Join the Alumni Council

We are looking for Business School alumni who can use their skills and expertise to help shape the Business School’s future.

Meeting four times per year (via face-to-face and virtual meetings), the Alumni Council work on a whole range of exciting projects to benefit our students and alumni, from developing module materials to advising on international strategies.

You’ll get the chance to grow your own network and develop your leadership skills, all while giving back to the Open University alumni community.

New series 'Make It at Market' turns hobbies into money-making businesses

Across the nation makers and creators are striving to turn their passions into full-time jobs. 

In a unique, life-changing boot camp on the grounds of Waterperry Gardens in Oxfordshire, The Repair Shop's Dom Chinea and a hand-picked team of extraordinary professional mentors help these budding makers turn their hobbies and skills into successful businesses in 'Make It at Market'.

They have eight weeks to prove they have what it takes to put the advice they’ve been given into practice and start building a lucrative business. 

The new series of the award-winning show has been supported by Business School academics, Dr Aqueel Wahga, Senior Lecturer in Management, and Richard Blundel, our Emeritus Professor of Enterprise and Organisation, for the first time. 

It starts on Monday (3 March) at 15:45 and will be shown on weekdays over three weeks on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

OpenMinds 2025 out now

The Open University’s exclusive alumni magazine, OpenMinds, has now been issued for 2025 and features a fantastic round-up of news, research and inspirational stories from alumni.

Updates from the Faculty of Business and Law (FBL) include the launch of our Black Leadership and Empowerment Programme (BLEP), an MBA alumnus who was one of 100 named in a national campaign about those who were the first in their family to go to university, and an MBA graduate who is using his studies to improve air travel for people with disabilities.

OpenMinds Live 2025, the online event for alumni, will be held on Tuesday 29 April. Book your tickets here. 

Intrapreneurship: driving innovation from within

We all know that entrepreneurs and start-ups are great vehicles for new ideas and solving problems, but you can still drive innovation in your own organisation by fostering intrapreneurship.

Intrapreneurs drive change from within established businesses, learn new skills, refine processes and grow businesses into new markets. The Open University has developed a four-part series of webinars to give you the tools to understand intrapreneurship, create a culture for it to thrive and tips to deliver change in areas such as tech, AI and sustainability.

Hosted by engineer and innovation advisor, Josh Valman, CEO of RPDK, the webinars go through the basics of intrapreneurship and how to build an intrapreneurial culture. The series has been supported by colleagues and alumni of the Business School including Senior Lecturer in Management, Dr Aqueel Wahga, and MBA alumna and CEO of sustainable clothing charity, Traid, Maria Chenoweth.

The future of public sector skills

A new Open University report has been released exploring the issues behind skills shortages in the public sector and providing insights and recommendations for leaders looking to deliver more efficient and high-quality services.

It has been produced following the OU’s 2024 Business Barometer which surveyed over 500 UK businesses and found that there is a ‘Lack of budget and technical skills holding UK businesses back from improved productivity’.

The new report, 'Five factors impacting the future of public sector skills landscape', draws on the input of experts and academics across the sector including the Business School’s Head of Department for Policing, Dr Jennifer Norman.

Subscribe to the OU's brand-new Research Newsletter

The Open University has launched its very first research newsletter on LinkedIn. This newsletter shines a spotlight on our latest world-leading research to tackle society's biggest challenges and make amazing discoveries beyond this planet. The newsletter will frequently feature content from the Business and Law Schools, so make sure you subscribe to the newsletter to see it on the first Friday of each month. Find the first edition and subscribe on LinkedIn.

House of Commons debate on ‘Women in the Workplace’

Jacqueline Baxter (pictured), Professor of Public Leadership and Management in the Business School, has been invited to attend an International Women’s Day debate on ‘Women in the Workplace’ next Thursday (6 March) in the House of Commons, hosted by the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Modernising Employment.

The Modernising Employment APPG works with Members of Parliament and the House of Lords to understand how the UK can become the world’s most attractive labour market, with tangible outputs to drive growth and level the playing field for all.

SHORT COURSE SPOTLIGHT: An introduction to artificial intelligence

This online CPD course is for anyone interested in engaging with the latest issues surrounding the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI). You'll critically examines the historical, ethical and social issues around this technology within society, and you’ll hear from a range of voices on how to address these issues, from activists and experts to technology corporations, NGOs and government. Your study materials will include audio, video and text, and you’ll have access to a dedicated website, forum and learning advisers. While there is no formal assessment, quizzes in each unit will help you to test your knowledge.

After successfully completing this short course, you’ll receive a digital badge. This can be shared on social media, added to email signatures or act as a certificate.

“My MBA has been a career superpower”

Craig McMurrough (pictured) began studying with the OU to turbo-charge his understanding of change management. With his sights set on becoming a professional management consultant and change expert, he went on to complete an MBA with The Open University, which he calls his “career superpower”. Now, with nearly 30 years of work experience under his belt, Craig has delivered business transformation for the likes of Sainsbury's, Tesco, IBM, KPMG. Capita and S&P Global. 

Craig sadly faced personal tragedy in 2016 when he lost his sister to ovarian cancer. Since then, he and his friend Sarah have raised more than £80,000 for charity as ‘Mr and Ms Ovary’. This fundraising success has seen an invitation to Buckingham Palace, a letter from former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after receiving the PM’s Points of Light Award, and a visit to Downing Street

Get found on LinkedIn: How to build a profile that attracts recruiters

Thursday 3 April, 16:00 - 17:00, online

LinkedIn dominates mid- and senior-level hiring. And while headhunters still trawl the site, LinkedIn increasingly uses AI to suggest candidates. The best profiles need to appeal to both human recruiters and algorithms.

In this webinar, we will examine the latest developments in the platform and the steps we can all take to stand out for relevant roles. In particular, we will look at how (and whether) you can use AI yourself to optimise your profile and visibility.