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| Author | Zoe Aresti |
It’s been a year since DCM’s Exhibition Account Manager, Rebecca Rau, left her role at the company to become a mum swapping her daily duties in the office for sleepless nights and nappy changes with her new bundle of joy. Below she tells us about the experience and what she’s most looking forward to about being back.
When did you leave DCM to become a mum and does it feel like it’s been that long?
I left on 1 May 2015 and returned this week; the year has absolutely flown by! Becoming a mum certainly keeps you busy.
What’s the best thing you remember about your job at DCM before your maternity leave and what have you missed the most?
I really enjoy speaking to our exhibitors about their businesses and dealing with any queries they have. I’m lucky to have variety in my job, whether it’s working on admin or going out and getting new business. I missed going on site visits. Our Independent sites are fantastic, I’ve been all over the country from Skye to Torquay. Once I nearly crashed driving along Loch Ness keeping my eye out for Nessie!
What’s the baby’s name and was it a hard decision?
Her name is Lilah and yes it was very difficult as we only had a boy’s name in mind. We actually now regret naming her Lilah as so many people say it incorrectly (pleased she can’t read this).
Tell us about your time away from DCM; how has the baby been keeping you busy?
My days were filled with baby sensory classes, meeting our NCT friends, baby yoga (that was interesting) seeing lots of family, copious amounts of shopping and lunches (obviously!) and I also managed to experiment more with cooking as I had the time.
What was the best film you saw and why?
Inside Out. I had been really looking forward to it and Lilah slept the whole way through so I wasn’t disturbed.
What wisdom will you bring back to the office after the experience – any advice for potential new mums?
Wisdom? What is wisdom? My only advice would be to not panic about returning to work. I thought leaving Lilah would be like losing a limb, however it’s so great to be back, we are so lucky here at DCM as it’s such a great environment to work in.
What film are your most looking forward to this year and why?
There are quite a few; I’m a fan of David Brent, The Secret Life of Pets looks pretty funny, Me Before You because I read the book and I love to cry, and Suicide Squad because it’s either going to be brilliant or terrible.
And from a professional point of view, what are you most excited about now you’re back?
I’m excited about our team. Claire [Renno, Senior Project Manager] and Celia [Small, Exhibition Assistant] hadn’t been with Exhibition Director Steve Davis, Exhibition Consultant David Prosser and I for very long before I went off and with the new structure I know it’s going to be great. Here’s to a fantastic and profitable 2016.