Security Check:
This month’s passenger Jacqui Kavanagh is the Commercial Director of Video at Condé Nast, within what is a very small and very new department inside CN. Here she works on the massively exciting UK launch of video channels of Vogue, GQ, Wired and Glamour.

Despite being from New York and living in London, Jacqui is her happiest with her Californian boyfriend whilst drinking wine in France.

What’s your historical London and New York connection?
I’ve kind of bounced all over the place. Born in New York, where we stayed until I was about 10. At which point, my Dubliner Dad convinced by Brooklynite Mom to head back to Dublin. From there, I went to university in lovely Edinburgh.

Soon after graduating, I jumped back on a flight to New York, had a ridiculously fun four years in Williamsburg (at the time this was like Disneyland for twenty-something-year-olds). I then headed back over the Atlantic once more, back to London town. Where you currently find me at 11:55pm, drinking Chinon, with one eye on Game of Thrones.

Describe your experience in London as a New Yorker.
From a career perspective, I’ve found that it has kind of been like having a secret weapon, one that works equally as well in each location.

When I moved back to New York after university in the UK, I couldn’t get a job so I ended up co-founding a company in New York called the Participation Agency. Being able to lend firsthand insight to clients about the London cultural landscape was invaluable. It also helped up pick up clients that were big in the UK, but fledging in the US, like Topshop and Kopparberg Cider.

Equally, when I worked at VICE UK and i-D Magazine here in London, I felt that having a New York sensibility allowed me to bring something new to the table.

How can New York and London better engage with each other?
I’d love to see more companies facilitate gap years (well, months) where staff have the funding and support to seamlessly work and live more freely between both cities.

Favorite NYC secret spot: Pies ‘n’ Thighs.
Favourite London secret spot: Dotori.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why? A very small town in South of France (with 2GB high speed internet).

In flight entertainment:

• What’s playing in your headphones right now? Jens Lekman.
• And what are you currently reading? Vogue, GQ, Glamour, Wired.