Rachel Whittle

Rachel specialises in management development and personal effectiveness.

Rachel has over 10 years’ experience in the charity sector. Before joining =mc learning, she specialised in direct marketing and was a Senior Project Manager at the British Red Cross managing fundraising campaigns, alongside supporting and developing the team.

My areas of expertise

• Management development
• Personal effectiveness
• Project Management

At the moment

I’m working with managers and leaders across the sector to focus on the practical skills they can use in their roles to support their team. This includes understanding management styles, considering how to develop others and manage for high performance. These programmes, including at the Bar Council, are a great opportunity for managers to take some time to proactively consider these skills and build relationships with other managers across the organisation.

Alongside this, I’m excited to be delivering our aspiring managers programme. We explore what people management is all about, so individuals can reflect on whether this is a role they aspire to and identify a development plan for themselves to support their ongoing on-the-job learning.

It continues to be busy for lots of us, with many clashing priorities all demanding our attention. I have enjoyed supporting individuals from across the sector on our Managing Multiple Priorities open programme. We have been looking at understanding the purpose of our roles to help make choices to focus on what matters most, not just what shouts the loudest at us, alongside some practical tips to say ‘no’ appropriately and with confidence.

Before =mc learning

Before =mc learning, I worked in a range of roles at the British Red Cross. I project managed large direct marketing campaigns across different channels, including mail, telephone, digital and TV. As a team manager, I recruited, trained and supported my team to ensure they delivered an excellent experience for supporters.

Alongside my day-to-day role, I was on the roster of the Logistics Emergency Response Unit, part of the Red Cross movement’s response to international emergencies. This is a rapid response team that deploys globally following a disaster, and involves working together with experts to deliver goods to where they are needed most.

In all of my roles, I have really enjoyed working with and developing others, to ensure that they had the skills and confidence needed to deliver sustainable results. This love of developing people and delivering training has led me to concentrate on a career in learning and development.