Inside Redbox: meet Jo Murray, operations director for Redbox

It has been nine years this month since you joined Redbox -  how did you end-up at the company?

I found myself in an admin/finance role when I left home – it was to fund my travels overseas.  After a few years backpacking across South East Asia, I moved to London with the intention of saving more money to continue my travels.  I was introduced to Redbox through a close friend of mine. They had an opening for an office manager with finance experience and I applied and got the job.  Nine years later I’m still here – living in London, with a husband and a seven-year-old, dreaming of the day I can put my backpack on and travel again! 

Describe your morning

Getting my daughter ready for school and catching up on emails from our team all over the world.  I’m an early riser and enjoy working – I like to get stuff done and help out when I can.  

What do you like most about the role?

I have worked in several areas of the business during my time at Redbox - office manager, finance, resource management, HR, project management and operations. When I first started, we were a small team of 15 based in London, with a team in Australia and New Zealand.  We worked with some brilliant clients (and still do), including Fortnum & Mason and Johnson & Johnson. 

I’ve been given the opportunity to grow and learn at Redbox - every day is different.  It’s the supportive culture that we’ve created, allowing people to discover what it is they want to do career wise and giving them the opportunity to live and work in our overseas offices.   We now have amazing teams in Dubai, Mauritius and South Africa.  

I’m proud to watch our team grow, not just in numbers but also personally.  We’ve got people who have been with us since the start and like me, have had varied roles.  Then there are those that have gone away and come back again.   

We have a great team spirit and culture here – there’s never a dull moment.  We’ve also had some killer nights out. Redboxers old and new will vouch for this!

 

What are some of the challenges of your role?

The velocity and variety, although this is what keeps the job interesting and fun. 

We have a large team all over the world and many customers and suppliers with different requirements, questions and blockers.   I need to be able to respond to the many requests in a timely manner so that people can get on and do their jobs.  Staying on top of this can be a challenge!

Tell us about life outside of Redbox

I still love to travel and want to expose my daughter to different cultures, languages and traditions.  This year, we went on a family holiday to Thailand. We took the Burma-Thai railway to Nam Tok – an eight-hour journey in 47-degree heat. It was an incredible journey but exhausting, especially in the heat and with a seven-year-old in tow.

Last year we went to Mexico and travelled from Tulum to Valladolid and then onto Isla Mujeres.  It was an amazing trip: visiting pyramids and swimming in cenotes.

Closer to home, I like to go to festivals and gigs.  I love the outdoors and camping - one of my favourite places to visit is Portmeirion in Wales, it’s a stunning part of the world.

Biggest achievements in life?

I’ve had a rich life full of wonderful experiences.  Have I achieved anything significant? Maybe my biggest achievement is yet to come!

What’s next in store at Redbox?

Who knows and that's what keeps it interesting.  No two days are the same.  We are constantly evolving here at Redbox so you never know what’s around the corner.  

If you had your time again, what would you do?

Maybe not spent all of my 20s and 30s partying so I could be on the property ladder. But I don’t have any regrets. Mortgages sound miserable anyway! 

What's your motto in life?

Work hard and be kind.  It’s really that simple.

If you could pass piece of advice you have been given in life what would it be?

Work hard and be kind!