a foundation in wakefield
DESCRIPTION
A publication detailing the achievements of 58 alumni of Wakefield Grammar School Foundation (QEGS Wakefield and Wakefield Girls' High School)TRANSCRIPT
A Foundation in Wakefield
A Foundation in Wakefield
Volume 1. Autumn 2015
Published by Wakefield Grammar School Foundation © 2015
Wakefield Grammar School Foundation is a Company Limited by Guarantee.
Company No: 4258359 Registered in England.
Registered Office: 158 Northgate, Wakefield, WF1 3UF
Registered Charity No: 1088415
CONTENTSBusiness
Charlotte Lamb Chris Kelly Helen Massey Ruth Ithurralde Jonathan Lewis Jenna Hartley Will Cooper Lizz Wainwright Katie Evans Mike Tolman Claire Young Javed Dar Caroline Atkinson Dhrupad Karwa David Brindley Tim Cawsey Sam Butterworth Lisa Tottman Lindsey Roberts
Creative Arts
Ed Barrett Edward Farmer Daniel Smith Holly Walters Steven Haynes Polly Rodgers Stephen Ridley Angela Rosewarne Nick Pickles Emma Cousin Marc Corbett-Weaver Matthew Woodhead Sandy Murray Susannah Brooke James Crapper
Journalism
Sport
Sophie Carrigill Laura Siddall Matthew Ogg Javed Dar Joanna Leigh
Alice Revel Matthew Ogg Polly Rodgers Nick Pickles Emma Cousin Nichi Hodgson Joshua Walters
CA B
J
S
4 10 14 23 34 36 40 44 47 48 50 58 62 69 74
2 18 36 47 48 56 73
3 7 8
12 22 24 31 33 38 39 42 45 46 52 54 60 68 70 72
6 16 18 45 61
Charlotte Lamb Ed Barrett Chris Kelly Helen Massey Daniel Smith Will Cooper Claire Young Angela Rosewarne Javed Dar Dhrupad Karwa James Crapper
Entrepreneur
Sophie Shaw Nick Pickles
Government, Social & Policy
32 47
Armed Forces
Valentina Klejnow-Penneck Abby Bell
Alex Bluett Jacob Mawby Joanna Otterburn Ryan Stones Evangelene Boothman
Law
Science & Engineering
Jon Watson Victoria Murtland Nicholas Thornton
9 28 65
Teaching
Nina Gunson Michael Turton
T
L
GS
AF
SE
E
3 4 7 8
14 31 42 44 45 52 7421
72
Danielle Platts Rebecca Wathen Paul Edwards Elizabeth Blakeway Vivek M. Patel
Medicine M
26 27 57 66 71
1 76
13 20 30 64 75
As an Old Salopian rather than an Old Savilian, I feel slightly fraudulent having my mug shot in amongst all of these happy smiley faces (including that of the new Headmistress who is an Old Girl of the Foundation!) Anyway, it would be remiss of me not to add my welcome to this excellent publication, whether you are reading it as a pupil (current or former), a parent (current or prospective) or anyone else interested in our two schools.
We have picked out around 30 Old Savilians, and a similar number of Old Girls, hoping to show the rich and varied careers they have gone into. From doctors, lawyers and teachers to entrepreneurs, musicians and philanthropists, they are playing leading roles in their communities at home in Yorkshire and in far-flung places across the world. Wherever you go, you are likely to bump into an Old Sav and, whether or not they are wearing their distinctive striped tie, you can often tell they have attended the Grammar School! When you talk to Old Boys and Old Girls from the Foundation, what invariably hits you is their love of the old place, their recognition that it gave them a great start in life and their endless collection of (colourful) anecdotes! They represent a rich resource of contacts for the current generation coming through the schools and we love it when they return to give a careers talk, to offer advice, or even to deliver the address at Speech Day.
I suspect we could have filled this book a hundred times over - I hope you enjoy reading about their stories so far.
David Craig Headmaster Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield
WELCOMEAs an Old Girl of Wakefield Girls’ High School myself, I can reflect on my own personal experiences when I read these pen portraits of some of our more recent alumni. It is often in retrospect that we have the greatest capacity to fully appreciate the impact something or someone has had on our lives and that is certainly the case for me when I consider the qualities and values, which are now firmly embedded within my character, which I can credit to the inspirational education received at our school.
The individuals featured in this publication have achieved great successes within their own fields of expertise and, whilst there are worlds of differences between the paths they have chosen, there are similarities amongst them as people; similarities that set them apart as alumni of the Wakefield Grammar School Foundation. Each of them undoubtedly benefitted from the academic excellence that our schools provide, but it is everything else that goes with the academic rigour, creating the whole Wakefield Grammar School Foundation experience, which really makes our alumni stand out; that gives them gumption, confidence and spirit!
Nina Gunson Headmistress of Wakefield Girls’ High School Class of 1994
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Alice is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of ‘Running In Heels’: an online magazine for intelligent, stylish women - think ‘Vogue’ meets ‘The Economist’. The site offers opinion and in-depth features on society, culture and politics alongside sophisticated, engaging content on fashion, beauty, travel and lifestyle. It’s also the only online magazine that mirrors content with an ecommerce offering, enabling readers to buy what they read about in a seamless experience.
Alice graduated from UCL with a 2:1 in French & Italian, before working in trilingual media analysis for companies such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation while at Cision Global. She then worked for popular Italian lifestyle magazine ‘I Love Sicilia’, as well as writing, editing and consulting for brands and publications including Louis Vuitton, TrendWatching, ‘The Telegraph’, Chopard and Lacoste. Alice speaks regularly on journalism and digital media, featuring on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and ‘The Sunday Times’. Having lived in Paris, Sicily and Tuscany, Alice is fluent in Italian and French.
www.runninginheels.com
ALICE REVELCLASS OF 2002Founder and Editor-in-Chief – Running In HeelsA Levels: French, English Literature,General Studies, Art & Design
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After successfully completing her A Levels, Charlotte went to Oxford University where she graduated in 2004 with a BA in Law. A seven year career as a Solicitor for well-known firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP in London followed.
Whilst in London, Charlotte saw a gap in the market for perfect yet practical on-trend ladies’ handbags that didn’t break the bank. Calling on her manufacturing family heritage Charlotte set about designing her first collection and so ‘Lamb 1887’ was born. Charlotte’s bags are made from the softest leathers sourced from the highest quality tanneries around the world. Her designs are inspired by the glamour icons of the past including Sophia Loren, and Jackie O. Charlotte brings a wealth of knowledge to the brand from her family’s footwear and accessories business established by her grandfather in 1887.
‘Lamb 1887’ was launched in 2011 and already has a myriad of celebrity fans including Pippa Middleton, Fearne Cotton and Cheryl Fernandez-Versini. Charlotte continues to direct her own brand and has also taken over as Accessories and Brands Director of her family’s firm, William Lamb Group.
Charlotte has recently returned to the school to share her experiences in the legal and corporate world.
CHARLOTTE LAMBCLASS OF 2001Founder Lamb 1887/Accessories & Brands Director (William Lamb Group)A Levels: Economics, Biology, French, General Studies
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Having completed his A Levels at QEGS, Ed went on to study Human Genetics at Newcastle University graduating in 2004.
Post university, Ed cut his TV and film industry teeth working freelance as a TV and film crew member which took him to various locations around the country. His love of the industry led him to Ipso Facto Films, a company developing, producing and co-producing feature films and documentaries. His first post was as Assistant Producer followed two years later with a promotion to Head of Development.
In 2011 Ed left Ipso Facto Films in order to found his own production company - Hook Pictures. Under the Hook Pictures banner Ed has enjoyed commercial success with his debut feature film as a Producer - ‘The Rise’.
‘The Rise’ starred Luke Treadaway, Iwan Rheon, Matthew Lewis, Vanessa Kirby and Timothy Spall . The Film enjoyed its world premiere at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival and its UK premiere at the BFI London Film Festival. It attracted numerous award nominations along the way including BAFTA recognition as Ed was named one of the UK’s Breakthrough Brits 2013.
Hook Pictures has a strong slate of projects in development and relationships with some of the UK’s most exciting new writing and directing talent. Two feature films are due to enter production in 2015/16 and the company is venturing into new and original IP by launching a new comic book publisher this year.
ED BARRATTCLASS OF 2001Founder/Producer – Hook PicturesA Levels: Biology, Chemistry, Maths, General Studies
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SOPHIE CARRIGILLCLASS OF 2013British Wheelchair Basketball CaptainA Levels: Psychology, PE, English Language
Sophie is currently studying Sports Psychology at the University of Worcester and does so alongside her training for the Great Britain Wheelchair Basketball team. Sophie was part of the GB team that won bronze at the 2013 European Championships and went on to Captain the team at the World Championships in Toronto leading the team to their highest ever finish - fifth place.
