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Welcome ....
to your January newsletter, featuring the latest news from The Open University Business School (OUBS)
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Welcome to the new Head of the Business School
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Professor Siv Vangen will become Head of the Business School on Monday 1 February, succeeding Professor Devendra Kodwani who remains as Executive Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law (FBL). The Professor of Collaborative Leadership (pictured), who has been at OUBS since 2002, will initially combine the induction for her new role while also focusing on research matters as the interim and outgoing Associate Dean for Research, Enterprise and Scholarship. Siv will be supporting Faculty priorities and scheduled major activities including accreditation and our submissions to the Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021).
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Come join learned conversation at The Polymath Festival
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A polymath is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects. This term certainly applies to Waqas Ahmed, a Visiting Fellow working with OUBS’ Executive Education. He is the founder of The DaVinci Network and the organiser of The Polymath Festival, the ‘world’s first major festival of ideas dedicated to celebrating many-sided human potential and exploring interdisciplinary solutions to complex world problems’.
The OU is the headline sponsor for this two-week multi-session virtual experience which starts on Monday (1 February). More than 60 of the world’s leading thinkers and polymaths will be involved in live conversations, panel discussions, interactive workshops and unique performances. Please visit here for more details and ticket information – ticket holders will have access to content for a further three months.
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Menopause under discussion at the latest Business Network Briefing
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Professor Jo Brewis is the expert speaker for a Business Network Briefing event on Tuesday 9 February, ‘Why menopause is a workplace issue’ (10:30 – 11:30). The Professor of People and Organisations is working together with academic colleagues to further the menopause in the workplace agenda and is the co-author of the 2017 government report, The effects of menopause transition on women’s economic participation in the UK. With mid-life women the fastest growing group in the UK workforce, this online event will clarify why menopause is a workplace issue and what employers should do in response. More about the event, the speaker and to register here.
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Amazing Grace kicks-off REEF’s public lecture series
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Author and economist Grace Blakeley has given the first public lecture of the Research into Employment, Empowerment and Futures (REEF) academic centre of excellence. ‘Recovering from the Corona Crash with a Green New Deal’ was well received on Thursday 21 January and is available to view in full below. REEF’s next public lecture on Tuesday 25 May is from renowned climate academic and author Andreas Malm, one of the world’s leading thinkers on the politics and economics of climate. Please contact REEF Director Owain Smolovic Jones with your ideas and potential organisations with which to engage.
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OUBS supports the United Nations PRME initiative
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The United Nations (UN) Global Compact initiated the UN Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) in 2008. OUBS signed-up in 2011 and the Faculty of Business and Law (FBL) became a signatory in 2020. Our latest Sharing Information on Progress (SIP) Report is available here, together with previous ones from 2018, 2015 and 2013. The Global Compact established the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 with the intention of radically changing the world. Project 17 is an ambitious radio series co-produced by the BBC and the OU which started this week on BBC World Service. It looks at the SDGs through the eyes of 17 17-year-olds from 17 different countries.
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BBC Ideas video says there’s no need to shout
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Dr Jacqueline Baxter has voiced a short three-minute video on ‘The power of quiet leadership’ as part of the OU’s partnership with the BBC Ideas initiative. It has been viewed nearly 100,000 times to date thanks to promotion on the BBC News website and via social media. Dr Baxter, a Senior Lecturer in Public Policy and Management, makes the case for a quieter approach to leadership, and that leaders do not need to be loud and confident.
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The perfect short course for these uncertain times
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Microcredentials are industry-endorsed online courses designed to help learners quickly build in-demand career skills. ‘Management of Uncertainty: Leadership, Decisions and Action’, which opened for enrolment in December and starts on Monday 15 March, is a 12-week postgraduate level short course hosted on our digital learning sister platform, FutureLearn – find out more and register here.
Former Governor of the Bank of England Mervyn King is one of the contributors, together with four members of the OUBS International Advisory Board (IAB) – its Chair and our 2020 Alumni of the Year Award winner Maggie Miller (pictured) and colleagues Bruce Lee, James Crotty and Sanjeeb Chaudhuri. The two academics involved are Professor of Organisational Behaviour Mark Fenton-O’Creevy and Dr Layla Branicki, a Senior Lecturer in HR Management and Organisation Studies.
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Senior Lecturer in Finance Martin Upton was the lead academic on two courses which enjoyed successful launches in 2020 …….
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Retirement planning in partnership with Legal & General
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Planning your retirement is probably the most important aspect of financial planning for you to consider. We have recently produced a course on OpenLearn to help you understand more about what money you will need and choices to fund retirement. Retirement Planning Made Easy is a free, short course which has been made in partnership with Legal & General.
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Personal finance advice with MSE’s Academy of Money
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The OU teamed up with leading consumer website MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) to create MSE’s Academy of Money, designed to give people the skills and knowledge to master their finances. The six-part badged course, launched in May 2020 on OpenLearn, covers all key aspects of personal finance. Sessions include an introductory video from MSE’s founder and renowned personal finance expert Martin Lewis. They focus on: Making good spending decisions; Budgeting and taxation; Borrowing money; Understanding mortgages; Saving and investing; and Planning for retirement.
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We are immensely proud of our alumni community and this space is an opportunity to share some of your news, a personal achievement or a promotion, so please get in touch.
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Brigadier Phil Prosser is the man for the jab
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One MBA alumnus will be leading from the front as the British Army supports the mass rollout of the coronavirus vaccine this year. Brigadier Phil Prosser, who graduated in 2012, has been tasked with returning the UK to normality as the Commander of Military Support to the Vaccine Delivery Programme. He appeared alongside Prime Minster Boris Johnson at a Downing Street Covid-19 briefing earlier this month. The Welshman is the commander of the 101 Logistic Brigade, Iron Viper, and his team were also involved in the early days of the pandemic in helping distribute personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, masks and gowns to NHS hospitals.
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Professional Knowledge Bank article relates to new book up for grabs
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John Brooker is an OU MBA alumnus who tutored part-time for 14 years on the ‘Creativity, Innovation and Change’ module as part of the MBA programme. He has kindly donated a copy of his new book, ‘Jump Now! Lead solution focus collaboration to accelerate sustainable results’. To be in with a chance of winning this, please email with your name, PI number, phone number and postal address. The competition will close on Friday 19 February with terms and conditions online.
For a taster of what the book is all about, John has contributed his article Find it tricky to resolve conflict as a leader? Might you be asking the wrong questions? to the growing bank of articles, industry knowledge and insights generated by alumni to support their peers in the ‘Professional Knowledge Bank: articles and expertise’ section on our website.
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Webinar: Professional relationships in a socially distanced world
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The fourth in a series of free lunchtime webinars exclusively for our alumni is on Thursday 11 February (13:00 – 14:00). Andy Lopata will explore the fundamentals of building, nurturing and leveraging strong professional relationships in ‘The power of professional relationships’. Described as ‘one of Europe’s leading business networking strategists’ by the Financial Times, Andy has authored five books on networking and professional relationships and been quoted in a number of other business books. Further details on the event, the speaker and to register here.
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We have a range of exclusive offers for our OUBS alumni. Click the buttons to find out more. Remember, you can access our career webinar recordings on our website along with a whole range of online careers articles.
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Best wishes
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OUBS Alumni Engagement Team
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