Employee Spotlight
Joe Pettit
Joe Pettit is a business and marketing graduate from his hometown of Lincoln! He’s been working with Bora for 10 years now, but prior to working with Bora, Joe lived in the UK and had various jobs, including working in the legionnaires’ industry. Due to his inability to handle cold temperatures, he decided to move out to Spain after he graduated from university.
Joe has a wife and two kids and is an avid football fan and cyclist. Working with Bora allows Joe to be extremely flexible with how he works. Working from home or from the office, which is located in a small Spanish village, Joe ensures his days work for him and his other commitments. Whether that is starting early to get out cycling around the beautiful mountains of the Jalon Valley or working late to accommodate client calls – having the ability to be flexible and remote at the same time is extremely valuable.
At Bora, Joe is the company director. He is responsible for many aspects of the business, including content production, operations, and managing several client relationships, including Tripwire and Fortra. Joe’s strengths are focused on communication, relationship building and consistency, which is something all clients desire. This attitude and skillset have enabled Bora to grow through tough economic times as clients continue to rely on Bora for their marketing services.
Overall, Bora is a unique place to work. The team can live and work where they want, and the whole team really does work together to ensure the job is interesting, fun, challenging, and rewarding. Having the ability to connect with different people from different places is exciting, and learning from so many people and companies of all sizes ensures that each day is totally different from the last.
David Turner
David has spent his career working in marketing for technology companies and started Bora in January 1994, back before companies had websites! David has always been a keen traveller and the inspiration for the company name came whilst visiting the island of Bora Bora on a round-the-world backpacking trip. David also started the online publication Information Security Buzz before selling it a few years later to concentrate on client content marketing projects.
David enjoys sports, especially playing football and padel tennis. He also loves exploring the world of wine and can often be found in a vineyard or bodega exploring the huge choice of wine in Spain.
The idea to move Bora from the UK to Spain came after creating the ‘Be There, Work There’ project for Intel, which combined various technology to enable remote workers to access their network from anywhere. It was incredibly slow, but a revolution in 2004! The ability to work remotely or have a digital nomad lifestyle has definitely not been an overnight success.
At Bora, David’s role is focused on business management and development, onboarding new clients, and building the teams to manage key projects. With a broad marketing background, David’s strength is bringing creativity to projects to expand campaigns beyond content marketing.
Creating an environment where work can be enjoyed as part of a healthy lifestyle has been his biggest achievement to date. The Bora team works with innovative global technology companies on interesting projects, but the work fits around their other commitments. At Bora, we always aspire to be one step ahead, and we strive to deliver great service, which can only be achieved with a happy, healthy team.
Joanna Stevens
London-born Joanna graduated with a Master’s in writing for business and film and began a ten-year stint of freelance writing and social media management in the UK. Her copywriting and research projects were varied – anything from producing university study guides, scriptwriting real estate videos, interview writing, academic research, and creating web content for clients like Becks, I-Tunes, Finisterre, DX, and the Association of Illustrators.
Prior to taking her Master’s, Joanna lived in California for 14 years and desired once more to live in a similar climate. The cold weather just does not agree with her, so she decided to move to Spain. There she met and started working with David Turner, Bora’s Company Director, eventually taking on her current position at Bora as Content Specialist three years ago.
Working remotely helps Joanna stay on top of her many other interests, including ‘peak bagging’, a term she learned in California that can basically mean getting to any high point in your local area. Reserving that activity for special occasions, hiking along the beautiful coast paths is where you’ll often find her on the weekends. When she has downtime, she plays with her chihuahua or is involved in other activities like energy work and teaching Pilates.
At Bora, Joanna works closely with David, managing content production projects from beginning to end. Daily tasks include anything from editing, writing, managing other writers, and liaison with clients, SEO and social media work, and overseeing customer advocacyCustomer advocacy is a form of customer service in which organizations use customers as spokespeople. Customer advocacy is a focused approach to customer service, supported by marketing techniques. Engaging the… More programs. Joanna’s strengths lie in communication, and she is known for her patience and ability to drive and inspire others into action. As her mantra is ‘healthy lifestyle’, Bora is the perfect place for her to work, offering a flexible work-life balance, and enjoying the regular meetups with the Spanish team, when they catch up over coffee or enjoy a meal together.