Within a year of first playing wheelchair basketball, Sophie was selected to represent the eventual silver medallists Yorkshire in the prestigious U19 event at The Lord’s Taverners National Junior Championships 2012. Sophie was also a crucial player for the Leeds Spiders in Divisions 1 and 3 of the BWB National League, as well as the Standard Life GB Women’s National League Club, the Coyotes.
After being selected for Paralympic GB’s Paralympic Inspiration Programme and an Olympic Torch Bearer, 2013 saw Sophie firmly make her mark on the senior game, representing Great Britain against the Netherlands in the Standard Life Head to Head as well as joining the GB Women’s club team the Coyotes in Belgium where they battled against some of Europe’s leading clubs. In addition, Sophie played a crucial role within the GB U25 Team as they played to silver at the Women’s U25 European Championship.
Sophie is also an ambassador for the Back Up Trust, which helps people affected by spinal cord injuries. Sophie was left paralysed following a car accident in America in 2010. Prior to her accident, Sophie was a keen netball, hockey and tennis player. With the help of Back Up, Sophie turned her hand to wheelchair basketball and her determination to succeed is demonstrated in her quick succession to the top. Sophie’s leadership and team player qualities were also recognised when she received the Harry Mills Team Maker Award at the Youth Sport Trust National Talent Orientation Camp in 2013.
Sophie recently took part in the Sports Trader Charity Hoops Aid 2015 in May at the O2 Arena and was also awarded Female Athlete of the Year by Worcester University. She has also been chosen to compete in the 2015 European Championships and will Captain the team once again.
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CHRIS KELLYCLASS OF 2002UK Company Director & USA RealtorA Levels: Art & Design, Business Studies, Design & Technology, General Studies
Chris left QEGS in 2002. He attended Loughborough University and graduated in 2007 with a degree in Construction Engineering Management.
While building a buy-to-let property portfolio, Chris and his business partner Christian Lawlor (class of 2002) set up a property management agency in 2009 called 2let2U. By 2011 it was expanded into 4sale2U Estate Agents which currently successfully serves customers nationally.
In 2009, Chris also took his business to Florida and has built an impressive portfolio of rental properties Stateside. In 2014 Chris studied and passed the Florida Real Estate exam and has been practising real estate services internationally since. 4Sale2U is rapidly becoming one of the biggest and best places for series investors to find low cost, high yielding properties in both the UK, and USA.
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HELEN MASSEYCLASS OF 1998Owner - Romantic Cottage HolidaysA Levels: English Language, German, Art & Design, General Studies
After completing her A Levels in 1998, Helen went to Northumbria University where she obtained her degree in Urban Property Surveying. She has since completed part of an MBA with The Open University and qualified as a Chartered Surveyor (MRICS) - the youngest person in the country to do so at the time.
After undertaking two weeks work experience at the age of 16 with local estate agents & surveyors - Holroyd Miller, Helen was inspired to follow a career in property. She found the right degree which allowed her to spend part of her university studies working as a Trainee with Sanderson Weatherall in Leeds. Once she graduated from Northumbria University, she joined The Miller Group as a Graduate Trainee, quickly working her way to become Senior Land Manager for The Miller Homes division, a position she held for 7 years.
In 2008, and when the property recession hit, Helen set up her own luxury self-catering property company - Romantic Cottage Holidays after having invested in a number of holiday rentals herself. Focussing on high quality properties on the North Yorkshire Coast, Helen handpicks the homes for the portfolio and personally manages all parts of the holiday letting process.
Helen still remains close to her school roots. Her daughter Annabel attends Mulberry House Pre-Prep and son Alex is at Centenary House. She also formed and runs the Old Girls’ Facebook group. She is a member of Walton Parish Council and Chair of the Walton Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group - (Wakefield’s first and only Neighbourhood Plan) and it is also one of the first neighbourhood planning documents to be processed across the whole of Yorkshire.
www.romanticcottageholidays.co.uk
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Jon’s career at QEGS saw him lead the school in his final year as Head Boy, play for the Rugby 1st XV, and sweep the board with A* and A grades in his A Levels.
Graduating from Imperial College four years later with a 1st in Computer Engineering, Jon began his career as a Software Engineer with The Hut Group in Cheshire. He is responsible for rewriting the content delivery system for all of the business’ websites. This involved using many cutting edge technologies and transitioning from a SQL database to a noSQL alternative. His internships with BAE Systems and WebCertain whilst at university gave him valuable insight into working in this field.
Jon has recently secured a position in Software Development for Sky in Leeds.
Jon married his Wakefield Girls’ High School sweetheart Vicky Hopkinson in 2013 and they welcomed their first child Lillia in April this year.
JON WATSONCLASS OF 2010Software Engineer - The Hut GroupA Levels: Further Maths, Maths, Physics, French
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Ed has become an orchestra and opera conductor based in London and working internationally. He worked as assistant conductor to Ivan Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra and has conducted at many international festivals and masterclasses, including the London Symphony Orchestra in a Discovery Masterclass with Michael Tilson Thomas, for Bernard Haitink at the Lucerne Festival, at the Menuhin Festival Gstaad, and at the Neeme Jarvi Academy, where he was awarded the orchestra prize.
He is currently Music Director of London Arts Orchestra where his performances have been described as 'an intoxicating combination of arts, visuals, music
and storytelling' (Huffington Post), and 'if only our bigger national orchestras were as innovative' (Seen and Heard International). Recent projects include 'My time will come' the story of Mahler's First Symphony (2014), and 'His Wild Imaginings' a journey through Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique supported by the Barbican/Guildhall and the Arts Council, England (2015).
A composer, double bass player and pianist, he trained at the Royal College of Music, and as a composer on the Royal Opera House Vox scheme. He is a passionate advocate for classical music, and gifted presenter of children's concerts and outreach projects. From 2015/16 he will be Conducting Fellow at Keele University.
Ed is preparing to launch a new classical music festival in Yorkshire and looks forward to working with as many Old Savilians as possible, as well as current staff and students of the school.
[email protected] Photograph: Alex Brenner
EDWARD FARMER CLASS OF 2003Orchestra and Opera ConductorA Levels: Music, Art, English Literature, Physics
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While studying for her degree in French and Spanish at the University of Edinburgh, Ruth completed a summer internship in retail and commercial banking at HSBC. She gained experience in various departments at the bank and delivered a project comparing the banking services of HSBC and its competitors.
After graduating, Ruth worked for the British Council teaching English courses to university students in Chile. She then moved to Paris to embark on a career in translation at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Here, she translated financial documents from French into English for international companies from a wide range of industries – from luxury goods to aerospace and automobile. During this time she also obtained a Diploma in Translation from the Chartered Institute of Linguists.
In her current role at National Bank of Canada she continues to combine her financial experience with her linguistic skills. She works in a team of ten translators, translating internal and external communications for the bank, including marketing material, website content, press releases and legal documents.
Ruth is also a keen netball player and was the founder of Netball Paris, the first netball association to be established in France. She now plays on the Montys netball team in Montreal.
RUTH ITHURRALDE (née HELME) CLASS OF 2003Translator, National Bank of CanadaA Levels: French, Spanish, Maths, General Studies
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Alex had an impressive career at QEGS, achieving the top grade in all his GCSEs and A Levels. He was appointed Head Boy in his final year.
Cambridge University beckoned, from which Alex graduated in 2008 with a Law degree and subsequently a Master’s degree.
Whilst at Cambridge, Alex secured an offer of a training contract with Linklaters LLP, one of the handful of elite “Magic Circle” law firms in London. After completing his Legal Practice Course at the College of Law in London, he joined Linklaters, London in 2010. Alex qualified as a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales in 2012, advising on mainstream corporate and energy transactions involving large corporate and financial institutions. Since 2013, Alex has been based in Linklaters’ Paris office, working on project and acquisition financing in the Global Projects, Energy and Infrastructure team. He advises on the financing of a wide spectrum of international projects, including wind and solar farms, electricity distribution networks and motorways.
Outside of the office, Alex is passionate about wine, having spent the best part of a year working with winemakers in the Languedoc and Champagne regions of France. He holds the WSET Advanced Award in Wines and Spirits and the Court of Master Sommeliers’ Introductory Sommelier Certificate. When he finds the time, Alex also enjoys scuba diving and is a certified PADI Open Water Diver. In Paris, Alex provides conversational English classes in his spare time to underprivileged French students at the Ecole de la Deuxième Chance (“the school of second chances”). He is also a patron of the Opéra de Paris.
