The Open University

Professional biography

Liz is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and obtained her MBA from Strathclyde Graduate Business School. She added postgraduate qualifications in marketing from the CIM, IDM and is a trained management coach and expert facilitator. Her undergraduate degree is a Bachelor of Education and she has over 25 years’ experience as a manager in the private sector, education and voluntary organisations. She has researched and developed her consultancy knowledge in the areas of employee engagement, change management, customer relationship management and account management. She joined the OU as an academic in August 2014.

Liz has proven experience in the design and delivery of corporate development programmes for diverse groups of learners across industries in the private, public and third sector. Having worked with and within senior teams and boards to support strategy and performance development, facilitate strategic planning and change programmes she has worked with many organisations as diverse as the British Council, UK Commission for Education and Skills, Investors in People, SEPA, Womens Aid groups, financial services, utilities and sporting bodies. She founded and managed her own companies while utilising her coaching and facilitation skills to development management teams.

Liz has an excellent understanding of the issues involved in executive education, management development and continuing professional development having worked with organisations from financial services, charities, local and national government departments, regulatory bodies, hospitality, health care and others.

Research interests

Her previous scholarship activity has focused on the role of curiosity in work-based learning and how this supports lifelong learning. She continues to have an interest in the pedagogy of interdisciplinarity specifically as a means to develop the ability of leaders and managers who increasingly need to find solutions to complex business and societal challenges.

Building on her previous practitioner experience, Liz retains a research interest in entrepreneurship and increasingly social enterprises that contribute to the communities in rural areas.

Teaching interests

Her experience of coaching and designing work-based learning spans action learning workshops,short online CPD courses, lblended learning leadership programmes, face to face lecturing and individual support interventions. As an experienced facilitator her philosophy is to build competence and confidence through developing skills and knowledge to support individuals and organisations to reflect on their passions at work and to fulfil their potential.

Impact and engagement

Liz has developed a number of resources relating to entrepreneurship including a free Badged Online Course and open educational resources to support student entrepreneurship. During her tenure as faculty Open Media Fellow she also provided academic input to business related broadcast projects and supported their promotion at locally organised events. She has previously produced blogs, presented webinars and videos, presented awards specifically in support of Learning at Work Week, and more widely the Campaign For Learning.

External collaborations

As Director of Executive Education Liz devleoped an extended network of employer and professional body contacts. She has carried on this approach to develop her research network. Knowledge exchange, co-creating learning and collaborations on commercial ventures are hallmarks of her approach.

International links

Liz has worked on various projects involving the need to collaborate and work with learners across several timezones and- very different cultures. As a speaker, delegate and panel Chair, this has led to many international visits including Germany, Italy, Ireland, Taiwan, USA and Canada. However, the wider digital reach of programmes has included Australia, China, central Asia, the middle East, India and beyond.

Publications

Other

Tackling inequalities in rural areas and changing the discourse of ‘rural deficit' (2024-02-26)
Hill, Inge and Moody, Liz
The Open University, Milton Keynes.