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Spotlight: Floriana Bortolotti

4 September 2018

This month IEHC talks to Floriana Bortolotti, Administrative Assistant and Green Champion within the Research Department of Epidemiology and Public Health.

floarianna bortolotti  

What is your role and what does it involve?

My role involves assisting with the recruitment, providing administrative support to the seminar series, providing support to research groups when need arises, and for more irregular departmental events, building ad-hoc website projects and maintaining website pages. Recently I have taken on new safety responsibilities by training to become a DSE assessor.

How long have you been at UCL and what was your previous role?

I started in 2000 - yes, that long ago - new century, new job! - Before joining UCL I had been working in the private sector for a wine importing company as PA to the Financial Director.  After being made redundant when the company was taken over, I decided to have a career change and choose to work for an organisation that did not involve the cut-throat business of dog-eat-dog. When I first started, part of my role was to support the Whitehall II research group.

What working achievement or initiative are you most proud of?

I think I am really proud of having started the ball rolling on the greening of our department by registering it to take part in the Green Impact initiative, which is organised by Green UCL department. Green Impact is a UCL-wide environmental competition that allows departments across the university to improve their environmental impact, while at the same time supporting UCL's Sustainability Strategy and engage colleagues with green issues. The scheme works around an online, interactive workbook which gives students and staff the structure to try and implement sustainability changes to their department, office or lab. The workbook is flexible enough that one can pick and choose which actions to complete that are most relevant to their work environment.

Tell us about a project you are working on now which is top of your to-do list?

Well, at the moment we are trying to build a team of green champions across the Institute to try and improve sustainability and reduce our environmental impact. The good news is that two volunteers have now stepped forward, Kristina Narvet and Jamie Ross from PCPH, who have agreed to be the Green Champions at the Royal Free site.

What is your favourite album, film and novel?

The list is impossibly long, Patty Smith, David Bowie, Alison Moyet, Queen, Bruce Springsteen, Dire Straits, Stereophonics, the Killers, Florence and the Machine…..A film that I've recently seen and that I liked very much is 'Three billboards outside Ebbing Missouri'. A novel I've enjoyed reading recently is 'Les Miserables'. I found it so powerful.

Who would be your dream dinner guest?

Armando Lannucci.

What is your favourite place?

I think Hampstead Heath is 'my' green space where I like to chill out….