I began my career as a Corporate Investigator at Booking.com in Amsterdam, focusing on internal investigations. Over time, my role evolved into incident response, where I worked across both technical and non-technical domains. This foundation positioned me to join the Global Crisis Management team at the onset of COVID-19, where I supported the company’s response to one of the most complex global disruptions in recent history.

During my last year at Booking.com, I met my now-husband, who had already been living in Bangkok for more than a decade. I quickly realized I wouldn’t be able to convince him to trade sunshine for Amsterdam’s rain. Luckily, at the end of 2021, Agoda, another Booking Holdings company, opened a role in Crisis Management. I applied, got the job, and the rest is history—we’ve been in Bangkok ever since. 

A Day in the Life as an Associate Manager in the IT Governance, Risk, Compliance & Business Resilience Team

No two days are identical, but my work centers around Business Resilience, including crisis management, business continuity, and disaster recovery. On a typical day, I might be reviewing incident response reports, planning tabletop exercises, aligning processes with our partners across Booking Holdings, or preparing our teams for potential disruptions. It’s a mix of strategic planning, cross-functional collaboration, and hands-on problem solving.

Why Agoda is an Exciting Workplace: Collaboration, Preparedness, and Real Impact

What makes the work environment special for me is the collaborative culture and diversity of perspectives. In business resilience, we rely on input from tech, people, legal, and more. Agoda’s culture encourages openness and teamwork, which allows me to bring different voices together to find solutions quickly. It makes my role not only impactful but also deeply rewarding.

One project I’m proud of was strengthening our global crisis management framework during a period of significant change. We introduced clearer escalation paths, ran live simulations, and built alignment across regions. This has not only improved our response to incidents but also given our employees confidence that, no matter the disruption, Agoda is prepared and looking after their safety and wellbeing.

Career Growth at Agoda: Expanding Scope, Skills, and Global Impact

Agoda offers growth through both breadth and depth. Because of the company’s scale and global reach, there are endless opportunities to take on new challenges, lead cross-functional projects, and expand beyond your original scope. Career growth here isn’t just about moving up — it’s about continuous learning, stretching into new domains, and building skills that have a real-world impact.

Agoda has pushed me to grow in ways I didn’t expect. I started with a focus on crisis management, and over time my role expanded to include business continuity planning, disaster recovery, and security awareness on a global level. I’ve learned to operate at both a strategic and operational scale, manage cross-border teams, and communicate effectively with leadership. That combination of trust and challenge has been invaluable for my professional development. 

Tech at Agoda: Innovation at Scale

Agoda’s tech stack is modern, complex, and built for scale—supporting millions of daily transactions and a truly global platform. What I find impressive is the variety of projects: from AI-driven personalization to resilience and disaster recovery testing, there’s a constant drive to innovate. The culture is very hands-on, data-driven, and collaborative—engineers are encouraged to experiment, learn quickly, and share knowledge openly.

For tech professionals, Agoda offers the chance to work on large-scale, high-impact challenges that few companies in the region can match. You’re not only building products that reach millions of travelers, but you’re also solving problems at the cutting edge of e-commerce, cloud infrastructure, and resilience. Add to that a culture that values innovation, diversity, and continuous learning, and it becomes a really exciting environment for anyone passionate about technology. 

Relocating to Bangkok: Embracing The Experience

I relocated from Amsterdam, where I was working with Booking.com. My husband had already been living in Bangkok for over 12 years, so when Agoda opened a Crisis Management role at the end of 2021, it felt like the perfect opportunity to grow professionally while building a life together here. Relocating was both exciting and overwhelming, but Agoda made the process smooth. The relocation team supported me with logistics, paperwork, and guidance, which helped me settle in quickly.

My husband had already a strong network, so having both personal and professional support made the transition much easier. My advice for anyone thinking about relocating to Bangkok for Agoda is to come with an open mind and curiosity. Bangkok is vibrant, fast-paced, and full of opportunities to explore, both culturally and professionally. Embrace the experience, build your network early, and don’t hesitate to lean on Agoda’s support systems. It’s a move that can be life-changing, both at work and outside of it. 

The Bangkok Lifestyle & Quality of Life: Where Tradition and Modernity Coexist

What I love most about Bangkok is the energy and diversity. It’s a city where tradition and modernity coexist. You can step out of a meeting and find yourself in a street market, a temple, or a rooftop with incredible views. There’s always something happening, and it keeps life dynamic and inspiring. Outside of work, I enjoy exploring Bangkok’s food and art scenes, spending time in cozy cafés and bookstores, and traveling to nearby destinations when I can. I also run a literary book club and journal project, which has been a wonderful way to connect with like-minded people. Since Bangkok is such a central hub, we often get to host family and friends visiting from abroad, which makes life here feel even more connected and fulfilling. 

Community and Settling In: Building a Sense of Belonging Beyond Work

Settling into both Agoda and Bangkok felt surprisingly smooth. Agoda has a very international and welcoming culture, which made it easy to feel part of the team from the start. Outside of work, Bangkok’s vibrancy and accessibility helped me quickly build a sense of home here—though of course, I’ll always miss home and the familiar rhythms of where I come from. At Agoda, I’ve built strong relationships across teams and geographies, especially since crisis management requires constant collaboration.

Beyond work, I’ve connected with Bangkok’s literary and creative community through my book club and journal project, which has given me a deeper sense of belonging outside the office. My advice is to lean into curiosity rather than fear. Be open to new people, cultures, and ways of working, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Agoda has many people who have gone through the same transition and are happy to support. Starting fresh can feel overwhelming, but it’s also an incredible opportunity to redefine yourself and build something new. 

Cost of Living in Bangkok: Good Value for Money

Overall, Bangkok is more affordable than Portugal, especially when it comes to things like dining out, transportation, and everyday services. You can have an amazing meal at a street market or take a taxi across the city for just a few euros. Housing can vary a lot depending on location and lifestyle, but in general, you get good value for money. That said, imported goods and certain Western products can be more expensive here. For me, the balance works well—Bangkok offers a high quality of life at a lower cost than I was used to in Portugal. 

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