OMD Voices is celebrating 50 years of Pride in the UK, by sharing the stories of our OMDers from in the LGBTQ+ community. Thank you to Anna Roberts, Finance Executive at OMD EMEA, for sharing her story and advice below:

My name is Anna and I’ve been working in the finance team at OMD EMEA since 2019. I’m 30 and currently live with my wife Amelia (above) in Wokingham, Berkshire after recently moving out of London to buy our first home together. We finally got married in September last year (after having to postpone our wedding due to the pandemic) and had a beautiful day celebrating with all our friends and family.

I grew up in a village in Buckinghamshire with my parents and two younger sisters and was lucky to have a close and supportive family growing up. I went on to study English Literature at Oxford Brookes University… although, a degree in accounting would have saved me a few years of studying and exams if I’d had known then I was going to pursue a career in finance, but oh well! I have always loved film, TV & music, and their ability to tell so many different stories which is why I’d always wanted to work in the media industry. I first moved to London when I got finance role at Channel 4 before later moving to OMD EMEA and particularly love the culture in the industry.

I consider myself very privileged that I haven’t faced a lot of adversity so far in my life. However, growing up there was very little representation around me and from my experience, attitudes towards the LGBTQIA+ community weren’t often positive… As such, it wasn’t until after university when I was 23 that I finally built up the courage to come out to my friends and family. Thankfully, my friends and family couldn’t have been more supportive and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been since making that decision. I don’t think a younger me could have ever imagined that the life I live today would have ever been possible but here I am! This is why I believe representation & visibility are so important in helping to create change and allowing people of minorities to feel accepted.

There is a podcast called ‘Out with Suzi Ruffell’ which shares the experiences and stories of LGBTQIA+ celebrities and people. I found this podcast during lockdown, and it was amazing to listen to people who have gone through such similar experiences and whose feelings I could relate to so closely. There is a section at the end of each episode where Suzi asks each guest the same question: what advice would you give to your younger self or anyone in a similar situation? My advice would be ‘don’t be afraid to be yourself’. The podcast is definitely worth a listen!

Happy Pride Month!

Anna Roberts, Finance Team