"Very diverse and interesting people came together at drama school."
As Business Manager, Barbara is responsible for all administrative matters, including company policies, insurance, compliance issues, subcontractor contracts, as well as HR and the implementation of social values in the UK. To do this, she not only needs a good overview of and access to the various departments within the company, but she must also be alert to external developments: “What policy requirements are changing, current guidelines, so that I am hopefully always up-to-date? Although Barbara’s mother tongue is German, she has spent most of her life in the UK. She did her International Baccalaureate and her BA in English Literature and Politics in England, then went to drama school in London: “The drama school was for people of all ages who worked during the day and went to school at night. Consequently, there were very different, very interesting people who all wanted to realise their dream of becoming actors.”
So, at first actor, then, when the children were little, screenwriter and playwright. At the same time intermittently temporary jobs as PA to the management board, marketing, desktop-publishing in the City. Once the children were more independent, she worked full time from home as court editor and quality control manager for the courts, responsible for transcripts and sentencing remarks.
"If I'm going to deal with something, I'm going to deal with it properly."
She was then promoted to manager of homicide and drugs cases. “I got to know an entirely different world,” she laughs. The children become older, and Barbara decides to go into full-time employment. Huber Parking is her first job application. “I can’t say that car parks were my passion, but I would like to think that already in my two interviews, I got on very well with Tomer (Meirom) and Markus (Lauble).” At the time (2018), Huber Parking had just opened an office in Watford, near London, and needed someone to manage the office. “In all honesty: when I started, I had the impression that not one of us had a clear idea what this role was supposed to encompass. That was my luxury: to make of it what I thought best. Importantly, I was always supported in every way”. Barbara is taking on more and more responsibilities, the role is growing and evolving all the time.
In the meantime, things have also changed with the parking garages: “I believe that if you are a person who is curious and interested and who likes to embrace new things, then any topic that you look at in more detail becomes interesting. I’m definitely that kind of person: if I’m going to look into something, I’m going to do it properly.” And, of course, another bonus is that “the teamwork here is really special: the mutual respect, the open way of accepting people and always trying to find the best way to work together.”
