Karen has spent her entire career building relationships and, fundamentally, encouraging people to invest in the future, whether in a commercial or philanthropic environment.  She joined The Open University over ten years ago following an epiphany (and a career in corporate pension consulting).  Initially, she built the University’s legacy activity, from reactive administration to a proactive programme which includes direct mail, events, face to face and telethon. She went on to head the alumni fundraising team (covering annual fund, legacies and a mid-value programme) and now leads the University’s alumni engagement activity, covering both alumni fundraising and alumni relations.