This is important
to me.”
I think what’s great about Luxembourg is that you don’t need to go to the Michelin starred restaurants to have an incredible and authentic culinary experience.
Sharyn Tan
WORK, LIVE AND TASTE
“You can live in Luxembourg and still have a global career.” explains Sharyn Tan, Head of International Treasury Centre, PayPal.
After graduating with a BSc in accounting and finance from the London School of Economics (LSE), Sharyn began her career at KPMG and Rothschild & Co. She moved to Luxembourg two years ago with Deutsche Bank having worked for them in London and Abu Dhabi for eleven years. She is now leading the International Centre at PayPal, which has its European headquarters in Luxembourg.
“I was introduced to PayPal, and it just so happened that the treasury team were looking for someone, so that seemed an easy fit for my skill set.”
Sharyn’s team is spread across the globe. “PayPal does business through Europe. Decision making gets done here. It’s the hub where we are passporting through to the rest of Europe to offer our products and services.”
For Sharyn, food is a significant part of her culture, and many of her social activities are centred around it. “For me, food is a big part of my identity. I grew up in Malaysia, and to me, food is family and community.” She set up the “Weird Thursday Grub Club” at PayPal where once a month she organises a dinner for staff to connect and explore cuisine from around the world.
“I think what’s great about Luxembourg is that you don’t need to go to the Michelin starred restaurants to have an incredible and authentic culinary experience. But equally there are Michelin starred restaurants that are accessible and you don’t feel pretentious because the chefs will come to the table and talk to you about the restaurant. The warmth and friendliness they treat you with adds another dimension that you don’t easily find in other cities.”
You can see the growth of the fund industry and you can translate that growth to your career growth
WORK, LIVE AND SNAP
Janusz moved to Luxembourg while still studying for his MBA in Poland. A year into his stay, he began working as an accounting system support analyst at the Aztec Group and his career accelerated.
“My work is changing ever day because it’s a crossroads between operations and IT development. Every single day is different because it brings new problems whether that is regulatory, whether that’s technical, whether the client wants something entirely different to whatever we have been delivering. This is what drives me the most-being a business analyst and being on the bridge between the operations and development of the solutions, I am able to lead the change.”
Since Janusz joined the company in 2017, which specialises in fund and corporate services, the Luxembourg office has doubled its size to nearly 300 staff. This he says, makes for a dynamic and exciting work environment.
“Luxembourg is the biggest fund centre in Europe and it’s second in the world. It’s helpful and it’s promising. You can see the growth of the fund industry and you can translate that growth to your career growth. You can see the prospects for what’s going to happen and because of the stability in Luxembourg, you can make sure that with your hard work you can achieve so much so quickly that you would not be able to do anywhere else.”
Janusz has a thirst for acquiring knowledge and developed his accounting, programming and business analysis skills in the group’s in-house Learning and Development Centre. His passion is street photography and enjoys the scenic contrasts that Luxembourg has to offer.
“Photography for me is about freezing time. It’s just freezing the moment. That’s what I love the most in photography. It’s the contrasts of the financial centre. You look to the right, you see the office buildings and you look to the left you see these 15th century fortifications and this is what excites me and to be able to capture both at once in one city.”