Open University

Rachel Blackburn was presented with her Open University Business School Highly Commended Alumni Award for her contribution to an organisation and society at the Open University campus in Milton Keynes on Wednesday 22 June.

The Open University's mission is to be open to people, places, methods and ideas, and the award was presented as part of their Student and Alumni Awards 2015, presented in 2016. It provided an opportunity to meet other Open University MBA alumni and reflect on their achievements since graduating.

The day also included a tour of the campus, with presentations on the Open University Library Services and on Space Instrumentation.

The award winners also got the opportunity to record their thoughts and experiences on camera: watch Rachel's here!

"All our winners have shown huge drive, determination and commitment" said Executive Dean and Director of Studies, Professor Rebecca Taylor.

Rachel Blackburn delivered her first webinar for the Open University Business School for delegates from around the world.

The session covered coaching for performance compared to other types of coaching, as well as how to do it effectively and achieve measurable results.

Please follow this link to experience the webinar: https://openevents.webex.com/openevents/lsr.php?RCID=2e12ad1de31f8e2c44cb6d649bcb7a05

US2U Consulting Director Rachel Blackburn has been featured as a star Open University Business School alumna case study, as the world-renowned educational institution looks back on the successes of some of its former students.

In this interview Rachel reflects on her early career days, and how the educational opportunities provided by the Open University opened doors to fulfilling career opportunities that might not have been accessible otherwise. It was also her MBA qualification gained through the Open University that ultimately gave her the confidence to establish her first company, US2U Consulting. She was recognised for this achievement in 2016 - being awarded an Open University Business School Student and Alumni Award - and her MBA continues to open doors around the world as people recognise the value of a degree from a leading British educational institution.

"My studies gave me a management and leadership toolkit. By the time I finished, I had a deep understanding of how businesses work, how to manage a business and best practice in business... I left having the confidence that I could help any business with these concepts. I wouldn't have had this confidence without my MBA.

"I now use these concepts every single day to help businesses and clients... I have used the skills I learnt to help hundreds of other businesses to become successful and generate income. People appreciate the fact that it's a British MBA... it's opened up many doors for me, particularly in the Middle East."

Read the full Open University case study here.

Rachel's commitment to lifelong learning is a core US2U Consulting value, and something that allows our team to make a positive difference to any organisation. Find out more about our services.

Rachel Blackburn is to be featured in an Open University Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) about the benefits of networking after an intensive day of filming on Tuesday 10th May.

After welcoming a film crew from Evans Woolfe Media in London to the US2U Consulting head office for one-to-one filming, we then went on location to the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce's Doing Business in Dubai conference on the outskirts of Norwich to witness networking in practice.

The day finished at the University of East Anglia's Enterprise Centre where Rachel was a Young Enterprise judge to determine which of their companies would progress to the national finals in London. Filming was concluded with the importance of an elevator pitch - shot in an actual Enterprise Centre elevator!

The MOOC is titled Business Fundamentals: Effective Networking and can be accessed through the Open University's Future Learn platform.

Rachel Blackburn has been nominated for the Open University Business School Alumni of the Year Achievement Award 2015-16.

Coinciding with US2U Consulting's 10th birthday in April, "Rachel has been nominated for her ambassadorial role and her generous spirit of sharing knowledge and expertise amongst her alumni peers", while also underpinning her Open University Business School learning with strong company brand values including integrity and encouraging diversity.

Her full profile is available to view here.

As voting is open to Open University Business School alumni we encourage those within their network to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

US2U Consulting attended The Business Show 2017 on 17 and 18 May at ExCeL London to gain insights into the latest hot topics among the UK business community.

As the nation's largest free business trade show, The Business Show welcomed over 25,000 businesses across the two days and included more than 350 exhibitors as well as hundreds of interactive masterclass sessions and seminars across its 5 business zones.

Among the highlights for the team were the engaging life stories by 2014 Apprentice Winner Mark Wright, Caprice and Myprotein Founder Oliver Cookson, along with a lively debate about contract and employment law with controversial Pimlico Plumbers CEO Charlie Mullins (pictured with Rachel Blackburn). They also heard about key opportunities in Africa and the ASEAN nations, as well as the story of how Cornwall-based Tregothnan Trading became the official brand of tea for the Government's GREAT campaign.

Rachel Blackburn was also spotted at one seminar by an audience member who recognised her from the Open University's Business Fundamentals: Effective Networking online course that she is featured in!

The Business Show 2017 adds to the environmental scanningthat the company has been undertaking recently as it seeks to stay ahead of the curve in these rapidly changing times for businesses and society.

Developing and implementing a competitive strategy likely to deliver sustainable growth, enhanced performance and increased profit is a challenge for most businesses.

Rachel Blackburn joined speakers from the Open University, Capita, Dell and Trip Adviser to explore the latest tools and techniques.

Evan Davis, presenter of the BBC Radio 4 Today programme and Dragons Den said "Developing a relevant strategy is buying your ticket for success."

US2U Consulting E-news Summer 2017: Going Digital!

US2U Consulting Director Rachel Blackburn has been featured in the video content for a new Open University Executive level educational course, on the topic of Business Management: People Management and Leadership.

Rachel, who obtained her MBA with the Open University in 2004, was filmed in late 2021 at US2U Consulting's premises and her interview-style insights will be used to educate and inspire a new generation of Open University students. View a compilation of Rachel's video feature below!

Video © The Open University 2022

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.