ALEX BLUETTCLASS OF 2005SolicitorA Levels: French, German, History, Maths, General Studies
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Daniel left QEGS to embark on his degree in Fashion/Apparel Design at Nottingham Trent University, which he will complete in 2016.
Keen to get as much experience in the fashion industry as possible, Daniel recently undertook an internship at Serge DeNimes, a design led brand based in London, providing exclusive seasonal collections of urban apparel and accessories of premium quality. Daniel worked closely with the brand owner Oliver Proudlock and designed products that will be sold in stores across the country, such as Topman and ASOS.
Whilst at University, Daniel founded his own urban street wear clothing label ‘Unconnected’ with a view to offering the consumer an alternative option to mainstream High Street Fashion. Daniel prides himself on his eye-catching designs, made in the UK and using only the highest quality materials. He began initially by selling his t-shirts on ASOS market place, but as they were selling out fast, he set up his own website to sell his designs and since then, his business has gone from strength to strength. Daniel has also taken Unconnected to trade shows in London and opened several pop-up stores in the UK.
Daniel intends to build his brand and take it worldwide in the future, and has ambitions to have stores in London, Paris and New York.
DANIEL SMITHCLASS OF 2012Fashion DesignerA Levels: Fine/Studio Arts, ICT, Design & Technology, General Studies
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LAURA SIDDALLCLASS OF 1999Professional TriathleteA Levels: Maths, Further Maths, Physics, History, General Studies
After finishing her A Levels in 1999 Laura took a Gap Year Commission as a Second Lieutenant, in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, attached to the Royal Artillery High Velocity Missile Air Defence unit in Germany, managing the Regiment’s Central Workshop.
Laura then attended the University of Nottingham graduating in 2004 with a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering. A career with Shell UK Oil Products Ltd as a Production Unit Mechanical Engineer followed, leading to a move to Australia with Shell Refining (Australia) Pty Ltd as a Project Engineer. Moving on from Shell, Laura became a Senior Associate with management consulting firm Third Horizon, working with businesses to find and capture improvement opportunities as well as mergers and acquisitions. Laura then joined Leighton Contractors, a global construction company, where she led continuous improvement, productivity and efficiency programmes.
Laura always had a love of sport and represented England in Athletics and Netball before her move to Australia, but it is whilst she was in Australia that she discovered the sport of Triathlon. Laura very quickly began to thrive in this sport and advanced through the amateur ranks winning four World Championship Titles as an Amateur; Beijing 2011 (Sprint distance), Auckland 2012 (Olympic distance), London 2013 (Olympic distance), Las Vegas 2013 (Half Ironman distance). After achieving this level of success, Laura made the decision to resign from the corporate world, sell up and move to San Francisco where she now lives and trains as a Professional Triathlete with world renowned coach Matt Dixon and his Purplepatch squad.
Laura continues her training in the USA where she is focusing on gaining more experience racing as a Professional Triathlete, and moving up to the full iron distance. (This involves a 2.4mile swim, 112mile cycle, 26.2mile run.) Her ultimate goal is to be one of the best in the world, however more importantly her drive to be the very best she can be, and to continue to learn, develop, improve and keep getting stronger and faster over the swim, bike and run. Laura is a strong advocate for women in sport and is an Athlete Ambassador for the Women’s Sports Trust as well as a regular contributor to Women In Triathlon website www.witsup.com
Laura has had an interesting career and feels she would like to share her experiences with the Wakefield Girls’ High School Community and we are delighted that she has signed up to our Mentoring Programme. Laura hopes to visit the school when she is back in England.
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A History Degree from Newcastle University, a Graduate Diploma in Law and an MSc in Politics & Government in the European Union from the London School of Economics are Matthew’s academic credentials.
Matthew began his professional career with the Eidos Institute, an Australian public policy think-tank, in a dual role as Manager - Institute Partnerships and Executive Officer for Eidos International. Responsibilities included managing university relations and facilitating collaboration in the spheres of Government, Industry and University Research to develop collaborative ideas to improve economic and social outcomes in the public interest. He was also key in spearheading Eidos’ International ventures with the launch of an Eidos South Africa network and Inaugural Annual Congress.
Keen to move his career forward, he became Public Affairs & Policy Assistant at the Airport Operations Association in London while completing his Master’s before an opportunity to intern at Tetra Strategy arose. He was appointed to a permanent role which he held for nearly three years, working across public and corporate affairs, political research and analysis and media & political monitoring in sectors ranging from energy and transport to defence, rising to become an Account Manager.
Matthew also had the opportunity to broaden his horizons throughout his studies, living and working primarily as a cocktail bartender in the French Alps, Vancouver, Canada, and in Australia, as well as in the UK.
Currently, Matthew is circumnavigating the globe as a crew member on board Team Da Nang-Vietnam in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. He is also the team’s Boat Media Director, responsible for a wide range of media output including still and moving imagery, and Deputy Team Co-ordinator. The race began on 30 August 2015 at St Katharine Docks, Wapping London and will finish in July 2016.
MATTHEW OGGCLASS OF 2005Team Da Nang-Vietnam, Circumnavigator & Boat Media DirectorClipper Round the World Yacht RaceA Levels: French, History, Politics, General Studies
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JACOB MAWBYCLASS OF 2010Trainee Patent AttorneyA Levels: Art, Maths, Physics, General Studies
Following successful completion of his GCSEs, six at Grade A* and four at Grade A, and his four A Levels, Jacob went to the University of Sheffield to read Aerospace Engineering.
During his third year at university, he attended The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - a world leading research led engineering institute in Southern Illinois, USA. During his time there he also became involved with a fraternity called ‘Alpha Kappa Lambda’. As part of his Master’s thesis at Sheffield, Jacob performed research alongside RTI Extrusions Europe, a firm specialising in the extrusion of titanium and aluminium alloys for use in the aerospace industry. The research focused upon modelling and predicting the highly complex mechanisms of friction that occur during the hot extrusion of titanium alloys.
After graduating with a 2:1 Master’s degree with honours, Jacob joined Dehns Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys in Brighton as a Trainee Patent Attorney. He is training under a senior partner in the engineering patent group. He deals primarily with a variety of projects for United Technologies Corporation (UTC), a US headquartered multinational conglomerate. He is currently working towards becoming a fully chartered UK and European patent attorney.
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Valentina is a Commissioned Officer in the Royal Air Force. Her specialisation is in Operations Support (Air Traffic Control). Intrinsic to her job is flight safety and error management alongside mentoring, developing and maintaining discipline of junior personnel. Valentina has recently been posted to RAFC Cranwell, the home of the Central Flying School. She aspires to join Tactical Air Traffic Control at RAF Brize Norton in the near future, but looking further ahead, she would like to work in policy in the field of Future Air and Space Operating Concepts.
Whilst at the High School, she was a member of 127 (City of Wakefield) Air Training Corps. Here she undertook additional studies and extra-curricular activities in conjunction with her musical interests at school. After undergoing a rigorous selection process at RAFC Cranwell, Valentina was awarded a RAFA 12 hour flying scholarship. She and her fellow student, Laura Smith, learned to fly solo in a PA28. After school she began to read Mechanical Engineering at Newcastle University and joined the Northumbrian Universities’ Air Squadron as an Officer Cadet. Here Valentina led
teams in a number of challenging environments at an early age. She assisted in RAF Regiment exercises in North Yorkshire gaining valuable insight into her potential future role as an Air Traffic Controller, as well as particular exposure to the C130 Hercules and helicopter aircraft.
In 2009, Valentina undertook her Initial Officer Training Course at Cranwell. She also obtained a Level 5 Diploma in Management, and holds accreditations with both the Chartered Institute of Management and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations. She is also a TRiM (Trauma Risk Management) Practitioner, Casualty Notification Officer, and serves in her community as a First Responder with LIVES.
In her first posting, she was a Flight Commander to 15 personnel at RAF Waddington. Here she was also Air Traffic Control’s Unit Training Officer. Amongst her many duties was being part of the team delivering the RAF Waddington International Air Show. She has now been enrolled into the Junior Officer Development Programme in preparation to becoming a Senior Officer and has also completed an honours degree in Organisational Capability Development.
Valentina is married to Chris, an RAF pilot. She is a keen athlete, competing for a number of RAF teams, winning bronze medals in both the RAF Athletics Inter-Station Championships and RAF Presidents’ Cup (2012). She recently completed the Combat Fitness Test in order to qualify for the Tactical Air Traffic Control selection exercise which she succesffully undertook in March 2015.
