“The people are just so nice. There’s no control or micromanagement but instead a lot of trust. Because of that, you want to actually give your best and go above and beyond.”

Growing up in the small rural town of Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort in the south of France, Coralie never imagined she’d end up living halfway across the world. Surrounded by vineyards, she had pictured a future in the wine industry – perhaps blending her love for chemistry with the region’s rich winemaking tradition.

But her plans took a turn during her Chemistry Science degree at Montpellier University, when she secured a one-month internship in the UK. She was placed at Unilever Research centre, and the work immediately captivated her.

“ I had never though without extra studies I could be part of a research team that allowed the creation of personal care products”.

Coralie enjoyed the work so much that she didn’t return to France, instead starting a career with Unilever in the UK. After 2 years in Research, she moved to Leeds to the Antiperspirant & Deodorant manufacturing side of Unilever.

“I was developing roll-on deodorants for the whole world and learning about consumer habits in places like Brazil and Asia. We’d even run hot room simulations, collect sweat on cotton balls, and measure how effective the deodorant was. It was fascinating.”

But after a few years, she began to feel stuck. As she couldn’t see any opportunity to grow within the business.” At 25, she also regretted not taking a gap year to travel like many of her British peers.

On a whim, she applied for a visa to Australia. “I figured it would take six months, so I went away for the weekend. But by Monday morning, it was granted. I hadn’t even told my family I’d applied!”

After wrapping things up at work and saying goodbye in France, she set off on a planned year-long holiday- first to Thailand, then to Australia, where she travelled the East Coast for three months. One highlight was working on a horse property outside Tamworth for a month, where she took fellow backpackers on trail rides.

“It was amazing. One of my dreams. We’d round up horses, teach new riders and take trips through the backcountry in our spare times. There were about 250 running free by the river. It was beautiful.”

After a surfing stop in Byron Bay and then up to Cairns doing odd-jobs along the way, she joined a group of backpackers heading across to Darwin, but an ankle injury she received in Kakadu forced her to shorten her trip and fly to Fremantle to recover. It was there that opportunity came knocking again.

Unilever’s Australian office had a role for her. Within two weeks, she was back in Sydney, renting a flat and back to work. Though her visa allowed only three months of work, she soon secured company sponsorship.

“I was able to bring international research experience to a team that mainly focused on product implementation for the Australian market. The innovation side was still run out of the UK so it was a bit limiting and repetitive.”

Eventually, she was recruited by a perfume supplier, Firmenich. “I was the Fragrance Development Manager for that company, but because Australia’s market is small, I also had to handle sales with major accounts like Colgate and Unilever.

“It was an amazing opportunity, I got to learnt from the best perfumers in the world and work with passionate people. Whenever I had a big project, they would send me to the Singapore creative centre to assist the perfumers with their work.”

She was offered a transfer to Singapore but asked instead to go to Geneva and she was all set to make the move back to Europe. However, the Global Financial Crisis hit, and all company transfers were frozen. With only 28 days to leave the country if her visa expired, Coralie applied for permanent residency.

“It was a really rough time. Labs were shutting down or moving to Asia. I was again offered an Asian role, but with my residency just granted, I didn’t want to leave Australia.” She took on contract roles and did what she could to stay afloat until the economy recovered, including as a Chef in a café.

As the market improved, she returned to sales, working with ingredient distributors. After 10 years working across 3 companies, she had her son and was now working for a large global company with little flexibility. “I had no family here and couldn’t work full-time. When I went on maternity leave, we agreed I’d return three days a week, but the week before I was due back, they sent a letter  saying the role was full-time. It was devastating as I had finally secured childcare and had to pay for that but on my first day back at work I had to resign as they wouldn’t let me extend my maternity leave or I couldn’t come back full time while my son was barely 8 months old.”

After a brief maternity cover role that didn’t offer the flexibility and support it promised, she knew she needed a change or even considered leaving the industry she was in. “I wanted to work for a local family-run company – somewhere that truly valued people.”

A recruiter contacted her about a role at Nowchem on the NSW South Coast. But with only a day’s notice, she had no childcare for the video interview. “The recruiter said it would be fine if my son was there. During the interview, John said, ‘Please, feel free to pick him up if you need to, I really don’t mind.’ So I did- he sat on my lap throwing a ruler at me the whole time. I was trying to explain my experience and sell myself while ducking plastic things at my face, but John just made me feel completely comfortable.”

Coralie remembers that moment fondly. “It was amazing because it was the opposite of what I I’d just been through”

She and John met in person at Nowchem’s Nowra facility. “He just listened to my story. He wasn’t testing me or grilling me. He wanted to get to know me as a person.”

The role was full-time, based remotely in Sydney, and she felt it was manageable. But before signing the contract, John called her.

“He said, ‘You don’t need to sign on full-time. Think about it – if you want part-time, we’re happy with that.’” Coralie chose to work four days a week and has been with Nowchem for over two years.

“I get Fridays with my son. The flexibility has been life-changing.”

She says working for a regional company has been surprisingly refreshing. “The people are just so nice. There’s no control or micromanagement but instead a lot of trust. Because of that, you want to actually give your best and go above and beyond.”

Now working in the skincare and pharmaceutical arm of the business, she says there’s never a dull moment. “I used to change jobs every 3–4 years out of boredom or lack of progression. But at Nowchem, you don’t get bored. We are working a lot with Sunscreen brands, and the request for sunscreen are crazy – we get a new lead nearly every week.”

One moment stands out for her: “I remember when John joined the Nowra ‘Dancing with the Stars’ fundraiser. He was raising money for the Cancer Council, and I was working on sunscreen to help prevent skin cancer. That’s when I knew I was in the right place.”

Coralie’s journey is a testament to how regional employers can offer what many metro employers can’t – genuine flexibility, personal connection, and a values-driven culture. For many, especially working parents or those craving more than just a job title, regional businesses like Nowchem are proving that success doesn’t have to come at the expense of balance.