Diversity

Encouraging Diversity has always been one of US2U Consulting's core values. We always incorporate key messages into our client projects as appropriate. This may include helping clients create or refresh their company values to drive a positive, inclusive culture or delivering specific sessions to enable managers and staff to stay up to date on relevant legislation and language that can be used or avoided in the workplace so that people feel comfortable.

Always up for a challenge, to celebrate Pride Month 2023 we decided to make a Pride Flag Cake! It has three layers so we think that it is relevant to ask ourselves three questions:

1) What are we doing well regarding creating an all-inclusive culture?

2) What can we do differently or better to achieve this?

3) What are we going to change?

Please get in touch to ask us to support your Diversity and Inclusion Stategy - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Back in February 2021 we announced that US2U Consulting was one of 75 UK businesses to sign up to the Change the Race Ratio initiative. The idea of Lord Bilimoria, pictured with Rachel Blackburn, was to grasp the moment to create real and lasting change to improve the racial and ethnic diversity across company boards and senior leadership positions in UK businesses.

There are currently 100 signatories for the initiative and all were invited to a Reception on the Thames at Tower Bridge Quay, London, hosted by the British Television Presenter June Sarpong OBE. Key points from the various speakers who presented during the evening included:

• Only 20% of FTSE 100 companies have signed up to the Change the Race Ratio

• There are still no FTSE 100 companies with a black Chairperson, Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial Officer

• When recruiting, to make a statement along the lines of "We embrace diversity but won't compromise on merit" can be seen as patronising and an inappropriate comment - as it's assumed that the best candidate will not be from an ethnic minority

• Black people who are capable to do key roles may feel like an "imposter" and may benefit from a mentor or sponsor to help them navigate the career ladder

Lord Bilimoria said "It's a dream come true to have this evening; it's proven that to have more diverse senior leadership makes good business sense as more diversity leads to more innovation."

To find out how we can help your organisation develop its Diversity and Inclusion strategies, please contact Rachel Blackburn at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for an exploratory conversation.

Managing Diversity is one of the core values of US2U Consulting.

When Rachel Blackburn created the business back in 2005, her vision was to offer a one-stop shop for clients to be able to buy a range of management solutions which would make their business or organisation more successful. She based the services around the elements she studied for her MBA with the Open University - Business strategy, Marketing, HR Strategy, Creativity, Innovation and Change. Over time she has also been able to add additional services as team members have brought specific skillsets to the organisation, such as graphic design, logo creation, internet marketing and website design.

This makes our business unique in that we tailor and knit together so many different services to support clients, often over several years. An example of this is shown in the photograph; we worked with the Directors of Raingear Irrigation Ltd on several projects including recruiting a new Business Manager who is pictured in the photograph. Subsequently we worked with him to design their new company logo which supports their integrated marketing initiatives including livery on their vehicles (also pictured). It is always great to see our work in action.

Whilst we have worked with clients to develop their processes and behaviours for managing diversity for many years, we have now seen how the agenda has changed since the killing of George Floyd in the US in May 2020.

Therefore we have researched and developed a new Diversity and Inclusion Framework which supports the latest language and principles of proactively addressing black lives inequality.

This includes recognising what Diversity and Inclusion mean, understanding the latest terms and what is appropriate, exploring unconscious and conscious bias, reflecting on relevant black history, managing issues around recruiting, developing and promoting people and action planning to achieve positive change.

Please get in touch to find out how we can help you manage this sensitive priority which has moral and commercial implications.

(Pictured below is a painting by US2U Consulting team member Kerwin Blackburn - a Jackson Pollock inspired action painting of American civil rights activitist Martin Luther King, capturing the tone of the current discussion)

It has been great to work with our client ABC Taxis in Norwich during the summer to produce three more films to support their passion for excellence in all that they do. Two of these may be of wider interest and can be seen by clicking the links below.

Managing Equal Opportunities and Diversity - a subject which continues to get more complex and challenging.

Managing Safeguarding and Child Protection - another subject which is so important to get right.

You will note in each film we have worked with various people in the community to explore best practice and make the messages clear with practical examples. We research, script, shoot and edit the films, providing a 'one stop shop' to tailored film production that makes it easy and cost effective to digitally convey consistent, key messages to staff and customers.

Please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to find out how we can work with you to improve your organisation's communications and training.

