Unexpected, no. My Manager and my Stream Lead put me forward for promotion four months ago, and was approved by the Global Stream Lead at that time.
Against a general backdrop of cost-cuts, hiring freezes, and general uncertainty in the financial sector, promotions at this level have to go further than that with a case prepared and presented both to HR and to the Global Head of Department, who has to give final sign off. The cut off date for that sign off came and went at the end of January, leaving me waiting until the next round of reviews in September to have my case presented again. So much red tape.
Somehow, and I don't yet know how, that cut off date has been overriden, and the Global Head gave sign-off yesterday. Which makes me doubly happy.
A ginger Bangladeshi. This I have to see.
Huge congratulations.