A year later: what the IMA Rising Stars has given me

A year ago, I was riding my scooter home when my phone rang. Pascal. Wondering if I wanted to be part of a panel in London during the IMA event. I said yes, and had no idea what I was saying yes to.

What followed was a stage experience next to Big Ben, a role as a Committee Member with the IMA Rising Stars, and since then: a community of young professionals from all over Europe whom I otherwise would never have got to know.

Sharing knowledge you don't get anywhere else

The Rising Stars consists of people who all work in the same industry, but from totally different countries, roles, and backgrounds. This results in conversations you won't easily have anywhere else.

During one of our sessions, a Rising Star shared that they had received an enquiry for gift cards in the Middle East. An area they had no prior experience with. They threw the question out to the group. Within a few minutes, someone else had listed the most popular cards in that region. A third person chimed in with a warning: trade agreements between countries do not make it easy. Three people, three perspectives, one concrete answer.

That is what this community does. Not just networking, but genuinely exchanging knowledge that you can use the very next day.

Not all conversations are about the market. During another virtual event, the focus was on personal development. The topic: how do you handle promotions and pay rises? Do you ask for them yourself, or do you wait for them to come to you?

Opinions were strikingly divided. From the UK, the voice was clear: you don't ask for it yourself. There are fixed criteria, you either meet them or you don't, and the conversation only starts when that is the case. Raising the subject feels awkward and unusual there.

From Western and Southern Europe, the sentiment was exactly the opposite. There, it is normal, indeed necessary, to initiate the conversation yourself. Backed up with a solid reason, but approachable. And honestly: daring to have that conversation actually comes across as professional there.

You don't see such cultural differences in a report. You only hear about them when you are in a room with people who have experienced them firsthand.

Aside from all the professional discussions, there is also plenty of room for other things. Hobbies, interests, what drives us. Everyone has their own thing, but on one thing we were in complete agreement: holidays. Looking forward to a moment of rest, discovering new places, being truly disconnected from work for a while. The importance of having something to look forward to, and then enjoying it to the full.

From that call on the scooter

From that call on the scooter to monthly conversations with young professionals from all over Europe. I couldn't have imagined it. But it shows what happens when you just say yes, even when you don't quite know what to yet.

The IMA Rising Stars gives me knowledge I can't get anywhere else, contacts that go beyond a LinkedIn connection, and conversations that keep me sharper.