US2U Consulting's Rachel Blackburn was pleased to attend the ED&I Leaders Summit 2024 on 11 November in London. The amazing view of Tower Bridge set the scene for the inspirational afternoon of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategies from a range of speakers representing successful businesses including EY and BT. The event was chaired by Race Equity Campaigner Richard DeNetto and featured Columnist and TV presenter Sir Trevor Phillips.

Sir Trevor Phillips highlighted the importance of making the business case for ED&I rather than doing it because it's a shield against risk or a flag to wave to make your business look good. An example given was the casting of the popular Netflix series Bridgerton; whilst the cast was diverse, ultimately it was about making a drama series a commercial success.

Other topics included the importance of mentoring people from disadvantaged groups so that your demographic does not become your destiny and creating psychological safety so people can believe that they will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns or mistakes.

Rachel Blackburn, CEO and Founder of US2U Consulting said "ED&I runs as a theme through all our client projects whether explicit or implicit, so it was great to work with like-minded people and discuss some challenges and opportunities for 2025."

We would love to discuss your Equality, Diversity and Inclusion challenges - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for an exploratory conversation.

In addition to managing personal and professional situations in relation to the current pandemic, most of us will have been concerned about recent events concerning racial prejudice. We understand that we strive for all-inclusive workplaces; however none of us can be complacent. We must continue to review what we are getting right and what we can do differently or better.

We have many years of experience of helping Executive Teams, Leadership Teams and Team Members explore these sensitive subjects. It's always better to discuss best practice proactively than be forced to discuss it when someone has said or done something inappropriate.

Please get in touch to find out how we can support your business with reviewing Equal Opportunities and Diversity as this is such an important part of complying with the law, creating high performance teams and giving great customer service!

Established in 2006, US2U Consulting has always had strong values to underpin the way we do business.

One of these values is Encouraging Diversity; yes, we had this as a value before it became fashionable!

In addition to supporting clients with this part of their business culture, we take opportunities to continue to learn and develop our understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion and what best practice looks like. Clearly, a lot has changed since 2006.

On Saturday 26 August 2023, we took the opportunity to attend the Manchester Pride Parade (US2U Consulting Director Rachel Blackburn is pictured here). The theme this year was "Queerly Beloved", in honour of the 10th anniversary of the marriage equality act in the UK.

We also experienced the weather of all the seasons whilst the parade was taking place, but regardless of the rain it was great to see all the colourful outfits, live performances and strong community spirit.

Rachel Blackburn attended a CBI (Confederation of British Industry) meeting on Cannon Street in London on 23 February 2023 to discuss the Change The Race Ratio Campaign that US2U Consulting has been a key signatory of since 2021 (read more about this here).

The purpose of this movement is to campaign for race equity and encouraging diversity in leadership and senior management positions - which US2U Consulting has always been passionate about as one of our core values. We offer a variety of Diversity and Inclusion-focused services, with our Diversity and Inclusion language quiz being one of our activities on this topic. Read and have a go at this here - let us know how you get on!

Richard DeNetto (pictured with Rachel) was one of the key speakers at this meeting in his role as a Race Change Equity Agent.

Overall, this CBI meeting was helpful for members to discuss the topic of race equity within a variety of industries, and how an inclusive culture can help any type of business thrive.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to find out how we can support your organisation's Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunities strategies.

US2U Consulting Director Rachel Blackburn was invited onto a Norfolk Chambers of Commerce virtual panel to discuss the topic of Diversity & Inclusion on Thursday 17 September.

The four-person panel discussed the region's approach to this issue - offering practical takeaways that organisations can implement to ensure they and their staff are following best practice - and answering questions from the audience. The webinar was held in light of the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement that began earlier in 2020.

Feedback was very positive from attendees, who praised the 'enlightening' discussion. One audience member wrote "thank you all for your contributions and insights - really pleased I joined", while another wrote to Rachel, "thought you did a great job today - brilliantly articulated philosophical, procedural, practical and personal points, adding much needed insight and focus to the discussion. Thank you."

To find out how US2U Consulting can help you become up to date with your Diversity and Inclusion practices, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

We'd also love to hear your thoughts on this topic.

Click here to watch the recording of the panel discussion

We're proud to announce that US2U Consulting is a principal sponsor of UEA Disability Week 2025 - an initiative by the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the UEA Student's Union (UEA SU). The week, running from 13-17 October 2025, celebrated inclusion, accessibility, and empowerment through a diverse line-up of talks, workshops and community activities.

