“I believe everything is possible”

So says 28-year-old Lucia Sinigagliesi, Adjudications Manager for Guinness World Records. Indeed, it’s her open-minded approach to the world that have driven her from her home in the Marche, Italy, to London via much of the rest of the world. “During my school and university years I was used to take every opportunity I had to travel to different countries - sometimes for studies, sometimes for pleasure”, she says.

Lucia settled in London a few years ago after completing her studies in journalism and international business, and travelling Europe, India and Asia – and it was her obvious appetite for the world that made her a perfect candidate for the Guinness World Records team.

“As a kid the Guinness Book of Records was one of my favourites,” says Lucia, who is fluent in Italian, English and French. “Then, a friend of mine who was working here decided to leave and travel the world a bit, and encouraged me to apply. It sounded like the perfect job for me, and it has been. We look after record claimants who want to have an adjudicator present at their event and we personally travel all around the world to verify records.

Everybody in the company is trained to attend live adjudications. It’s a great way to understand how the world of Guinness World Records comes to life. Sometimes records are so incredible that people may have the feeling they are not genuine – but when you’ve met the World’s Smallest Man, danced with Most Pierced Woman, recorded the Deepest Underwater Cycle, counted hundreds of belly dancers and measured the World’s Tallest Curtains… well, you really do begin to believe that anything is possible”

As with all Guinness World Records adjudicators, the diversity of the job appeals to Lucia the most. “I immensely enjoyed going to Vietnam for the Largest Cup of Coffee record in April 2008, because I had the chance to stop there a bit longer. Usually there is never enough time to enjoy places. It takes a lot of energy, but it’s exciting!!”