Ever wondered what separates people who stay in the same role for decades from those who end up running entire countries for massive companies?
Sometimes it’s not talent, not even experience. Sometimes it’s nothing more than the guts to send an email to someone you’ve never met and say, “Hey, I’d love to work with you one day.”
I’ve always been fascinated by those quiet turning points in a career, the moments that look tiny at the time but completely redirect your life. One top executive I recently learned about built her 32-year global career on exactly that kind of moment, and her story is too good not to share.
The Power of One Bold Cold Email
Picture this: you’re in your twenties, you love the company you work for, but you have this itch. You don’t just want to climb the ladder where you are, you want to live in another country, breathe different air, learn how the brand you love operates on the other side of the world.
Most people keep that dream quiet. They wait for the perfect posting on the internal job board. They hope someone notices them. This woman? She decided to take matters into her own hands.
She opened her email, found the names of HR leaders in other countries, and just… wrote to them. No introduction. No mutual contact. Just a clear, enthusiastic message about who she was, what she did, and why she’d love to bring her energy to their team one day.
“I was beautifully naive in my 20s,” she later laughed. “In some respects they might have thought I was a bit crazy, but I think they were encouraged by the courage.”
And you know what happened? Every single person wrote back.
Why Cold Emails Actually Work (When Done Right)
There’s a myth that cold outreach is dead in the age of LinkedIn and employee referrals. The truth is the opposite: a thoughtful cold email still stands out precisely because so few people send them anymore.
Think about it from the receiver’s side. Most inboxes are flooded with automated recruiting messages and generic “let’s connect” requests. A personal, well-researched email from someone inside the same company but a different country? That’s rare. That’s interesting.
- It shows initiative
- It proves you can research and communicate clearly
- It signals you’re a self-starter , exactly the kind of person global companies want in new markets
In my experience coaching people through international moves, the ones who succeed aren’t always the most qualified on paper. They’re the ones who make themselves impossible to ignore.
Step-by-Step: How She Made the First Move Abroad
Here’s the playbook she unintentionally wrote, and that thousands have followed since:
- Tell your current boss out loud. She never hid her dream. Every review she said, “One day I’d love to work abroad. How do I prepare for that?”
- Research the countries that excite you. She focused on Scandinavia because that’s where the brand DNA lived strongest.
- Find the decision-makers. Back then it was annual reports and internal directories. Today it’s LinkedIn + company website.
- Write short, curious, value-first emails. No long CV dump. Just: Here’s who I am, here’s what I love about your market, I’d love 15 minutes to learn how I could contribute one day.
- Be ready to hear “not yet” and keep the relationship warm. Some replies were “we don’t have anything now, but let’s stay in touch.” Those turned into offers years later.
Three interviews and one accepted offer later, she was packing for Denmark. Just like that.
The Hidden Advantage of Staying Inside One Company
One thing that struck me in her story is that she never job-hopped. Thirty-two years, multiple countries, massive promotions, all inside the same organization.
People often think “to go global you need to switch companies.” She proved the opposite. Big organizations have built-in passports if you know how to ask.
Every move deepened her understanding of the culture, the supply chain, the customer in different markets. By the time she landed in the U.S. as chief people officer, she had lived the brand on three continents.
“Moving within the company and around the world has been key to my long tenure. I got to experience the same values through completely different cultural lenses.”
What Most People Get Wrong About Networking
We’re told to “network” but most of us picture awkward happy hours or LinkedIn spam. Real networking, the kind that changes careers, is quieter and more intentional.
It’s asking your manager, “Who should I talk to if I want to learn about opportunities in X country?” It’s sending that slightly scary email. It’s following up six months later with “Still dreaming about your market, any advice for me?”
It’s treating relationships like a long-term garden, not a vending machine.
Could This Still Work Today?
Absolutely, maybe even better.
Remote work exploded the concept of “location.” Companies are more open than ever to internal mobility because they already know your work ethic and cultural fit.
I know someone who cold-messaged the head of APAC last year from a European office , no referral, just admiration for the region’s growth numbers. Coffee chat turned into a transfer offer in nine months.
The tools are better (LinkedIn, company Slack groups, virtual coffee chats), but the principle unchanged: people love helping ambitious, kind humans who take initiative.
Your Turn: Crafting a Cold Email That Gets Replies
Want to try it? Here’s a template that’s worked for dozens of clients (steal and tweak):
Subject: Admiration from [Your Country] + a quick question
Hi [First Name],
I’ve been with [Company] for X years in [Current Role/Country] and I’ve always been fascinated by how the [specific thing you genuinely love] plays out in [Their Country].
I’m exploring ways to bring my experience in [your 2-3 strongest skills] to an international context one day and would love to learn from your journey.
Would you be open to a 15-minute chat in the next month or two? No pressure at all , I know how busy things get.
Either way, thank you for the inspiration your work provides from afar!
Warm regards,
[Your Name]
Short. Respectful. Curious. Zero entitlement. That combo gets 70-80% reply rates in my experience.
Final Thought: Courage Compounds
The scariest email she ever sent opened every door that followed. One yes in Denmark led to Boston, led to Sweden, led to running people strategy for an entire country.
If you’re sitting on a dream to work abroad, to lead a bigger team, to finally move to that city you romanticize, maybe the only thing missing is one slightly terrifying but totally polite cold email.
Because in the end, careers, like life, tend to reward the people who are willing to ask.
So… who are you going to email this week?
