Profile: Clare Batts

Position: Administrative Secretary

Before I joined the BIS, I'd always worked in the UK, most recently in the education and pharmaceutical sectors, and I knew little about the banking industry. So, as well as the challenge of a new working environment, I also had the experience of moving abroad.

I'm assistant to one of the deputy heads of the main departments, and my job is varied. When I come in to the office, I often find e-mails waiting for me from contacts in the States and Latin America, and of course my Asian Representative Office colleagues are online in the mornings. Whether I'm preparing for our regular meetings of central bank governors or coordinating the associated publications, there's always something going on.

My most interesting project was setting up a special meeting of governors. This particular one was held on an ad hoc basis, so there were few agreed procedures to follow. Coordinating a meeting such as this means that I have contact with colleagues from many different functions: Board Secretariat, Communications, Corporate Security, Meeting Services, the economists writing the background papers, right through to Management. Fortunately most things go to plan, thanks to the support of so many colleagues, but from time to time we have to seamlessly switch to Plan B. One such occasion was when a Nobel laureate was scheduled to give a keynote address here and suddenly advised us that his flight had been cancelled. Thanks to the swift work of colleagues in Meeting Services and Buildings and Logistics, we were able to set up a videoconference so that participants hardly noticed the difference.

It's always good to get to meet colleagues from central banks around the world when they come to Basel for meetings or join us on secondment or as visiting fellows. Another strength of the BIS is the flat management structure. The head of my department knows the contribution everyone makes and you frequently see management in the canteen or the sports club. As an organisation, we really do get to play together as well as work together.

Basel is a great city: not too large and not too small, with easy access to the surrounding countryside. There's plenty to do after work, whether it's visiting art galleries or taking in a concert. Also, the city's compact size and excellent transport links make it easy to access these opportunities. The location is great, and you can quickly get to the Swiss lakes, the Black Forest or vineyards in Alsace.