VALENTINA KLEJNOW-PENNECKCLASS OF 2004Air Traffic Control Officer, Royal Air Force
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JONATHAN LEWISCLASS OF 2003Vice President – Clermont CapitalA Levels: Economics, History, English Literature, French
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Jonathan graduated from Manchester Business School with an MA in Economics and an MBA in Finance.
A career in Financial Services followed and Jonathan joined PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in London where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant. He then moved to Deloitte LLP where he became an Assistant Director in the mergers and acquisitions team.
An investment management professional, with over eight years’ experience, Jonathan is now Vice President at Clermont Capital, a multi-billion dollar investment fund based in Singapore, dealing in listed and private equity investments globally.
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After completing her A Levels in 2006, Holly decided to take a year out and spent some time travelling in America. It was whilst travelling that she fell in love with the vast continent and hoped that one day she would return in a work setting.
This happened in 2015 when her current employer Deluxe Entertainment Services Group, for whom she was working in London, advertised a post in their New York Office. Holly applied, was successful and moved over to New York full-time in February 2015. Deluxe is a global entertainment company involved in everything from production to distribution.
Holly works in physical and digital distribution as an Account Manager producing DVDs & BlueRays for HBO and BBC America. Holly also co-ordinates platform deliveries to Netflix, iTunes, Hulu, GooglePlay and Amazon Prime. Deluxe won NPV of the Year 2014 from Netflix which means Holly’s office is Netflix’s number one preferred vendor globally. Holly has also worked for VTR North and Technicolour.
Holly recently flew back to England to attend WGHS Grand Reunion and whilst revisiting school commented on how, when she was a student at the school, she never imagined she’d be working in the entertainment industry in New York and living in Brooklyn.
HOLLY WALTERSCLASS OF 2006Account Manager – Physical & Digital DistributionA Levels: Classics, English Literature, English Language, General Studies
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JENNA HARTLEYCLASS OF 2000Vice President – JP MorganA Levels: Economics, Chemistry, Biology, Maths, General Studies
Jenna Hartley graduated the University of Leeds with a First Class Honours degree in Economics. She then went on to the University of Durham to complete her MSc in International Banking and Finance.
Whilst completing her degree, Jenna interned at PwC and gained valuable experience in their Business Recovery department. Following completion of her MSc, Jenna became an Analyst for Brewin Dolphin working as a Private Client Wealth Manager.
Two years later, Jenna moved into the City to begin her career at JP Morgan. She spent three years working as a Trader and two years in Sales, on the Cash Equities Algorithmic Trading Desk, before moving in to the Analytics Product team. After eight years at JPMorgan Jenna is now the Global Head of Analytics for Equities and is responsible for delivering trading analytics to both internal users and external clients.
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Danielle has a Degree in Psychology from the University of Liverpool. Whilst at Liverpool, Danielle worked as a Childcare Practitioner with Abacus Nursery where she provided care to children from six months to 14 years. Danielle is also a keen trampolinist and was Liverpool University Trampoline Club Treasurer for three years.
Danielle also volunteered for two years at Second Chance Headway, a day centre for adults who suffered brain trauma. As a result of her volunteering work, Danielle was appointed Assistant Manager in 2010 and her interest in working in this field was established.
A year later Danielle took up a post as Assistant Psychologist with the Brain Injuries Rehabilitation Trust, working at Daniel Yorath House and Osman House. Danielle left in 2013 to take up a post as Trainee Clinical Psychologist for Sheffield Health & Social Care and to study for her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Sheffield University, which she is currently half-way through. She hopes, on completion, to secure a post as a qualified Clinical Psychologist.
DANIELLE PLATTSCLASS OF 2007Trainee Clinical Psychologist for Sheffield Health and Social CareA Levels: Psychology, Biology, Art, General Studies
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Rebecca attended Wakefield Girls’ High School from 1999 to 2006. She completed A Levels in Biology, Chemistry and French, as well as an AS Level in Physics, obtaining A grades in her chosen subjects. Although difficult to choose just one highlight of her time at WGHS, Rebecca looks back fondly on her final year, when she was elected Head Girl by both fellow peers and teaching staff.
Rebecca went on to study medicine at the Hull York Medical School and during this time spent 8 weeks working in the (very hot) anaesthetics department of Victoria Hospital, St Lucia. After graduating in 2011, she has worked locally in the Wakefield and Leeds area as a doctor in both medicine and surgery. Along the way Rebecca stumbled upon her passion for psychiatry and has now achieved her membership of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, with a view to a career in old age psychiatry in the future.
When away from work Rebecca’s main focus has been the renovation of her home, which (after four long years and a lot of elbow grease) is due to be finished in December 2015. She also enjoys training her Labrador puppy, and to her fiancé’s dismay, collecting vintage china tea sets - because you never know when you may need to serve afternoon tea to 50+ guests!
REBECCA WATHENCLASS OF 2006Doctor - Pinderfields HospitalA Levels: Biology, Chemistry, French, Physics
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Victoria left Wakefield Girls’ High School having achieved AAB in Maths, Physics and Chemistry. Alongside her A Level studies, extra-curricular activities assisted her preparation for a career in engineering. As head of the school sound and light team Victoria developed skills including problem solving and leadership. She was also part of the Wakefield Grammar School Foundation expedition to Borneo, Malaysia in July 2009. Additionally, participation in several music groups, the debating club, and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme demonstrated an ability to work well in a team, listen to others and communicate ideas.
During her undergraduate Master’s degree in Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Loughbrough University, Victoria completed an industrial placement working as an Applications Engineer for National Instruments in Berkshire. This role involved supporting and teaching customers across a broad range of sectors from automotive to communications, renewables, aerospace and defence; and allowed her to gain accreditation as a Certified LabVIEW Associate Developer. Her placement highlight was achieved when writing an article on PXI Timing and Synchronisation which was published in the Electronics Weekly magazine.
Victoria’s final two years at university continued to be busy, balancing participation in societies and roles on committees with her undergraduate studies. Her studies culminated in an individual project developing a system to track the movement of bottlenosed dolphins, based upon a technique called Passive Acoustic Monitoring. In July 2014, she was pleased to discover that all of her hard work had paid off, graduating with a First Class Master’s degree in Electronic and Electrical Engineering.
Victoria is now 12 months into her Engineering Graduate Development Programme with Rolls-Royce, working as a Controls Engineer in the nuclear sector. This scheme is broken down into several rotations which provide exposure to several parts of the project lifecycle from design, to manufacture and product verification. This scheme has so far enabled her to perform testing on a new sensor design for a future nuclear propulsion plant and to participate in leadership strategy and safety meetings. Her current role involves leading an update to the control system of a testing rig for a type of specialised valve.
Upon completion of the Engineering Graduate Development Programme, Victoria should begin her first substantive role with Rolls-Royce in March 2016.
VICTORIA MURTLAND CLASS OF 2009Engineering Graduate Development Programme – Rolls RoyceA Levels: Chemistry, Physics, Maths, General Studies
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JOANNA OTTERBURN CLASS OF 2002Policy Adviser, UK Ministry of Justice
A non-practising solicitor, magistrate and civil servant, Joanna Otterburn has an impressive career in the field of law since completing her BA in Jurisprudence at Wadham College and her Legal Practice Course at BPP Law School.
Joanna trained as a Solicitor with Hogan Lovells. She gained experience in a range of commercial, finance and litigation roles and was selected for a client secondment to the global brewers, SAB Miller. She undertook pro bono work alongside her training and, upon qualification, spent three months as a legal volunteer for Save the Children.
Joanna was selected from around 500 applicants to be a Judicial Assistant to the Court of Appeal. Based in the Royal Courts of Justice, she was assigned to the President of the Queen’s Bench Division. From this she moved into the Judicial Office, an arms length body of the Ministry of Justice, becoming Private and Legal Secretary to the Chancellor of the High Court, advising primarily on the strategy for judicial pension reform.
This experience served Joanna well for her next role as Head of Office of the Senior Presiding Judge. In this role she led a team to support and advise the senior judiciary on topics ranging from court performance, digitalisation and budget negotiations, to appointments, broadcasting and dealing with high profile cases. She was until recently a senior adviser to the Lord Chief Justice on the reform of HM Courts and Tribunals Service.
Joanna’s current role is working in the corporate finance directorate in the Ministry of Justice, as part of the team leading the spending review negotiations with HM Treasury. Joanna leads on the areas of civil, family and tribunals. Alongside her current role, Joanna is a Magistrate sitting in South East London, and is a member of the executive committee of the Wadham College Law Society. She lives in Greenwich with her partner, Matthew Pennycook MP.
