How did your journey bring you to the University of Kent?
I was made redundant from my previous role, but was looking for a new challenge at the time and this role came up, so it must have been meant to be.
Describe your role in 3 sentences:
L&OD Consultant (EDI). Provide specialist learning and organisational development support across the organisation, to support workforce development which will equip staff to deliver on the institutional plan. Lead on equality, diversity and inclusion across the organisation to ensure an environment and culture that supports a diverse community.
As L&OD work with Portfolios, please tell us which Schools, departments and courses fall within your portfolio:
I look after the Faculty of Social Sciences and several Professional service departments: Corporate Communications, Council Secretariat, Europe, Improvement & Projects Unit (BIPU), Human Resources, Office of the Vice-Chancellor, Student Services, Estates, Commercial Services.
Ali Whelan and Julie Bennett support the delivery and coordination of several courses as part of our portfolio – Presentation skills, Introduction to HE, Working with your team, managing performance, management induction, Investigation training, mental health training for managers, mental health awareness, Horizons, pathways, leading and managing through change and the leadership networks.
Favourite part of your role:
The variety of tasks that need completing and the chance to get out meet and work with so many different people.
When you are not at work you can be found …
watching films either at home or at the cinema, or running around Faversham; mainly 5k but the occasional 10k, as I’m training for the great south run which is 10 miles in October.
One interesting fact about you:
I have completed the London Moonwalk twice – yes the one where you walk around London starting at midnight in your bra! When I was 18 I sailed back from Gibraltar on HMS Invincible with the Royal Navy.
Favourite quote:
“If you always do what you‘ve always done, you will always get what you‘ve always got “- Many people have laid claim to this quote including Anthony Robbins and before him Albert Einstein, Henry Ford, and even Mark Twain. It’s always about change to get a different result you have to do something different.