Getting to know us: Esther Ezquerro – Client Manager

This is one of a series from the wonderful Brilliant Beginnings team. In this series, each team member will be sharing a bit more about themselves, offering some insight into what we do for a living and in life!

Getting to know Esther Ezquerro

I began working at Brilliant Beginnings in 2017. Having previously worked in adoption and fostering, I enjoyed the personalised family building process it involved. I had moved into a family law team when I heard Natalie from NGA Law speaking on Radio 4. I became really interested in surrogacy and then, in an odd coincidence, one of the partners at the firm where I was working announced she was expecting a baby through surrogacy at 49. I began  looking for roles in the surrogacy world, and Brilliant Beginnings was it.

Over the years I have experienced so many surrogacy journeys and I can say with confidence that none run completely smoothly from start to finish. There is always something that requires an alternative solution or a change of direction, and that’s where an agency comes into its own. Being supported by Brilliant Beginnings means having access to equally established organisations that trust in the brand and what we do, our ethos and our way of working. It means that we’re able to pool our collective experience and find workarounds for intended parents and surrogates and ensure the best outcomes for everyone. It’s what drew me to them from the start. At the time, there wasn’t anyone else like them. Even now, no other agency in the UK works this way.

I see my role as being all about managing expectations, understanding emotions and keeping a level head. I try to ensure that when the inevitable curve ball arrives, my clients know we can navigate through it collaboratively.

A big part of what drew me and keeps me here is the very clear insistence of working with transparency. This is something that aligns with my personal values, ensuring integrity, and making sure that work doesn’t feel like ‘work’. It allows me to create a real team with the intended parents I support and enables me to adapt to their own working styles and preferences. I want to ensure they feel in control of decisions and next steps, and I am there to set out all available options to them, as well as sharing my own experience and views if they ask.

I can clearly see the benefits of how much more established surrogacy is in the US. Working with our agency counterparts has opened my eyes to what things could look like here; the collaborative working with clinics and attorneys is a real positive that ensures momentum is kept with just a quick phone call or email. The UK still has a way to go in terms of the swiftness of communication between all parties involved in a surrogacy, but I enjoy the challenge of trying to push for a more collaborative working style between all involved. Finding solutions to issues keeps me on my toes. My role as a client manager is an ever changing one, which is what keeps me engaged and motivated.

In my personal life I have two children 18 months apart, a boy and a girl. They keep my life nicely busy with their clubs, friends etc. Aside from that I enjoy being outside, anything David Attenborough and food – I will never understand ‘I forgot to eat’! My life is very full, and I love it. I fully understand the strength of our intended parents’ desire for a family and feel truly happy for them when their little ones arrive happy and healthy!

By Esther Ezquerro, Client Manager