Rachel Hubbard

Hi, my name is Rachel Hubbard, I am the Founder & CEO of Deaf Umbrella. Deaf Umbrella is a provider of British Sign Language (BSL) support staff in London & the South East area. My job is exciting and fulfilling; it makes me smile every day! If you want to work professionally with Deaf people then you must come and see us.

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Rachel Hubbard is passionate about deaf awareness, deaf culture and highlighting talented Deaf people, she demonstrates this through Deaf Umbrella. Their role is: To provide well-qualified and professional support workers to help deaf people communicate in the hearing world. Their mission is: To empower deaf people by supporting their communication and promoting their opportunities for education and employment . They also help and train those people working with deaf people by providing high-quality support and professional development. Thier values are: As individuals, we are committed to providing a dedicated and high-quality service which supports and expands the opportunities of deaf people in the hearing world. As a business, we understand that our professionalism is the key to winning custom and building partnerships. As an employer, we know our most valuable resource is our employees - we recruit the best and make them even better with the support and training Deaf Umbrella provide.  Rachel Hubbard is the contact of choice.

Director at Deaf Umbrella

October 2000 - Present | Bexley, Kent

Deaf people and Deaf issues has almost been a lifelong involvement for me as founder of Deaf Umbrella. My mother lost her hearing due to a medical blunder some 30yrs ago and my family struggled to know what to do, jobs were lost, emotional reactions encountered and communication methods needed to be addressed. This is how I became involved in the Deaf community aged 13. Deaf Umbrella came from a good idea during a career break; I had listened to D/deaf people complaining about the services available to them and felt their frustrations regarding the long waiting times for interpreter services. My continued BSL qualifications opened my eyes to a distinct lack of support for those people climbing the ladder to become the Interpreters of tomorrow. I knew that with my background and determination the ingredients were there to launch a company that would provide a first class service of short notice communicator assistance, and provide a solid support network to staff that would in turn serve the D/deaf community. The Language Service Professional Development Course accredited by the University of Greenwich is a good example of this. My mother joined Deaf Umbrella and successfully managed a job club for 5 yrs placing 85% of the candidates into work! Brenda retired in 2005 and was greatly missed. I am responsible for company administration, company image and brand, customer and staff relationships, events management, human resource development, training, press communication, public relations and legalities. I have a passion for my job; I know it is infectious!

Catering Recruitment at Blue Arrow

June 1997 - March 1998

Temporary staff catering recruitment, Oxford St London. Supplying front of house staff and chefs with london 4 & 5* star hotels

Directors Chef at Unilever

July 1986 - May 1996

Working for Sir Michael Angus

I am a keen supporter of Hearing Dogs for the Deaf, I am often found organising sponsored walks to raise funds. In my spare time i enjoy tennis, badminton, hosting dinner parties and ferrying my children around. Ok, so that last one isn't an interest but it is an activity that takes a lot of my time and petrol these days! :) https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-hubbard-b539a71b