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B EWILL COOPERCLASS OF 2009Brand & Marketing Manager A Levels: Geography, Design Technology, Fine Art, General Studies
Having achieved four straight As in his A Levels, Will headed to Newcastle University to study Architecture, graduating in 2012.
During his time at university Will set up numerous promotional events with BigBadRobot, the leading promotional agency in Newcastle at the time. After university Will became the Operations Manager overseeing, coordinating and promoting their popular events in and around Newcastle.
Enjoying the varied nature of events promotional work, Will started his own company, Agenda, running three weekly events in the city. This lead on to Design Agenda, a social media management, marketing and web development business. One of their principal aims was to help start-up, local businesses harness the benefits of the internet to maximise profits.
In 2013 Will started the sister company of Design Agenda; Social Agenda Ltd.
offering a full package of social media management services to clients, including communications audit and strategy development, social media coaching and workshops, event publicity, graphic design and media relations. In 2014, he won The Graduate Award from Creative North for his work with Social Agenda. Will’s company went from strength to
strength acquiring clients such as Volvo, Oiler & Boiler & The Living Room in the first 12 months.
In 2015, Will sold his shares in Social Agenda and became the Brand & Marketing Manager for OddBalls Apparel Ltd, a popular underwear company with which he had been working since it began in 2014. OddBalls raise money and awareness for testicular cancer and donate 10% of each sale to charity. He is in the process of helping setting up The Oddballs Foundation with Steve Harper (ex Newcastle United Keeper), Richard Metcalfe (ex Scotland Rugby International) and Paul Varley (CEO Newcastle Falcons) from which money raised through OddBalls can be used to fight testicular cancer.
In his spare time, Will is a big music fan and sportsman. He also managed to break his neck and back skiing in 2012!
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SOPHIE SHAW CLASS OF 2010Social Worker on the Frontline Programme Manchester City CouncilA Levels: French, German, Early Modern History, General Studies
Sophie’s Wakefield Girls’ High School career saw her achieve five A Levels grade A*/A and a year as Head Girl.
Having an interest in languages, Sophie went to Newcastle University to study Modern Languages. She can speak five languages, three of which fluently. Sophie took an active part in University life and was a member of the Erasmus Society, Modern Languages Society, Labour Students Society and GMB Young Members Society. Sophie also volunteered at Success4all’s German Club in Newcastle where she taught mixed aged children German.
As a Language student and with a keen interest in GMB Trade Union, Sophie had the opportunity to intern at the GMB Trade Union Yorkshire Regional Office and at the Brussels Branch. Sophie gained valuable insight into how views and concerns of members are represented at local and national level. Sophie became a member of the Labour Party and GMB Trade Union in 2010 and is still an active member having taken part in the Future Candidates Programme and shadowing the MP for Newcastle Central.
In July 2014 Sophie was appointed Social Worker for Manchester City Council working for the Frontline Programme which recruits high achieving graduates into social work. Sophie will be working in Child Protection whilst completing her Master’s in Social Care.
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After completing her A Levels, Lizz went to Newcastle University graduating in 2012 with a First Class BA in Marketing and Management. As part of her degree, Lizz interned at L’Oréal and was part of the Redken and Pureology marketing team. After completing her degree, Lizz returned to L’Oréal as a Marketing Management Trainee.
In 2013 Lizz was promoted to Assistant Product Manager for L’Oréal’s Garnier Ambre Solaire range. She was also selected as a candidate to take part in Google Squared, a ground breaking education initiative led by Google that works in association with Impact International, the IPA and the wider Marketing and Advertising industry to support the best new talent in some of the leading global media and creative agencies. Squared empowers the leaders of the future to make the most of the opportunities offered by emerging technologies.
Another two promotions with L’Oréal followed, and Lizz is now Product Manager for L’Oréal’s popular Garnier Skincare range.
Lizz is a keen runner and recently completed the London Marathon in under four and a half hours.
LIZZ WAINWRIGHTCLASS OF 2008Product Manager - L’OréalA Levels: Chemistry, Economics, French
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Steven’s musical education began at the age of nine as a choral scholar at Wakefield Cathedral and playing with local brass bands near his home in Wakefield. Having played with the Black Dyke, Brighouse and Rastrick, Fairey and Grimethorpe Colliery bands, Steven still enjoys playing with his local band; Rothwell Temperance, on Christmas Day every year!
Steven studied with Lindsay Shilling (Principal Trombone at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden) at the Royal College of Music and spent a year of his undergraduate course at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna, studying with Dietmar Küblböck and Ian Bousfield from the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Whilst in Austria, he was supported by the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Julius Isserlis Scholarship and at this time, played with the Hofmusikkapelle Orchestra, reached the final of the BBC Radio 2 Young Brass Soloist competition and was selected as a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra.
Following on from his undergraduate degree Steven embarked upon a Master’s Degree at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. A Scholar at the GSMD; Steven benefitted from the tutorage of Eric Crees, Peter Gane and Simon Wills.
His orchestral experience is extensive and includes trials for Principal Trombone with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Sub-Principal Trombone with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and performances with the Royal Philharmonic, Philharmonia, BBC Concert, City of Birmingham and Bournemouth Symphony orchestras and also Opera North, Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Performing with the National Symphony Orchestra, Steven has enjoyed working with artists such as Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Katherine Jenkins, Hayley Westenra, Russell Watson and Aled Jones.
Steven also enjoys regularly playing in several West End musicals and has performed in Evita (Adelphi Theatre), Spamalot (Palace Theatre), Chicago (Cambridge Theatre), Sweeney Todd (Adelphi Theatre), Sister Act (London Palladium), Oliver! (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Legally Blonde (Savoy Theatre), Wizard of Oz (London Palladium), A Chorus Line (London Palladium), Urinetown (Apollo Theatre), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Theatre Royal Drury Lane), Wicked (Apollo Victoria) and was delighted to be asked to play in the 50th anniversary production of West Side Story. TV credits include John Barrowman’s ‘Tonight’s the Night’ (BBC 2010), ‘That Day We Sang’ by Victoria Wood (BBC 2014) and the Christmas Special of ‘Made In Chelsea’ (E4 2011) with Barbican Brass.
[email protected] STEVEN HAYNES Photograph @Tom Bowles
STEVEN HAYNES CLASS OF 2003Professional MusicianA Levels: Music, Maths, Physics, General Studies
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Polly successfully completed her GCSEs and went on to complete her BTEC & QFC in Business Administration and Management. Polly then began working as an I.T. Technician until being made redundant in 2013.
Since being a young girl, Polly has always had a keen interest in photography, as well as being a regular spectator at various race meetings around the country with her family. Polly began taking photographs at the races and this is where her career as an Equine Photographer began. To further her interest in the industry, Polly completed a course with the British Horseracing Authority followed by a CPD Accredited Diploma in Social Media and Marketing from The Shaw Academy.
Combining her love of horse racing, photography and her qualifications in the horse-racing industry and social media, Polly now undertakes PR and broadcasting for William Hill and is an Owners and Trainers Liaison Representative at Pontefract Racecourse. Her equine photography is her speciality and Polly recently won Most Interesting Photograph in a competition run by Racing UK.
POLLY RODGERSCLASS OF 2009Broadcaster, PR Officer, Photographer
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After her A Levels at WGHS, Katie gained a BA (Hons) in Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) from Oriel College, Oxford, and a MSc in International Political Economy (Research) at LSE.
While at university, Katie spent her summers interning in London. After helping to run a national volunteer campaign and deciding the charity sector was not for her, she spent time at Reform, a Westminster-based think-tank. This experience led Katie to recognise her interest in public policy – but full-time jobs for graduates at think-tanks are incredibly rare. Knowing this, Katie set out to build experience elsewhere which could provide a stepping stone up to her dream job.
In 2013, shortly after graduating from LSE, Katie became Economist at the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr). In this role, Katie designed, managed and delivered research projects for a wide range of public and private sector clients on subjects as diverse as business confidence, the value of art to the economy and the cost of ill-health at work. She commented on the outlook for the UK economy on national television and radio and was frequently quoted in national and international press. She led Cebr’s global economics team for a year, establishing a new strategy for the forecasting process and was co-author of Cebr’s World Economic League Table 2013 (a 20-year global economic outlook which attracted 26,000 press mentions worldwide.)
With 18 months of consulting experience under her belt, Katie made the move back to public policy. She is currently an Economist for the Social Market Foundation, an independent think-tank. Here she focuses on financial services, the UK’s long-term growth prospects and the impact of technology and network capability on the economy. Her publications for the SMF include Good Culture: Does the model matter in financial services?, Savings in the Balance: Managing risk in a post-crisis economy, and Playing the Field: Consumers and competition in banking.
