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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 Local Team

James Savage

CEO & Publisher

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

Paul Rapacioli

Founder

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

Nicholas Rabbidge

Head Of Product & Marketing

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

Paul O'Mahony

Editorial Product Manager

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

James Corden

Digital Marketing Manager

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

Dusan Novakovic

Chief Technology Officer

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.

Caroline Hannah

Finance Manager

Caroline is Swedish and grew up in Sweden, but she is also half British due to her Scottish father. She joined The Local in June 2022 and when she is not busy when all the numbers, you find her in the stable with her horses - a horse-girl.

Martijn Balzer

International Key Account Manager

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

Mike Stuchbery

Commercial Content Editor

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

Lara Thordardottir

Ad Operations Executive

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

Paige Latham

Customer Support Specialist

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.

Ben McPartland

Managing Editor

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

Emma Löfgren

Deputy Managing Editor & Editor, The Local Sweden

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

Amanda Previdelli

Editor, The Local Austria

Amanda arrived in Europe from Brazil in 2016. She has worked for Globo and TV Bandeirantes and studied in Brazil, the US and UK, specialising in Journalism and International Relations.

Michael Barrett

Editor, The Local Denmark

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.

Emma Pearson

Editor, The Local France

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.

Genevieve Mansfield

Journalist, The Local France

Genevieve grew up in the Washington, DC area in the US. She moved to France to teach English at two middle schools outside of Paris. She recently completed her Master’s degree in Journalism and International Affairs at Sciences Po.

Rachel Stern

Editor, The Local Germany (On Parental Leave)

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

Rachel Loxton

Acting Editor

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.

Clare Speak

Editor, The Local Italy

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.

Elaine Allaby

Journalist, The Local Italy

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 Norwell

Editor, The Local Norway

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.

Alex Dunham

Editor, The Local Spain

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 Orange

Journalist, The Local Sweden

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

Becky Waterton