Community News

The GÉANT Association – a truly international organisation

It’s often said that, when walking through GÉANT’s offices you will more likely hear Italian being spoken than English! But just how international is GÉANT? An informal survey in May found that we have 32 countries represented within the GÉANT offices, which in an organisation of 130 people, is an amazing figure – and goes to show exactly how diverse our workforce is.

The majority of employees, in both the Amsterdam and the Cambridge offices, are bilingual, with a good percentage of polyglots fluent in three or even four languages. This further enriches our already multicultural working environment, giving it a unique dimension. In addition, most members of staff have lived and worked in a variety of locations across the globe and have brought to GÉANT a wealth of professional backgrounds, experience and expertise.

This spread of nationalities is a reflection of the community we serve. The diversity in cultures amongst NRENs, as well as international collaborations from researchers, all demand a wide range of viewpoints and cultural insights: which makes diversity one of the strengths of GÉANT. It also shows how research and education networking is breaking down national barriers – not only via the physical network and the myriad of international collaborations across a plethora of fields, but also within the people network dedicated and committed to the smooth running of these.

To read the full story, click here.

 

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