We've got a fantastic team here at Billsby - so we're delighted to be able to introduce them properly through our series of Q&As! Our Head of Operations, Gemma Beeharee, sat down with us this week to talk about everything from Eastenders quotes to the best advice she's ever received. Read on to learn more about Gemma...
Name: Gemma Beeharee
Company role: Head of Operations
Quote that has inspired you: “When are you going to take the umbrella down and realise that it’s not raining?” – Eastenders ≃2003 (Yes, I did just quote Eastenders).
Hi Gemma, it's so lovely to get to talk with you! To kick us off, could you please describe your role in one sentence?
This is tough, so it's going to be a long sentence! Here goes... Amongst other, more mundane tasks, I orchestrate the efforts of a number of highly-skilled and talented individuals (significantly more skilled and talented than myself), through a number of carefully thought-out processes, to deliver a perfectly digestible and well-supported product to our customers.
What was your first job, and how has it influenced your career today?
My first job was as a kitchen porter in a local pub when I was 14. It was in this role that I realised it doesn’t matter what you do, you should do it to the best of your ability; it’s the best way to make it enjoyable and to get job satisfaction. Attitude is everything!
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
The way you do anything is the way you do everything. This piece of advice was given to me by my dad. It's all about habit. It's very easy to feel uninspired about the less exciting jobs we have to do, but you just have to remind yourself that if you start slacking it's all too easy to let that become your default. Always put the effort in and train yourself to perform!
What values/skills have been the most important to your professional life?
To be able to think objectively and with openness to other people’s perspectives. What I love about working in a team is that everyone has their own ideas and opinions on the best way to do things. Taking the very best of our combined thoughts makes the most of everyone’s abilities, and I find that really exciting.
What do you love about Billsby?
I love it because it’s ours! The fact that we’re such a small team and have built such an amazing product out of nothing is really special and has been such an opportunity for us. It’s been tough at times, but everything that Billsby is is because of the work that we’ve put into it. We’re all responsible for such a large part of what makes Billsby great, and I’m proud of all of us for what we’ve achieved.
Thanks so much - really interesting and revealing answers. Now, before we finish, onto the fun stuff... top three podcasts?
Difficult decision so I’ll go with some recents:
Under the Skin with Russell Brand - the Eckhart Tolle edition.
The Trevor Noah Podcast.
Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place.
How about books?
Ooh, let me think: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon; All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr; and Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.
And, finally: if you were a superhero, what would be your superpower?
Space-time manipulation.
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