Katie lives in London. In her spare time she runs a Brownie unit and is learning Mandarin.
KATIE EVANSCLASS OF 2008EconomistA Levels: Economics, English Literature, History, General Studies
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MIKE TOLMANCLASS OF 2002Director – Focus InternationalA Levels: Business Studies, Design & Technology, Sports Science
Following completion of his A Levels, Mike attended High Point University in North Carolina, United States, where he gained an MBA in Business Management. He was awarded a tennis scholarship at HPU and went on to win the Big South Conference Championship with the team and the Big South Academic Player of the Year as an individual in his first year.
Mike then began his career with Focus International, part of the JD Group. Combining his love of tennis with his business skills, he took over as Northern Account Manager for Sergio Tacchini, the popular Italian Fashion Brand founded by the famous 60s tennis player. This he did for nearly two years until he moved to the iconic footwear brand Converse as their Key Account Manager.
In 2011, Mike returned to Focus International and undertook various roles until his promotion in 2013 to Director of the Group. Focus International manage a number of sports fashion brands including Ellesse and Peter Werth, sourcing and distributing both apparel and footwear.
Mike is married with a one year old son.
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Stephen finished his A Levels with straight A grades (the maximum grade at that time). He went on to Durham University graduating in 2010 with a First Class Honour’s Degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Whilst at university, Stephen undertook internships at UBS Investment Bank and Regent Electro. Working for the latter, Stephen had the opportunity to travel around India and Thailand alongside the Company Director, helping on a multi-million pound infrastructure deal that brought power to remote villages.
Stephen joined UBS Investment Bank as an Analyst with the Mergers & Acquisitions Team after university. He worked on a number of high profile transactions across a range of industry sectors and was responsible for nurturing relationships with the executive management of twelve large FTSE 100 companies. Despite the opportunities UBS offered, Stephen’s passion for music led him to resign his post.
24 hours after leaving UBS, Stephen pushed an upright piano into the middle of one of London’s busiest streets and started playing. Twelve months later, Stephen had played in over fifteen countries, had released his first album ‘Butterfly in a Hurricane’ on iTunes, and had started playing at the world’s most exclusive parties. He wrote an article about this transformation, ‘Life after Investment Banking’, which became an international sensation and featured in many top level publications including New York Times, Bloomberg, TIME Magazine, and The Financial Times. After his best friend was diagnosed with cancer, Stephen took to the streets of London again, playing a non-stop twenty four hour ‘Piano Marathon’ in aid of Cancer Research.
STEPHEN RIDLEYCLASS OF 2007Recording Artist
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In the two years that followed, Stephen played in over thirty countries for world leaders, celebrities and Forbes List Billionaires. After writing the music for an Italian fashion film, Stephen was asked to be the lead actor and principal model for the brand and through this has been featured in Vogue, GQ Italia, GQ Russia, Elle Magazine France, Marie Curie and Fashion Magazine. Stephen also went on to become the face and sound of the most elite champagne company in the world, Krug Champagne, in their closed advertising campaign, playing at over 20 private events across Europe. Further, Stephen started to become a notable figure in Moscow, playing with famous Russian singers at the biggest events of Russia’s social calendar.
Recently, Stephen secured his first number 1 single in Russia with ‘The Night Is Young’. Aside from working on his next album, he is working on projects with actor Idris Elba, jazz legend and twenty-two time Grammy Award winner, Chick Corea, sixteen time Russian Chart topper DJ Smash, and Europe’s biggest casting agents, Hubbard Casting.
Outside of the arts, Stephen has also spread his talents into business. In 2014, Stephen joined with his brother on a property project, together turning a disused car park into a gated community of eight beautiful townhouses. These houses now sold, the Ridley brothers are now preparing to start their next project.
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Claire left Wakefield Girls’ High School in 1997 and attended Bristol University to study Equine Science. Upon leaving university Claire entered the business world and quickly climbed the FMCG career ladder working for L’Oréal, Colgate Palmolive and Superdrug. She had reached a board level role by 27 years old.
In 2008 Claire appeared on the BBC1 hit TV show ‘The Apprentice’ and was dubbed a ‘Rottweiler’ by Lord Sugar for her tenacious approach in the boardroom and drive not to quit. She beat 40,000 candidates to reach the final and this experience inspired Claire to set up her own business.
She founded ‘School Speakers’ the UK’s No.1 speaking agency working with schools, colleges and universities providing inspirational speakers and workshops to young people. Claire herself is an inspirational speaker and was the guest speaker at the Wakefield Girls’ High School Speech Day 2015. Claire also co-founded ‘Girls Out Loud’ a social enterprise working with teenage girls 11-18, offering confidence and self-esteem workshops, mentoring programmes and coaching. She has been nominated for the Queen’s Enterprise Award twice.
Claire is an experienced presenter on TV (previously presenting on Day Break and BBC Breakfast) and regularly contributes to a variety of business magazines, paper and radio shows. She is delighted to be a government advisor working on projects helping young people start businesses and women into business.
Claire also won ‘Business Person of the Year’ at the Wakefield Business Awards 2015 and the coveted ‘Forward Ladies Women in Business Award’ 2015 for her business School Speakers.
Claire is a passionate horsewomen and owns her own Irish sports horse Briar. She combines her busy career with being a mum to her three year old daughter Eva – who is now enrolled at Mulberry House and starting her WGHS journey.
B ECLAIRE YOUNGCLASS OF 1997Entrepreneur, Enterprise Consultant, Public Speaker, MentorA Levels: Chemistry, Biology, Psychology, General Studies
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Angela enjoyed a successful school career achieving 10 GCSEs; 7 at A* and 3 at Grade A, followed by four A Levels. Angela read Management Studies and French at Nottingham University, graduating in 2005. She also spent a year in France as part of her course studying International Business.
Post university, Angela joined Zipcar’s Graduate Programme as a Marketing Assistant, a post she held for two years. Angela managed digital marketing campaigns, the company’s social media sites as well as working alongside the Creative Director. In 2009 Angela was promoted to Fleet Remarketing Manager and Financial Analyst and was responsible for the entire monthly sales strategy.
In 2013 Angela moved to Australia. Keen to combine her business experience and her passion for design, she founded ‘Pony and Ink’, an illustration and graphic design business which specialises in design for print and the web, vector graphics and pen illustrations. Angela also produces a luxury letterpress range of wedding stationery.
In her spare time, Angela is a keen runner, regularly competing in 10k races as well as playing touch rugby and netball.
ANGELA ROSEWARNECLASS OF 2001Founder Illustrator & Designer at Pony and InkA Levels: Biology, French , Geography, General Studies
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Javed graduated Durham University with a BSc in Sports Science. He then went on to the London Metropolitan University to complete his Master’s in Sports Therapy. A keen sportsman, Javed represented QEGS rugby 1st XV and was part of the Twickenham Daily Mail finalist team in 1998 & 2000 and a member of QEGS World Tour 2000.
With a passion for fitness and rehabilitation, Javed become a Personal Trainer and Sports Therapist at Holmes Place, a premium health club in Geneva. He dedicated his time to delivering one-to-one and small group training sessions specialising in weight loss, functional strength and postural correction. He provided sports massage therapy concentrating on deep tissue and myofascial release and after three years, Javed became Director of Wellness. He introduced the concept of a wellness centre within the club by identifying potential revenue sources, gaining executive support, and project managing until successful completion. This included organising contractors, budgeting, marketing, planning and the day-to-day management of the renovated treatment facilities, Pilates studio and yoga classes. As part of his position he recruited, inducted, trained and evaluated staff.
Eighteen months later, Javed co-founded Balima Spa, a wellness and lifestyle brand inspired by the culture of Bali. He led all operations from start up to brand design. Offering aromatherapy products that combine organic ingredients with ancestral Balinese spa wisdom, the Balima brand is now a fully functioning business based in Switzerland and Bali.
JAVED DARCLASS OF 2001Co-Founder - BalimaA Levels: Physical Education, Design & Technology, French
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For Caroline Atkinson, a career in the financial services sector seemed an obvious choice after obtaining an Economics degree from the University of Newcastle in 2000.
Caroline has worked for several blue chip businesses, including PricewaterhouseCoopers where she gained her ACA qualification before moving onto Carclo Plc as a Project Accountant. She then moved to Deloitte as a Director in their Corporate Finance Advisory business. She currently works at HSBC where she is instrumental in providing international funding and financial service solutions, supporting large corporates (turnover £350m+) in a variety of industry sectors all over the world.
