Today marks my four year anniversary at the BBC. I’m always keen to celebrate my BBCversary because, for a kid from a Portuguese village of no more than 500 people, working at the BBC used to feel like a distant dream.

Four years on, something has changed. I no longer look at the BBC as this massive institution I somehow found my way into. I’ve understood that this is my place too. And I love it.

Working for one of the best public service broadcasters in the world is quite the experience. You work with brilliant people. My team is incredible. The shows we get to work on are outstanding. The challenges are complex, the stakes can be high, and the scrutiny is unlike almost anywhere else. You are, quite literally, working under a magnifying glass. That takes some getting used to. But the opportunity is enormous too.

For me, pushing the boundaries of how the BBC shows up for U35s on social, and exploring how AI can help us better understand, curate for, and connect with younger audiences, has been one of the most rewarding professional challenges I’ve ever had. How does an organisation that has existed for more than 100 years behave like a challenger? How do we leverage new technologies like AI responsibly to move faster, experiment creatively, and make it matter in digital spaces where our audiences have endless choices? How do we take all the extraordinary talent inside (and outside) the BBC and make it matter on social , while never forgetting what makes public service different in the first place? I find those questions exciting. Every single day.

And four years in, I think I’ve also learned to love the BBC a little differently. Not because it’s perfect. It isn’t. No organisation made up of human beings ever will be. But perhaps it’s through those imperfections that you understand its humanity, and through trying to make it better that you understand what public service truly means.

The hashtag#BBC has been here for over a century, but I want us to show up on social like challengers. Curious. Restless. Experimental. Never assuming that because audiences came to us yesterday, they’ll come to us tomorrow.

Four years on, I still feel incredibly lucky to be here. But, more importantly, I know I belong here.

As I said on my first day: may it always feel like Day 1.
Long live Public Service. And long live the BBC. ❤️