 Hi, my name is Kim Stockham. For the last four years, I've led corporate communications for Expedia Group right here in beautiful, dynamic Singapore. But I'm in Aussie and I went to the University of Newcastle. I studied at BA followed by a DFAD and I finished in the 90s. And I'm really, really proud to be part of the alumni. And in Singapore, actually there's quite a dynamic and fun alumni group that I've been really lucky to get to know. So I'm a proud Nova Casterian. And I think the foundations of Newcastle Uni is that it gave me really good friendships. And I learned a lot of skills and tactics that I've been able to use throughout my life and in different communications jobs. I've had a pretty long career in communications. Last year was very exciting for me. I went to New York to receive a Global PR Award for my work in communications. And that really topped off a career that has seen me do all sorts of things from consumer communications to issue and crisis communications, corporate communications and really so much more. Today, I work in a really tight-knit group of people in a part of the business called enterprise communications. And we work on some of the most complex and confidential communications for the organization. Given Expedia Group is one of the largest travel companies on the planet, you can imagine the scale of the work that we do. And I love it. I represent APAC. I get to work across quite a few different audiences, internal comms, high-level media relations, partner communications and social media, everything in between. And part of the reason I think I can do that is because of the BA, because I moved between so many different subjects and I learned little tidbits of information along the way that ended up being very helpful to me. In communications, one of the most powerful things you have in your toolbox is to be able to spot a great story. So great storytelling, I mean, it can be taught, it is taught, but once you know the tips of a great story, you should always be looking out for it. And if you work for a company, then you are also making sure that the stories you find are helping to reinforce some of those company values, company priorities and bring to life the people behind your organization because no organization is really an organization. It's a bunch of people at Expedia Group where a group of thousands of travellers who care passionately about travel and want to get people where they want to be. It's exciting. One of my very favourite things about the University of New Castle is its motto, I look ahead. It's something that I've often reflected on throughout my life when you've had a struggle and you just think, come on, keep going Kim, keep going. It's a sort of pep talk. But I think it's really relevant today. So as we all face the challenges that come with COVID-19, there's really never been a better sort of North Star motto to think about this idea of looking ahead, being the person in the room that can be optimistic, having confidence that we can get through this and sticking to your guns when you know that there's a really important communications task and you can deliver on that task. So COVID-19 has changed a lot of things. It's affected all of us in ways I can't even imagine. But for the travel business, it is virtually stopped. We've really had our wings clipped and while people can't get to where they want or need to be, that's been very challenging for, like I said, one of the world's largest travel companies. But it has meant that communications has had to take a very important role, be that communicating with travelers and helping them make new plans or change old plans or cancel their plans to get information quickly, that's directional, help our partners through this path and provide them with information that can help them find some green shoots of travel again. And most importantly, maybe for me at the moment with my focus is internal comms. So making sure that we are closing office carefully, opening offices carefully, keeping our employees safe, ensuring they have resources for wellness, team connectedness and a bunch of other things. And so COVID in a way has been a strange gift for communications. So given the challenging times, I really thought that maybe today I would just give you a few tips that give me inspiration and hopefully they work for you too. And so one of those things is this little saying that says hold on tightly, let go lightly. And that talks about the moment when you are sort of championing something, working hard on something knee deep in something. And then circumstances change. And the let go lightly is is when you pivot when you move when you change tack, because something has changed, or maybe you have changed. That is very powerful in times like COVID when you may have been going down a business track or a communications track or having a budget, and everything changed. It's the let go lightly, look up, as we say it Newcastle, uni, and look forward with optimism. When it comes to communications, one of the most important things you can do now is be truly authentic. Or if you're working with your spokespeople, make sure they're truly authentic. You know, we are all human, we all have faults and flaws, we all have things to learn. So bringing that through in your communications is going to be incredibly important. And for all of us, when we feel most uncomfortable in a situation, I think it's good to remember that when you're most uncomfortable, is likely the opportunity you have most to learn. When things get rough, there is another saying I like that talks about it tests the strength of your anchor. And so you can only be a great colleague, a great friend, a great member of your community if you have sort of strength and resilience. And to help build that I would say get lots of sleep, eat well, move, stay connected. And don't lose sight of the big picture. I keep coming back to that idea because it's really important, that big picture of optimism. And also, if you work in a company really understanding the values, and the purpose, and the north star for your organization, and making sure that everything that you do is helping that organization be successful, save costs, get rid of inefficiencies, whatever that may be, you want to be part of the solution, you want to be a positive part of a team and someone that people frankly want to work with. Another piece of advice is to stay curious. And if you work at a tech company that won't be new advice to you. It's basically just saying ask questions, be vulnerable, think of new ways of doing things. If there's a door jar, go through it. If the door is closed, find a new way in. It is this idea of lifelong learning actually.