Tassos Arampatzis
Tassos is a cybersecurity content writer. Before joining Bora, Tassos was an Officer for the Hellenic Air Force, responsible for deploying IT networks and systems and applying security standards for protecting classified information. Serving in the Air Force enabled Tassos to gain experience in many IT and security domains and a wider understanding of geopolitics, which proved a valuable asset for his engagement with cybersecurity.
Tassos is happily married, and their family includes five kids, aged 5 to 16. Family is his most important hobby, and Bora’s flexible and supportive culture enables Tassos to focus on his family when needed. This culture proved crucial when the whole family was required to work and learn remotely during the pandemic. Tassos enjoys listening to music, hiking in the beautiful Greek mountains, swimming in sandy and sunny beaches, and preparing barbeques for friends and family.
Tassos’ work mostly focuses on creating engaging and quality content for Bora’s clients. The goal is to create content that educates and answers the client’s problems. To achieve his goal, Tassos spends enough time educating himself on emerging trends and technologies around cybersecurity and privacy. Besides his daily work, Tassos volunteers at the Greek privacy group Homo Digitalis, whose purpose is to protect Greeks’ digital rights and educate children on security and privacy topics.
Although Tassos has never met any of the Bora team members in person, he believes that what distinguishes Bora from other companies is the sense of belonging in a family. Communication is important to achieve this mentality, and Tassos strives to communicate daily with all Bora members. The power of Bora is in our culture, where everyone is equally important, and his/her voice is always heard. Tassos wishes that he meets all Bora members in the very near future, either in Spain or in Greece.
Emma Colburn
Emma joined Bora just over 4 years ago. Prior to that, she had worked in various marketing and commercial roles for some of the world’s biggest brands, including Coca-Cola and Unilever. As her career developed she discovered her professional passion comes from trying to understand ‘purchaser’ and consumer behaviour, and she was able to bring these skills into her role at Bora.
Emma splits her time between the UK and Spain, so having the opportunity to work at Bora was perfect fit for her. Although there is a central hub in Spain, many of the team, and all of the clients, are based all over the world. The tools and process the teams use ensure that there is seamless communication when developing ideas and working on client briefs.
Music is Emma’s passion outside (and often during) work. She sings in choirs both in Spain and the UK, regularly taking part in public performances. When not attending live music gatherings, Emma enjoys learning new instruments. Her latest addition is a 150-year-old English concertina which she plays at online and in-person folk music gatherings. She lives with her (very) patient partner and their dog.
At Bora, Emma works with clients to help them develop their cybersecurity content. She enjoys being part of a team who take pride in their work and strive to deliver the best products and services to their clients. This dedication to excellence means that everyone has time and space to work, not just on getting the job done, but finding ways to exceed expectations and create their best possible work, making Bora an extremely satisfying place to work.
Michal Niebauer
Michal is a marketing and events graduate from the Czech Republic who has been working with Bora for just over three years. He travelled to the UK right after he finished his high school education and had various jobs, mainly in hospitality, to supplement his income while completing his degree in Birmingham. Michal moved to Spain immediately after finishing university, seeking better weather and a change of scenery.
Outside of work, Michal likes to spend his time walking his dog, watching a certifiably unhealthy amount of stand-up comedy and various series (because eight hours behind a screen simply doesn’t cut it for him), jogging, and going to the sauna. He’s planning on leveraging the flexibility his job provides him by traveling to other countries. Bora has a fully remote working option, which means he never has to worry about looking for a new job when he travels. All he needs is his laptop and internet connection!
At Bora, Michal’s role is that of a content manager. His job is to communicate with assigned clients, build relationships, and create tailored content plans that fulfill the client’s current needs. That means he gets to participate in the whole lifecycle of content creation, from coming up with content ideas to facilitating their production and, ultimately, promotion.
