Karan Bilimoria

US2U Consulting Founder and Director Rachel Blackburn has been elected to join the East of England CBI (Confederation of British Industry) Council from 1st January 2021. The CBI's mission is to promote the conditions in which businesses of all sizes and sectors in the UK can compete and prosper for the benefit of all. It speaks for about 190,000 businesses - together employing around a third of the private sector workforce. The businesses comprise the UK's largest network of FTSE 100 companies and large businesses, as well as mid-caps, SMEs and trade associations.

Lord Karan Bilimoria CBE DL, President of the CBI, said, "Congratulations on joining the CBI's Council, everyone here greatly values the contribution our Council members make. For 2021 with the UK business community facing real challenges from Brexit to overcoming COVID, your voice will be more important than ever at the CBI. Your contribution to the CBI Council will have a real impact and influence on our work and I hope over your term we are able to share some vital insights and intelligence that help both you and your business develop and grow. Thank you for your time and commitment to this important role."

Rachel said, "As we plan for 2021 it has never been more important for business and government to proactively work together to lift our productivity, renew our infrastructure, solve our skills gap and invest in new technology. Having been a management consultant for over 20 years working with a wide range of businesses in the UK and overseas, I am looking forward to the opportunity for US2U Consulting to play a leading role in influencing the policy landscape at a local and national level. I also recognise that I enable the East of England CBI Council to strengthen its Diversity and Inclusion practices."

Please get in touch if you would like to discuss any specific points with Rachel at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

As an elected member of the East of England Confederation of British Industry (CBI), Rachel Blackburn attended the quarterly regional meeting followed by the annual dinner at The Graduate Hotel in Cambridge. Lord Bilimoria, pictured with Rachel, attended the dinner and made the keynote speech. Karan Faridoon Bilimoria, Baron Bilimoria, CBE, DL, FCA is a British Indian entrepreneur, life peer in the UK House of Lords, and a university chancellor.

He founded the global beer brand Cobra Beer and currently operates as the company's chairman. In addition to his business activity, Bilimoria is a politically active crossbench member of the House of Lords, currently serves as Chancellor of the University of Birmingham and is President of the Confederation of British Industry.

One of the themes for the meeting was the fact that CBI research shows that only one in five businesses currently invests in developing their leaders and managers to support their business goals. We support the CBI's recommendations to boost labour productivity in these challenging times when all sectors appear to be facing recruitment and retention issues. These include:

• Adopting leadership, management and people practices that retain, engage and develop all staff, unlocking a healthier, more motivated and productive workforce by:

• Establishing and communicating a strong company purpose that encourages motivation

• Embedding effective performance management that keeps staff engaged and accountable in goals that are important and contribute to organisational success, while not being onerous

• Setting people management objectives for leaders and managers and put them on a par with commercial targets

• Ensuring leaders and managers regularly communicate clear expectations around organisational priorities, while also asking staff about their workload and wellbeing

• Regularly recognising and rewarding staff to appreciate what the team does

• Keeping track of employees' engagement levels and establishing ways staff can provide feedback and ask questions which are acted upon

Please get in touch with US2U Consulting to explore how we can help you manage these challenges.