RedWizard was born out of a passion to understand change, to embrace it and to trust in its power to positively transform anyone and anything.
Life is a struggle, and no one can escape the many challenges it brings. It’s also incredible, wonderful and full of beauty. It gives us the ability to learn, grow, love, develop partnerships, trust, and empathize with others, and many more amazing gifts.
But…
One thing you can be sure of, no matter who you are, or where you’re from, change is inevitable.
Our founder, Jools Barrow-Read has been fascinated with change all her life. She approaches it like a good book, with a beginning, middle and end. And understands there’s always the possibility of a sequel, after all—change is constant.
Jools has worked within project management (PMO) for many years. After seeing first-hand, the fear poorly managed change can cause within the workplace and serious impact it can have on a business, she decided to make a big change of her own. In 2014, she left the security of a full-time role to start her own business—RedWizard.
From the very beginning, her focus has been on making change a positive and empowering experience for people… whilst also delivering real value to businesses.
“Change takes you on a journey. Undoubtedly, there will be some degree of struggle. But it’s the times I took a risk, made big changes and struggled to reach new heights, that I’m most proud of. RedWizard is one of those changes.” –Jools
We’re all about family
RedWizard has since become a family business! Jool’s twin sister, Laura Handley, decided to join the fold in 2017 after a successful career in teaching.
“I have a great job, who else gets to speak to their sister every day!?” –Laura
The pair have different strengths and weaknesses, creating a perfect yin yang balance. Jools being the risk taker and Laura being more of a realist.
“When I asked my sister Laura to join RedWizard, to my amazement and eternal gratitude, she said yes. We’ve never looked back.” –Jools
Yes, it’s a family business but being part of the RedWizard community means we’re all family now. And we treat each other as such.
We care about the health and wellbeing of our people. This means we’ve embraced flexible working. We all work from anywhere, anyplace, anytime. It’s what REAL flexible working is all about! We live and breathe our work but understand it’s vital to make time for ourselves, family and friends.
The goal is to support and empower our people so they can create the kind life/work balance that works for them. It’s also about building a culture of autonomy where people take responsibility for the work they are delivering. This change in attitude sets us apart from many other businesses. As a result, we’re a loyal bunch of people and care about our clients and each other as individuals—no one is just a number at RedWizard.
Getting noticed
Over the past few years, we’ve rolled out some pretty incredible project management (PMO) solutions. In 2018, working in partnership with KellyOCG Talent Advisory Services, we ranked in the top 5% of strategic talent PMO solutions in the Everest Report—a fact we’re very proud of!
“It’s great to see our solutions stand the test of time—they were built to last.” –Jools
We’ve had the pleasure of working with some of the largest corporations and service providers, in the UK and US. From global pharmaceuticals and talent consultancy to multi-international imaging solutions and STEM specialist staffing.
2019 is about reaching out and sticking our head above the parapet. We’ve already engaged some amazing talent as part of our fluid talent pool and diverse freelancer community. What an innovative and creative bunch they are!
“We look beyond the conventional route for attracting and engaging the right talent… in fact, nothing we do at RedWizard is conventional!” –Jools
We’ve gone from strength to strength and are continuing to learn and grow. Our voice is out there on LinkedIn and Facebook. Sharing our experiences, connecting with others and talking about the things we’re passionate about—change, project management, women in business, flexible working and the environment—these are all subjects that are close to our hearts.
Do we want to be a huge international company? Nope, we’re happy to remain small but mighty, so we can continue to deliver a human and very personalized experience to our clients. Having passion and a clear focus is key, as Jools puts it…
“It’s best to be a master of one trade than a jack of none!”
… and we couldn’t agree more.
What’s in a name? For us, everything!
The story behind our name has deep meaning for all of us at RedWizard. But… no one can explain it better than our founder, Jools…
Red is for Red
In 2001, I lost my job. Although it was a difficult time, I knew I had to make some big changes and fast. After reading ‘Driving Over Lemons’ by Chris Stewart, the story of a family who left their home in the UK and moved to Andalucía, I felt inspired. With no real reason to stay in London, I packed my bags and headed to Lisbon, Portugal.
Three years later Red came into my life. Red was a stray dog, one of many in the area who frequented my cul-de-sac looking for food. We used to distinguish him from other strays by saying ‘that red dog’ and thus how he got his name. It started with him visiting for daily leftovers but after a few weeks, I opened the front door and in he came.
Red became my closest companion during some challenging times. He remained in my life for four years until I lost him to canine leishmaniasis. But… he will never be forgotten as the Red in RedWizard is my way of honouring him and saying thank you.
So, why the Wizard in RedWizard?
Well, ‘wizard’ is in reference to a software wizard. You know, that little box that pops up and gives you a helpful tip now and again. Wikipedia describes it as…
“…a user interface type that presents a user with a sequence of dialogue boxes that lead the user through a series of well-defined steps. Tasks that are complex, infrequently performed or unfamiliar may be easier to perform using a wizard.”
Although the definition sounds a bit dull, the second phrase is at the heart of what we do as a company. We help simplify what is complex to make it achievable.
Red + Wizard = RedWizard
The name RedWizard brings together everything that’s important, not just to me, but to the entire RedWizard community—strong partnerships, strength, loyalty, simplicity, reliability and support, it’s the foundation upon which RedWizard was built.
So, what’s your story?
Now you know a little bit about us, we’d love to hear from you! Are you a large or small business struggling with change and transformation? Are you baffled by the many change support models out there? Or, perhaps you’ve a few questions?
We like nothing more than a good chat about business change, so give us a call on 01952510758 or send an email and we’ll get right back to you!
For insights, expert advice, and general PMO chatter, follow us!
or connect with change-related chat on our Facebook Champion of Change group
