Sometimes the smallest decisions can have the greatest long-term impact on your life. Who would have thought that not liking Latin at school would ultimately lead to Carol Parker Trott leaving Bermuda to take up a new post in London with an international insurance company?

"I toyed with the idea of becoming a lawyer, but someone told me it would require more studies in Latin ? a subject which wasn't one of my favourites in high school!" says Ms Parker Trott, 39, laughing. "However, I've always been fascinated with learning and writing about people, social and political issues, and the impact they have on people's lives."

That fascination led to her deciding to pursue what would be a successful career in journalism, which in turn eventually led to her being offered the opportunity to join XL Capital Ltd. in February 2000 as corporate communications manager. After an action-packed two years with the company, last January she was promoted to the position of Deputy Communications Director and since June she has been based in London with a new and demanding assignment ? setting up the central corporate communications function for XL's European operations.

"XL previously had six offices in London, which have all been consolidated now into one building comprising about 550 people," she says. "There was a need for a central structure to be established in order to ensure that the group's communications needs can be met consistently from London and across our European network. That's my task; I've been focused on internal communications mainly up until now, but I'll be shifting more focus to external communications."

She is indeed becoming involved in all aspects of internal and external communications. This includes employee communications, external public relations and media relations work, Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, and other related activities. The shift in focus will require her to travel to XL's offices in Dublin and Continental Europe in addition to continuing to work closely with her colleagues in the group's headquarters in Bermuda.

"I work very closely with the Bermuda team; it's essential that the London structure is consistent with the communications strategies developed at group level," says Ms Parker Trott.

It's an assignment that came at the right time for this communications professional, who has always embraced change and new opportunities throughout her career, which she says evolved based on her instinct to find out more about people.

"I wish I could say I had it all planned, but I didn't; I never thought about communications as a career until I graduated from Bermuda College," she says, having attended the College after graduating from Berkley Institute. "I guess my love of writing, inquisitive nature, and fascination with people and events were all magnets to the field of communications. I also believe that everyone has a story. That's one of the reasons I became a journalist. I was a journalist for more than 10 years before I joined XL Capital."

After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism at Florida A&M University, she worked for The Tallahassee Democrat newspaper in Tallahassee, Florida in 1988. The following year she returned to Bermuda and joined The Royal Gazette newspaper. She worked as a business reporter for a year, then as a general news reporter for five years. During the latter part of this period she specialised in reporting on education issues. In 1995 she achieved a triple first ? becoming the first female, first black and first Bermudian news editor of the newspaper. She regards this as one of the highest achievements of her career in the field.

"I'm proud of the fact that I was the first Bermudian, first black, and first female news editor of The Royal Gazette," she says. "I'm even more pleased that another Bermudian took over when I left."

Her career as a reporter led to her travelling extensively and she covered stories in many places, including Italy, Northern Ireland, Canada, the Caribbean, and throughout the US. She also interviewed people from all walks of life, ranging from author and poet Maya Angelou to veteran motivational speaker Zig Ziglar. Covering general news also allowed her opportunities to interview a broad spectrum of celebrities, including reggae artist Shabba Ranks and model Claudia Schiffer.

In 1992, Ms Parker Trott was one of only ten journalists selected from countries throughout the Commonwealth to receive the annual Sir Harry Brittain Fellowship. The fellowship involved visits to educational institutions such as Oxford University, as well as the headquarters of Sinn Fein and the Ulster Unionist Party in Northern Ireland. Through the fellowship, she was also able to work at a newspaper in Bath, England.

"It was a great learning and development opportunity and it really opened my eyes as far as the issues involved when covering overseas news," she says. "I was also with other journalists from all over the world ? Australia, India, New Zealand, Singapore ? so it was great to make those new contacts and hear different perspectives."

She says that her own perspective throughout her career has always been grounded in the mentoring lessons she learned from, and example set by, her parents. She is the fifth of Clarita Parker and the late Cecil L. Parker's six children, with four older sisters and a younger brother.

"There are several people who have contributed to where I am today, but the person who has had the greatest influence on me was my father," says Ms Parker Trott. "He exposed me and all my siblings to books, newspapers (and) poetry when we were youngsters. Poems and other inspired writings were prominently displayed throughout our home and it wasn't uncommon for my father to ask us ? or to my older sisters' dismay, their boyfriends ? to interpret a verse!

"Also my father didn't go to church often, but every Sunday he would read to us from the book of Proverbs or Psalms in the Bible, and then would ask us questions about what was read. We didn't see the value in those Biblical comprehension lessons at the time, but today we really appreciate them."

Her attitude towards the challenges she has encountered in her career and life in general has also contributed to her success:

"There have been several (challenges), but nothing that particularly stands out in my mind," she says. "This is probably because I view challenges as opportunities and don't believe in dwelling on past failures or regrets. When I go through a challenging experience I try to find the lesson in it to avoid it being repeated."

This is the kind of advice she feels could be passed on more effectively from women with long-term experience in Bermuda's workforce to those young Bermudian women who are looking at opportunities and coming up the ranks today.

"I believe there are plenty of opportunities for local women in Bermuda. Unfortunately, we have not yet developed the strong networks that men have," Ms Parker Trott says. "We also have some way to go when it comes to mentoring younger women, and not just within the business sector. How many of our local young women could benefit from the wisdom of (for example) veteran female teachers or the experience of respected female physicians?"

And she says that young women need to evaluate very carefully what kind of career would provide them with true fulfilment before embarking on a particular path for all the wrong reasons.

"My advice would be for them to discover their passion ? what they would find enjoyable even if they received no compensation," she says. "Then pursue that passion to the fullest, master it. If they do this, in time they will be fulfilled emotionally and financially."

She adds that some of the obstacles or challenges women face in their careers are at times self-imposed while others are intrinsic, such as balancing motherhood and a career.

In her own case, while she is not yet a mother, she is balancing her career with being married and is sharing the experience of living in London with her "best friend" and husband of ten years Lawrence, a sports photographer and senior journalist. She says they are adapting well to taking on a new culture and mindset in their current location and having to develop a new network of business and social acquaintances.

"And the advantages of working in London include the opportunity to meet and interact with a more diverse group of people within XL and within the city," she says. "(There are) fewer personal distractions ? relatives, friends etc. are less likely to call you just to chat! And I'm usually able to accomplish more tasks at work before my colleagues in Bermuda and the US wake up!"

And while the demands of her job are taking up a lot of her time, both she and her husband intend to make the most of their time in England.

"I've always believed that life takes its turns for the right reasons; with this move my husband is also enjoying new professional opportunities and experiences," she says. "And we have promised ourselves that we will visit most, if not all, of the UK and Continental Europe before my assignment here ends so we need to carve out some time for this!"

She is working hard but clearly enjoying her time in London. By the time she returns to Bermuda in mid-2006 after her two year assignment is over she will have another significant career achievement under her belt, and she is looking forward to whatever challenges the next chapter of her career will bring.

"I'm gaining some wonderful experience and I'm really appreciative of that," she says. "When I get back it will be great to use it within the company in Bermuda. As I am fairly new to the public relations side of communications, I'm enjoying the opportunities that are coming my way within XL. There are endless possibilities within PR in general and I look forward to achieving all that I can."