My Authentic Path: Celebrating Uniqueness
by Arvind Johal
My name is Arvind Johal and I work in the ICO’s social media team where I create content that makes data protection fun. The ICO is the official data protection regulator of the UK – think GDPR and freedom of information requests.
Growing up I dreamed of wearing the number seven shirt and playing for Man United, like my hero David Beckham. When no scouts came knocking, I had to rethink, but I had no idea what else I wanted to do.
Being a Punjabi man comes with cultural expectations and pressure to be “successful”. For instance, getting top marks in school and climbing the ranks in a prestigious profession.
I found myself studying computer science at university and soon realised that I wouldn’t be happy until I pursued my own passions. So I dropped out with nothing lined up. Not knowing which career path would be the right fit for me was one of the lowest points for my mental health.
When researching job roles, I discovered that there are careers in social media. I’ve always been a creative thinker and the more I learned about this role, the more it felt like the perfect fit. For the first time in a while, I’d found a job that excited me.
Fast forward to September 2023 when I joined the ICO’s social media team. Just as I was settling into my new role, something happened that I’d only dreamed of.
Thanks to my girlfriend, we went to the premiere of David Beckham’s Netflix documentary and I met the man who made me fall in love with football. The man who is the reason I support Man United. He even signed the shirt I’ve had since I was eight years old. This was all I could think and speak about for weeks. So then I posted about it.
When the documentary came out, the entire world was talking about it and I approached my manager, Lisa, about including a Beckham themed post as part of cyber security month. I wasn’t sure what Lisa’s reaction would be, but she was up for it.
I took a picture of some of my kits and wrote seven IT security tips with David Beckham themed puns. For example, make sure no data is left on old IT equipment just how you’d empty your locker when you leave Man United to play for Real Madrid. The post was a massive hit and the most liked of the campaign and the month. I was just being myself – David Beckham is my favourite player and I love a good pun! The success of this post gave me the confidence to keep looking out for opportunities to bring my personality into my work.
And that’s when my Executive Director, Ange, asked me to speak at the People Like Us x ICO joint event. People Like Us is an award-winning not-for-profit that celebrates and supports journalism, marketing, and communications professionals from Black, Asian, Mixed Race and minoritised ethnic backgrounds. I didn’t need to think twice about sharing my story in front of this audience.
I know there are people who have the same feelings I had when struggling to find the right career. I wanted to share my experience to let people know that it’s okay to not have everything planned out, to be your authentic self at work and let your uniqueness spark your creativity.
I really enjoyed being involved in this event and sharing my story with a group of supportive people. As part of the ICO’s EDI action plan, we’re actively looking at increasing diversity within the organisation and reaching new audiences from all backgrounds and I hope that means there’ll be more opportunities like this in the future.
Arvind Johal is communications officer at the Information Commissioner’s Office
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