Throughout the week, visitors could explore stalls from UEA departments, student societies, local charities, and businesses, all contributing to a vibrant and supportive atmosphere.

As part of the programme, US2U Consulting's Rachel Blackburn MBE and Beverley Wiltshire-Payne (pictured below) delivered a talk on:

🎤 "Managing Conflict and Microaggressions Whilst Developing Resilience"on Tuesday 14 October 2025, 10-11am at the University of East Anglia.

This engaging session explored how to recognise and address microaggressions, manage conflict constructively, and build resilience - essential tools for thriving in both acadmeic and workplace settings.

💡Free resources for attendees:

To support your learning, we're offering three exclusive free US2U Consulting handout downloads available during and after the session:

Managing Conflict in the Workplace

Assertiveness - The Four Step Process

30 Tips for Developing Personal Resilience

Join us in promoting inclusion, respect, and resilience across UEA Disability Week 2025, of which we are very proud to sponsor. The support of this initiative links to one of our company values of Encouraging Diversity. The full line-up of events can be viewed below:

Learn more about how US2U Consulting can support your personal and career growth at us2uconsulting.com/our-services, or contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We are proud to share that our Director, Rachel Blackburn MBE, attended Norwich Pride 2025 on Saturday 27 July, showing her support for the LGBTQ+ community and reinforcing US2U Consulting's long-standing commitment to encouraging diversity in all its forms.

Norwich Pride is a vibrant celebration of love, equality and inclusion - values that sit at the heart of everything we do. As a consultancy dedicated to helping organisations thrive through people, we understand that diverse, inclusive workplaces are more innovative, more engaged, and more succesful.

Rachel's presence at the event reflects our belief that diversity isn't just something to talk about - it's something to live out, both inside and outside the boardroom or work environment. From delivering tailored diversity and inclusion training, to supporting clients in building equitable workplace cultures, we are passionate about creating spaces where everyone can be themselves and succeed.

"Attending Norwich Pride was an energising and inspiring experience" said Rachel. "It's so important to stand in solidarity with all communities and actively promote a culture of respect and inclusion. At US2U Consulting, we work with our clients to make sure these values are embedded in their everday practices."

We look forward to continuing our support of events and initiatives that promote equality and inclusion - because diversity drives progress, and progress benefits us all.

Rachel Blackburn was on the panel for the Open University's webinar asking "How can business schools help create more racially diverse businesses?" on Wednesday 2nd December 2020.

As an award-winning Open University and MBA alumna, with incisive insight into and experience of working in the subject of Diversity and Inclusion, Rachel's suggestions and practical advice were well received by the audience.

Watch the recording of the webinar here.

Dr Terry O'Sullivan, Senior Lecturer in Management at The Open University Business School, commented how Rachel "was reasurring about the practical relevance of many of the concepts she had met in her studies - particularly some classic ideas about culture and change management... Rachel also acknowledged the sensitivity of work in this area. Part of the difficulty of conversations about racism at work is that staff may have to relive traumatic experiences."

Pictured is Rachel at the Open University awards ceremony at the OU campus in Milton Keynes where she received her award in 2016.

To find out how US2U Consulting can help your organisation stay on top of the latest business trends and challenges as we begin 2021, contact us.

Following US2U Consulting's trade mission to India in 2023 and efforts to develop relationships with key partners for the India business market, US2U Founder and Director Rachel Blackburn recorded a discussion with She Inspires Foundation CIC. The discussion focused on Rachel's experiences of attending a trade mission to India, and devising US2U Consulting's international strategy for this market as a UK Export Champion.

In association and support from DBT (Department for Business and Trade) and Manchester India Partnership and other associates, SheInspires Group is hoping to change the landscape for women in business, one market and industry at a time.

Watch the video below and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to learn how US2U Consulting can make a positive difference to your organisation.

With 40% of sickness absence at work due to mental ill health, we are pleased to launch our Workplace Mental Health – Knowledge and Skills for Managers Programme. Delivered by Roddy Herbert, our specialist mental health consultant, it is well placed to help employers manage diversity and performance issues, taking a proactive approach to reducing the risk of legal action and promoting well being and the consequent positive impact on performance of the organisation.