She has experience in accounting, financial analysis, mergers and acquisitions, funding and business planning.
CAROLINE ATKINSON CLASS OF 1997Relationship Director – Large Corporates - HSBCA Levels: Economics, Maths, French, General Studies
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Nick Pickles is responsible for UK Public Policy at Twitter, having joined the company in May 2014.
Prior to his appointment he was Director of the privacy and civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch, and remains a member of the group’s advisory council.
A lawyer by academic training, Nick was a candidate in the 2010 general election, standing for the seat of Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford.
Nick is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and is also an internationally published music photographer. He is also a Trustee of the National Orchestra for All.
@nickpickles
NICK PICKLES CLASS OF 2002Head of UK Public Policy for TwitterA Levels: Economics, Politics, History, General Studies
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EMMA COUSINCLASS OF 2004Artist, Writer, Curator and PoetA Levels: Fine Art, English Literature, History, General Studies
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After completion of her A Levels, Emma attended The Ruskin School of Art, Oxford University, graduating in 2007. Drawing remains central to Emma’s practice, in creating fun, serious and absurd paintings.
Post university, Emma spent two years as Gallery Manager for John Adams Fine Art Gallery, based in the Pimlico Road Design District and primarily dealing in 20th century French Art. She continues to work with galleries and private individuals curating exhibitions and collections. She runs Robin Katz Fine Art part time specialising in Modern British painting and sculpture. 2015 sees the launch of her residential project Bread and Jam, a domestic gallery space near her studio in South East London.
Since then, Emma’s work has been exhibited widely, both nationally and internationally, being held in private and public collections to include the Museum of Modern Art Wales; Fara Sabina Museum, Rome; Art Institute, Sienna; Baya Museum, Hungary and St Hilda’s College, Oxford.
Emma’s work has been included in exhibitions at the Lion and Lamb Gallery, London 2014, Hanmi Gallery, London and the Barbican Arts Trust, London 2013. She was selected for the Creekside Open 2013 by Paul Noble at APT Gallery, London, Threadneedle Art Prize Exhibition 2012, Salon Exhibition 2012 at Matt Roberts Gallery, London and shortlisted for the WW Solo Award at WW Gallery, London in 2012 and New Contemporaries in 2008. More recently, Emma was longlisted for Anthology Prize, Charlie Smith, London and for John Moores Painting Prize 2014 and in 2015 she will feature in five group exhibitions that showcase contemporary painting.
Emma also writes for Silhouette Press, a not-for-profit social enterprise publisher, Different Skies, a publication for writing that falls between the categories of the political, the scholarly and the creative and The Learned Pig, an online magazine with four main interest areas – art, thinking, nature and writing.
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After receiving his first piano lessons at the age of five, Marc’s early musical talent was nurtured at QEGS where he attended from the age of seven to eighteen. At QEGS Marc was able to practise intensely and perform regularly, study for all ABRSM graded piano exams and diplomas, win many of school’s major music competitions and give his first performance of the Grieg Piano Concerto. During his earlier years at school, Marc was a chorister at Wakefield Cathedral. Later on, he was organist at St John’s Church. As he prepared to leave school, Marc auditioned successfully for conservatoire and went to study at the Royal College of Music in London.
Now based in London, Marc enjoys a busy musical career as a concert pianist and artistic director. He performs as a solo recitalist and concerto soloist across the UK and internationally. His concerts have been much acclaimed in the local, national and international press. He has performed in many of the UK’s leading concert venues - including London’s Cadogan Hall where he has performed both Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 and Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2. He is in demand as a teacher of the piano, several of his pupils having achieved success in the performing world. Marc is also Artistic Director of Bath Recitals - an annual series of concerts produced in the principal performing venues of Bath.
Marc has founded two orchestras – Orpheus Sinfonia, which he directed for six years, and Firebird Orchestra, which he continues to direct. Firebird Orchestra has performed at The Royal Festival Hall and Queen Elizabeth Hall in London’s Southbank Centre, Kings Place, Grosvenor House on Park Lane, Royal Pump Room in Bath, St George’s Hanover Square Mayfair and St Paul’s Covent Garden. The orchestra collaborates with several celebrated musicians including Mathieu van Bellen, Thomas Gould, Rainer Hersch, Aleksei Kiseliov, Jennifer Pike, Leonard Schreiber and Raphael Wallfisch. Its concerts have been covered enthusiastically in The Times, The Evening Standard, Classical Music Magazine, Classical Source and BBC Radio London.
Marc is also Artistic Director of The Story of Christmas, the celebrated London Christmas concert which takes place annually at St George’s Hanover Square Mayfair and The Dorchester Park Lane. Each year, the concert raises several hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity. It features a spectacular cast of performers. During Marc’s time, these have included The Story of Christmas’s President Dame Judi Dench, Deputy President Aled Jones, Vice Presidents Benedict Cumberbatch, Edward Fox & Joanna David, Freddie Fox, Ian Hislop, Martin Jarvis, Joanna Lumley, Geoffrey Palmer, Michael Portillo, Dan Stevens and June Whitfield, with guest appearances from Daniel Craig, Miranda Richardson, David Suchet and Emma Watson.
http://www.marccorbett-weaver.com/
MARC CORBETT-WEAVERCLASS OF 2003Concert Pianist and Artistic Director
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Dhrupad Karwa is the 23-year-old CEO and co-founder of HaikuJAM, a creative social networking start-up. The company’s core product is a beautiful mobile app through which people connect to create poetic expressions together (rated nearly 5 stars on iOS and Android). With words, photographs (and soon video) users can ‘jam’ with their friends or strangers anywhere in the world. The app was featured on the front page of the Apple App Store in 16 countries. HaikuJAM has been profiled in Forbes, The New York Times, The Guardian, BBC, TechCrunch, CNET, The Week and was named amongst the “50 BEST CREATIVE APPS” globally by The Observer. HaikuJAM was also selected for the Oxygen Accelerator Programme at Google Campus (London) in February 2015 and has secured seed funding from the lead investors in JustGiving, the world’s largest social fundraising platform. Dhrupad is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) and New Entrepreneurs Foundation.
Between the ages of 14-16, Dhrupad founded and led two ventures: a newspaper business centring on ‘positive journalism’ and a start-up that supplied curated handmade products, made by workers in rural India, to local art shops and at regional trade fairs. At 20, he founded “The Bill Geeks”, an online automated utility-bill management system, which would auto-switch homeowners onto the cheapest available electricity/gas tariffs, after their existing deals expired - Dhrupad led the team as CEO. The Bill Geeks won a “Startup Weekend” hackathon competition (sponsored by Google), raised angel funding and received written acknowledgement for the venture from PM David Cameron.
Dhrupad secured 10 A*s at GCSE and 2 A* grades in A Level. He was the national runner-up in “ifs Young Business Writer of the Year” both in 2009 and 2010, and he was awarded the BWD Rensburg Scholarship in 2008/2009 for entrepreneurial excellence.
Dhrupad went on to read Economics at University College London (UCL) and graduated in 2013. Just two months after starting his degree, he was offered a role at the European Parliament through Nirj Deva, Vice-President of the European Parliament’s Development Committee and Conservative MEP for the South East of England. They met at the “International Leadership Symposium on Ethics in Business” in Brussels, where Dhrupad impressed Mr. Deva with a speech on the importance of fusing corporate profitability with sustainability. Dhrupad was immediately introduced to high level politics. After spending five weeks in Brussels he was offered a part-time traineeship, through which he contributed to preparing Mr. Deva’s European Parliament Presidential campaign strategy and also worked to strengthen relations between India and the European Union.
Having started to pen his first novel at UCL in 2011, Dhrupad was awarded the annual UCL “DSC Literature Scholarship”, which fully funds a student to attend the Jaipur Literature Festival for the purposes of research into any aspect of South Asian Literature. His work-in-progress novel, “The Tibetan Waiter”, is written entirely in verse and inspired by Vikram Seth’s “The Golden Gate”. The story is one of politics, spirituality and love.
DHRUPAD KARWACLASS OF 2010Co-Founder & CEO at HaikuJAMA Levels: Fine Art, Mathematics, Further Mathematics, Chemistry, General Studies
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Website: www.dkarwa.com
Blog: www.dkarwa.wordpress.com
Twitter: @dhrupadkarwa @Haiku_JAM
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DAVID BRINDLEYCLASS OF 1999International Operations Development Manger - Jaguar Land RoverA Levels: Art & Design, Sports Studies, Design & Technology, General Studies
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After completing his A Levels at QEGS, David attended Coventry University and graduated in 2003 with a degree in Industrial Product Design. He entered GIST’s Graduate Training Programme focussing on Operations Management in the third party logistics industry, and worked across several contacts as a Shift Manager including a Marks & Spencer’s food site in Kent and the Marks & Spencer’s International Export Centre in Hemel Hempstead.
