About us

About The Local

The Local’s goal is to give you all the news and essential information you need about life in nine European countries. Whether you are a foreign resident, a frequent visitor, someone with family here or are planning a move, our aim is to provide what you need.

Because The Local is staffed by people who have set up lives abroad, we have a keen understanding of the challenges our readers face and we work closely with our members across Europe to bring you the stories and practical tips that really matter.

The Local was founded in 2004 and we now have a team of dedicated journalists on the ground in nine countries. In 2018 we launched membership and in 2021 we were thrilled to reach a milestone of 50,000 paying members. This support means everything to us and makes us more determined than ever to continue investing in our award-winning independent journalism.

Meet the team

James moved to Sweden from the UK at the start of the millennium and was a co-founder of The Local in 2004.

Ben comes from the UK and became the first editor of The Local France in 2013. He now heads the editorial team from Paris.

Originally from London, Paul moved to Sweden in 2003. He started The Local with James Savage in 2004.

Born on the Croatian coastline, professionally shaped in the capital of Serbia, Dusan moved to Sweden in 2009 hungry for new tech adventures. Joined The Local in 2022.

Emma returned to her native Sweden and joined The Local in 2015 after an eight-year stint in Scotland.

Originally from Sweden, but after a 12-year stint in Glasgow and London Anna claims to feel more British than Swedish. She has been with The Local since 2012 and heads up our commercial team.

Nic is responsible for growing our membership subscription service. Originally from Australia, he now lives in Stockholm.

Originally from South Africa, Sam now lives in Stockholm where she keeps things ticking over at company HQ.

Paige grew up in Iowa (USA). She has lived in Italy for 15 years and has also worked in the USA, Hong Kong and the UK.

Paul comes from Ireland and has lived in Sweden since 1999. He first joined The Local as a reporter in 2006.

James comes from the UK and works with social media and marketing from our office in Stockholm.

Lara, originally from Iceland, now lives in Stockholm, Sweden where she manages our ad operations.

Catherine comes from Cheshire in the UK. She worked in Italy, Germany and Sweden before before moving to Vienna in 2021.

Hayley is from the UK and moved to Austria in 2020 (for the second time). She is a regular contributor to The Local and also works as a copywriter.

Michael hails from Suffolk but studied in Beirut and Denmark and has also worked as a business reporter with Bloomberg Tax. He joined The Local in 2015.

Originally from Yorkshire in the UK, Emma worked as content editor at the Lancashire Evening Post before moving to France. She joined The Local as France editor in 2019.

Sam joined The Local in 2021 after previously writing for outlets like The Washington Post, The Guardian, and The Times.

Rachel moved to Germany from California in 2014. An experienced journalist, she joined The Local in 2017.

Rachel comes from Scotland and has lived in Berlin since 2017. She joined The Local in 2018 after ten years of writing and editing for UK publications.

Imogen was born in south-west England and moved to Berlin in 2016. She joined The Local as a staff reporter in 2021 after working as a freelancer for five years.

Originally from Manchester, England, Clare lived and worked in several European countries including Spain and the Czech Republic before moving to Italy. She joined The Local in 2018.

Karli is a British journalist and producer. She reported to the international press from the frontline of Italy’s Covid-19 pandemic and continues to cover the latest news and features on life in Italy and Europe.

Originally from the UK, Elaine has lived in Rome, Italy for the last several years. She started writing for The Local’s Italy edition in 2018.

Frazer is originally from the UK but is now happy to call Norway home. He worked for ITV News before joining The Local in 2021.

Born in the UK but bred in Spain, Alex is a multimedia journalist who has lived and worked in Europe, the UAE and South Africa.

Richard is a Malmö-based British writer who has written regularly for The Guardian and The Telegraph.

Becky comes from Manchester and previously lived in Denmark, Austria and Scotland. Now based in Malmö, she joined The Local in 2021.

Dan arrived in Europe from Australia in 2011. He has written for The Telegraph and AFP, joining The Local in 2018.

Based in Geneva, Helena is a highly experienced writer who has also contributed to outlets like TIME magazine, USA Today and United Press International.

Originally from Minnesota, USA, Kirsten has worked as a Marketing Manager at The Local in Sweden since 2020.

Robin joined The Local in March 2020 and leads the production of our commercial content. Originally from the UK, he lives in Stockholm.

Martijn moved to Sweden from the Netherlands at the start of the millennium and joined The Local during the spring of 2021.

Previously a journalist in the UK at The Times and Reuters, Paul moved to Sweden nine years ago and is now part of The Local’s commercial content team.

Mike, based in Germany and originally from Australia, is a Content Editor for the DACH region and regularly contributes to The Local Germany.

Originally from South Africa, now a five year resident of Sweden, Ryan works with strategic partnerships in our commercial team.

Brooke is originally from Colorado and has many years of digital media experience. She joined The Local’s commercial team in 2019.

What membership means

As a member of The Local you get:

What our members say

"I have been a member of The Local for quite a few years and have loved your reporting, humour and analysis."

Supratik

Member of The Local

"Proper journalism from people who really understand their audience. Full of great tips, humour, advice and intelligent analysis."

Andy

Member of The Local

"Thanks so much for demystifying much of what otherwise would have been confusing or difficult. I remain a loyal reader. Bravo!"

Debbie

Member of The Local

Members make The Local.

Join our 50,000 supporters.

The Local provides independent news and essential information across Europe.

Meet the team

James Savage

Ben McPartland

Paul Rapacioli

Dusan Novakovic

Emma Löfgren

Anna Agebjörn-McFarlane

Nicholas Rabbidge

Samantha Govender

Paige Latham

Paul O'Mahony

James Corden

Lara Thordardottir

Catherine Edwards

Hayley Maguire

Michael Barrett

Emma Pearson

Sam Bradpiece

Rachel Stern

Rachel Loxton

Imogen Goodman

Clare Speak

Karli Drinkwater

Elaine Allaby

Frazer Norwell

Alex Dunham

Richard Orange

Becky Waterton

Dan Wighton

Helena Bachmann

Kirsten Keefe Davidsson

Robin Yapp

Martijn Balzer

Paul Connolly

Mike Stuchbery

Ryan Wernberg

Brooke Burke

What membership means

As a member of The Local you get:

What our members say

Members make The Local.

Join our 50,000 supporters.