Michal has had an overwhelmingly positive experience working at a Bora. Collaborating with talented team members who are passionate about their work has been amazing. Throughout his stay, the team’s creativity and hard work have resulted in successful marketing campaigns for a plethora of clients. The company culture is inclusive, supportive and encourages individual growth. The relatively smaller size of the company has allowed for a more personalized and hands-on approach to client work, which Michal found immensely rewarding.
Ash Patel
Ash is a marketing project manager at Bora. Specializing in content and social media marketing. Prior to working for Bora, Ash worked for various companies in numerous roles within the marketing sector. Ash is a seasoned marketer who is passionate about the psychology of why consumers choose certain brands. It is this passion that enabled him to successfully launch a marketing campaign that generated enough votes to win the prestigious World Travel Awards for one of the companies he worked for.
Outside of work, Ash is a diehard sports fan; Be it going to watch his local football team Leicester City in his free time or traveling further afield to attend live UFC events around the U.K, Ash loves the excitement and unpredictable nature it brings. Outside of sports, Ash likes to socialize with friends, explore different cities, and get out for walks in scenic areas. Due to Bora’s flexible working culture, Ash can work from anywhere he chooses.
At Bora, Ash works directly with the managing directors of Bora, David and Joe, on client projects that are focused on social media marketing and content marketing management. Ash is passionate about exceeding client expectations by delivering excellence.
Working for Bora has enabled Ash to work collaboratively with top-level clients in the cybersecurity industry, helping to facilitate their marketing and copywriting needs. Working for a company that encourages team members to share ideas and gives them the opportunity to turn these very ideas into a reality is what Ash finds energizing.
Amy Bock
Meet Amy, a project manager who joined the Bora team two years ago. With a strong background in technology and a passion for aligning IT strategies to support business objectives, she brings a wealth of expertise and creativity to the team. Amy’s journey in the tech world began over a decade ago. She ventured into various roles that have honed her skills in leading large-scale projects and given her the ability to understand the complex interplay between technology and business needs. This has been invaluable in bringing seamless organization and expertise in guiding clients’ cybersecurity marketing ventures. Her knack for understanding and simplifying intricate concepts and communicating them effectively has been instrumental in her marketing projects at Bora.
When not “in the office”, you will likely find Amy engaged in some outdoor activity. She currently resides in Spain’s sunny Costa Blanca area, where ample sunshine, beautiful beaches, and mountains provide the perfect sandbox. Amy loves hiking, kayaking, paddle boarding, and all that the Mediterranean lifestyle offers. After recently discovering the sport of padel, she has quickly become an addict. She competes in local tournaments or plays for the club leagues in the Alicante region most weekends.
The value that Bora places on work-life balance and cultivating a culture where you have the tools and resources you need to work anywhere in the world and still be connected and feel very much a part of a team was what initially sparked interest for Amy. But since joining, she’s found a team that genuinely enjoys the work that they do, the people that they work with, and the clients that they serve.
PJ Bradley
PJ has lived in Michigan for most of her life, including attending university there. Possessing a Bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in women and gender studies, PJ has been a regular writer at Bora since earlier this year. Prior to working with Bora, she had jobs in elementary before- and after-school care, tutoring and supplemental instruction for college history students, and facilitating a virtual learning pod for children during the height of the pandemic.
A creative at heart, PJ dabbles in a wide variety of artistic pursuits, including writing original fiction and poetry, drawing, playing the guitar, piano, and ukulele, cross-stitching, sewing, and scrapbooking. She also enjoys reading classic literature and playing video games. Remote and flexible work with Bora spares PJ the difficulties of a commute and the distractions of an office environment so she can finish work without exhaustion and have more time and energy to focus on these interests.
PJ’s role at Bora is to write blog posts on a range of topics. Given an assignment brief, subject matter, or blog title, she conducts research and writes a blog post to meet the required criteria and produce a thoughtful, accurate, and digestible piece. Her strengths lie in sourcing reliable facts, processing references for synthesis, and organizing relevant information into a cohesive whole.
Working at Bora is rich and fulfilling for PJ. She relishes the feeling of being heard and understood by other Bora team members, the knowledge that they are accepting and helpful, and the pride that they take in their work. Being a part of the team at Bora allows PJ to put some of her greatest skills to work, receive support, and improve every day.