Tracy Interview

June 21, 2018

  1. What was your background prior to joining Bluebox?

After leaving school, I studied Equestrian Studies at The Berkshire College of Agriculture and worked with horses for many years. After numerous years loving the summer months but tired of being freezing and covered in mud during the winter, I decided it was time for a change of career even though I loved the outdoors and working with horses. So, I went into events management organising weddings, parties and conferences which was something I learnt a lot from very quickly and was a personally rewarding career.

 

  1. How did you find out about Bluebox and what were the reasons you wanted to join the start-up back in 2012?

Complete coincidence. I had just got back from a trek in the Himalayas to Everest Base Camp and one of the people on the trek was James Averdieck, the Founder of GU desserts, which had recently been sold by our CEO, Paul Herman. Paul was in the process of starting up Bluebox with James Caan and I was introduced to Paul by James Averdieck.

I was so excited to join Bluebox as firstly, I was so excited to be part of a start-up company but I also thought the concept of Bluebox was really unique and I wanted to be part of it.

 

  1. What has it been like seeing the business grow over the past 6 years?

As with any start-up business, we have had numerous ups and downs and many challenges to face. It starts at the beginning when you are trying to define your offering/product, who your clients are going to be and who fits in into your values from a team perspective. The first few years were tough but we are now in a great place with numerous deals in various sectors under our belt, a fantastic offering and a steady, stable and highly talented team.

 

  1. Other than London, what city would you like to live/work in and why?

I spent two years in Australia and I have been lucky enough to work in both Sydney and Melbourne for a significant period of time. If you’d asked me 10 years ago, I would have said New York because of the buzz of the city but nowadays I would need to choose something with a slightly slower pace of life and access to either a beach or countryside or ideally both. I am a country girl at heart and commute in from Oxfordshire every day.

 

  1. What is your biggest achievement to date – personal or professional?

I would say professionally, it would be helping Paul to start up and get Bluebox to where we are at the moment as a company. It’s been an interesting journey and we have overcome many obstacles to get here.

Personally, I would probably say climbing Kilimanjaro. It was a long old slog but I got there in the end.

 

  1. Given a chance, who would you like to be for a day?

Probably The Queen. I would love to get an insight into her life.

 

  1. What would you do if you were the one survivor in a plane crash?

Never get on a plane again.

 

  1. If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go and why?

The top of Everest so I could see the view without having to struggle to the top.

 

Quick fire

  1. Which mountain would you climb next? I would have to go for Elbrus in Russia but hopefully reach the top this after my unsuccessful assault last year!
  2. Favourite cuisine? Tough one – probably Italian or Indian.
  3. How would your friends describe you? A typical Virgo
quote marks icon

Testimonials