HOW LONG HAVE YOU LIVED/WORKED IN LOS ANGELES? 

I’ve lived in Los Angeles for almost 11 years – can’t believe how time flies!

WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO LOS ANGELES?

I met my husband the first day at HBS – we were sectionmates!  Since he’s from England, he was ready to escape his country’s dreary weather, so we thought a summer internship in LA would be fun.  That summer, we lived three blocks from the beach and fell in love with the city.  Although we had no family or friends here, we decided to move to LA after graduation to embark upon a new adventure.

WHAT INTERESTS YOU MOST ABOUT DOING BUSINESS IN LOS ANGELES? 

I lived in New York before business school and loved it, but as everyone will tell you, LA and NYC are incredibly different.  I love that LA is an intersection of entertainment, media, technology, and start-ups, with a smattering of laidback beach culture.

WHAT MAKES LOS ANGELES UNIQUE?

The perfect weather; proximity to the beach, mountains, fun weekend getaways, and outdoor culture; Hollywood and the film industry.

WHAT SHOULD STUDENTS KNOW BEFORE WORKING WITH COMPANIES IN LOS ANGELES ABOUT BUSINESS CULTURE/ETIQUETTE? 

I think Los Angeles has a more relaxed culture than other cities – you don’t see many people in a suit and tie.

ARE THERE ANY INDUSTRIES OR TRENDS THAT YOU SEE ABOUT HOW BUSINESS IN LOS ANGELES MIGHT CHANGE/GROW IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS?

LA has seen a huge boom in tech over the last several years, and Silicon Beach continues to grow, with many companies moving into Playa Vista.  We’ll have to see how this trend evolves and how big of a tech pulse LA will have in the future.