Othella Blog

I am Saradha Deerpaul, a Masters student, studying International MBA at Liverpool Hope University. I am from Mauritius, and I have enjoyed my time in Liverpool, discovering new cultures. I came across Othella, formerly called Parcours, at the University’s Career Workshop. The Director, Karen Bellion, was there doing a presentation on the works of Othella and mentioned about the importance of being aware of cultural diversity and equality at workplace. This really interested me since I have previously worked in different countries, namely Kenya and Zambia, and it is a fact that integrating diversity and equality at workplace is a key factor for success. I immediately took the opportunity to work for Othella as a volunteer.

During my volunteering at Othella as Social Administrative Assistant, I have learnt a lot of practical skills. I was helping in collecting information about Othella’s stakeholders and analysing the impact of Othella on them. Finally putting all the information and analysing on a report, was challenging as well as very interesting. Being an MBA student, I did learn the theories of Corporate Social Reporting and the need for companies to be ethical, and it was the first time I was able to see a company working so hard to integrate ethics, equality and diversity together.

It was always a pleasure to work at Othella, since they practice what they preach. The Directors were always supportive and always involved me in the activities of the Company. I really appreciate the works of Othella. The Director, Karen Bellion, was a finalist of the E3 Business Awards 2013, was nominated for three National Diversity Awards in 2012 and her work was highlighted in the “Cross Sectoral Race Equality Good Practice Guidee” Network for Black Professionals 2011. The team working at Othella are very professional and dedicated. I highly recommend companies to consult Othella, to help them improve their work practices and increase efficiency. Othella provides a series of Master classes and also bespoke consultations for companies, depending on the requirements. In this globalised world, it is becoming essential to include equality and diversity in the work practices, in order to ensure success.

On a final note, I would simply add, my work with Othella was very fruitful and I know I will return to Mauritius with more experience and a whole new outlook on equality and diversity. I would like to deeply thank the Directors, Karen Bellion and Gregory Logan, for giving me the opportunity to gain valuable work experience at Othella.