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Brief Encounter with Jo Horsburgh

Originally published 15 September 2003


Jo Horsburgh recently joined the University of Warwick as Deputy Director of Personnel Services where she is working to streamline the way the Personnel service is delivered to the University to meet the needs of all departments. Jo has a degree in Management Science (with psychology) and has always worked in HR/Change management.

Position

Deputy Director of Personnel Services

Which means

I’m responsible for providing the Operational Personnel Service for the University.

Life before Warwick

I spent eight years as a HR manager followed by a number of years working as a management consultant delivering large-scale change management and HR projects with a number of different clients.

Best thing about working at Warwick

Warwick is a lovely place to work, with enormous diversity. I’m looking forward to seeing Warwick during term-time.

Smartest career move

Going into the car industry at the beginning of my career. It meant I had a lot of exposure to an environment that was challenging and particularly interesting from a HR perspective.

What has life’s experience taught you so far

To look beyond the obvious. It is very easy to make decisions without taking a step back to consider the wider implications.

As a child what did you want to be as a “grown-up”?

I wanted to do something creative – like be a painter. Now I enjoy creative activities in my personal life.

What do you treasure most?

Health, happiness and home-life.

Any hidden talents?

I enjoy playing the piano and I’m currently learning how to single scull.

Which person inspires you most, and why?

As someone interested in rowing, one inspiration is Steve Redgrave for his perseverance and sheer determination.

Magazines read

Personnel Management and Lifestyle, Health and Fitness magazines.

Lifelong ambition

To be healthy and happy.