In 2005 he took on his first full-time role as a Shift Manager based at the Carlsberg Brewery in Northampton, and after a few months took a role as the Operations Manager responsible for a team of 68 supplying materials and removing finished goods from the site. In 2007 he led several projects focussed on environmental improvements and cost savings which led to a nomination for the C.I.L.T Young Manager of the Year award.
From 2008 to 2011 he moved across several roles within GIST covering production management and continuous improvement activities, supporting a supply chain improvement programme across Northern Europe. In 2012 David moved back into Operational Management and as part of a contract changeover moved to Norbert Dentressangle. While there David project managed the opening and closure of several large retail warehouses in Northamptonshire.
In 2013 he moved to the automotive manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover as a Project Manager, and had responsibility for the development of the supply chain to get production parts to a new factory under construction in China. Once completed David was promoted into his current role, International Operations Development Manager where he is responsible for the development and improvement of supply chain processes to support the international manufacturing plants for Jaguar Land Rover products.
He currently resides in Northampton with his wife and two children.
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NICHI HODGSON CLASS OF 2002Author, Broadcaster, JournalistA Levels: English Literature, English Language, History, General Studies
Having achieved four straight As at A Level, Nichi Hodgson read English and Related Literature at the University of York, specialising in feminist history, literary censorship, new-Platonism and Petrarchan love poetry. She graduated in 2006 with a First Class Degree. Further study followed at Harlow College and the Universita Degli Studio di Milano in Italy.
Nichi’s career has seen her writing for the New Statesman, (where she also interned), The Times, The Observer, The Law Society and Standpoint Magazine. Nichi has become a leading journalistic voice on the topic of civil liberties and censorship issues, sex and the law and gender politics and regularly contributes to The Guardian, New Statesman and The Telegraph on these issues. She also writes for US women’s magazine Bustle.com on US politics, social policy and health, and Vice magazine.
Nichi was one of the first British journalists to court-report via Twitter, and is cited in Wikipedia for her coverage of the 2012 obscenity trial, R v Peacock. Nichi is a regular commentator on BBC Radio 2, and BBC Radio 5 as well as debating in various TV documentaries. She has recently researched, written and presented her first documentary for Radio 4. Her first book was published in 2012. Nichi continues her freelance writing as well as being a political commentator and newspaper reviewer for Sky News.
Photograph © Mark Mawson
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PAUL EDWARDS CLASS OF 2005Specialty Doctor in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at Ormskirk District General HospitalA Levels: Chemistry, Biology, Fine Art, General Studies
Paul is a graduate of both the University of Newcastle and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, having studied Dentistry at both. Paul was winner of the Northern Deanery Key Skills Prize in 2012 and has published both case reports and journal articles in his field.
Paul’s first appointment post university was with the Newcastle Dental Hospital where he was able to complete his training as a General Professional Trainee and House Officer. Working in both primary and secondary care areas, Paul was able to gain many transferable skills. These he took to his next post as Senior House Officer in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at the Royal Victoria Infirmary. Whilst here, Paul worked closely with A&E staff and managed patients who required acute and elective surgery procedures.
A move to Australia followed where Paul became Dentist and Lead Surgeon at Gympie Hospital and Caloundra Hospital, both on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland. Both hospitals are state funded to provide oral healthcare for the less fortunate and Paul’s role was to provide general dentistry, promote oral healthcare as well as perform treaments under general anaesthetic.
Paul’s current role is with Ormskirk District General Hospital as Specialty Doctor in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery. Drawing on his previous experience and being mentored by his more senior colleagues, Paul has become proficient in more advanced oral surgery procedures. He is currently being trained in the surgical treatment and facial reconstruction of those patients who have had skin cancers.
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Matt Woodhead, despite being only 22, is a theatre director, and one of the brains behind an award-winning and a critically acclaimed play, telling the often unremembered story of the Valley Parade fire, which struck Bradford in 1985.
Started in October 2012 at the University of Sheffield, the theatre group in question, Funny You Should Ask (FYSA) initially consisted of Matt and seven friends, formed to try and move their theatrical ambitions out of the university’s old Drama Studio and into more alternative, exciting pastures.
It worked! Now formed from 18 members, FYSA has gained national recognition, with their play about the Valley Parade, fire in Bradford, ‘The 56’ enjoyed a month-long run at the Edinburgh Fringe, and went on a national tour, encompassing amongst others, theatres in London and The Lowry in Salford. ‘The 56’ went on to win The Director’s Guild Award for Best Newcomer, The Spotlight Award for Best Actress, Judges Award for Best Ensemble (NSDF) and was shortlisted for The Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award. Despite its obvious success, Matt’s attitude towards his company and their production, which he described as a “northern story” hasn’t changed. Matt describes the production as a “raw, verbatim” play, drawn entirely from conversations and testimony of survivors of the terrible day, and the work required to get it on stage. All profits of the project are to be directed to Bradford University Burns Research Unit established in the aftermath of the fire.
FYSA cut their performing teeth in Sheffield’s Library Theatre with a production of ‘Lord of the Flies’. Featuring a cast of 15 and a team of over 25, the performance, staged to raise funds to make possible their 2013 Fringe Debut of Christopher Durang’s ‘Laughing Wild’ and co-directed by Matt, received overwhelming reviews. Whilst at university, Matt also directed Chekov’s ‘The Bear’ for the Platform Performance Festival, the University of Sheffield’s annual performing arts festival. Matt was also involved with Sheffield University Theatre Company (SuTCo), as the external publicist.
FYSA made their third appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year with ‘E15’, their new verbatim production tackling the social housing issue in Britain. This piece of documentary theatre is adapted exclusively from real-life testimonies to provide a truthful re-telling of a national issue and how one group of women refused to be marginalized.
In addition to their theatre productions, FYSA facilitate free theatre workshops for children in the local area, having already provided for over 2,000 students since they began and are working as a residency company with Battersea Arts Centre in January 2016. Matt also participated in the Director’s Course at the National Theatre in September 2015.
MATTHEW WOODHEADCLASS OF 2011Theatre Director - Funny You Should Ask (FYSA)A Levels: History, Politics, English Literature, General Studies
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Tim is an award-winning, Marketing Communications professional with almost 20 years experience in the Business to Business (B2B) Tech Market.
He started his career in sales & marketing for Nord Anglia Education before joining the tech transfer arm of the University of Manchester. Here he helped to market the university’s patents and launched a number of start-ups based on its inventions. In 2000, he left Manchester for the South of France to join French IT and security company, Gemplus, who produce many of the world’s SIMs and Chip and PIN bank cards. His first post with Gemplus was as Marketing Communications Manager for the company’s Telecom business based near Marseille. He then moved to Philadelphia to serve as Communications Director for the Americas, focusing mainly on Public Relations within the Telecom, Financial Services, Government and IT Security sectors for both North and South America. Following the merger of Gemplus and its biggest rival Axalto, Tim was tasked with launching the new brand, Gemalto. He is currently Head of Branding & Content and is responsible for the company’s external communications, branding and social media. After many years of growth, Gemalto now has 14,000 employees, is dual-listed on the Amsterdam and Paris stock exchanges and had €2.5bn revenues in 2014.
Tim has won many awards for his work in the fields of advertising, corporate and financial communications. These include best B2B Tech & Telecoms Publication for Gemalto’s Digital Security Magazine, The Review, best French B2B ad campaign in 2009 and Bronze Award in the 2014 UK Corporate & Finance Awards for Gemalto’s Annual Report in the Unlisted/International Company Category.
A languages graduate of Salford University, Tim is fluent in both French and Spanish. He has also completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing Management and an MSc in Digital Marketing Communications both from Manchester Metropolitan University. Tim represented QEGS 1st XV from 1989-1991 and is still playing veterans rugby for Marseille, although he is mostly injured!
TIM CAWSEYCLASS OF 1991Head of Branding & Content - GemaltoA Levels: History, Economics, French, General Studies
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JOANNA LEIGHCLASS OF 2009Full-Time Athlete (Great Britain and England Hockey)
Jo graduated from the University of Bristol in the summer of 2015 having completed a BSc in Geography. Jo is also a full-time athlete with the Great Britain and England Hockey Team having pursued this alongside her degree.
Jo gained her first senior England cap in Cape Town in February 2013, aged 19 and her first senior Great Britain Cap November 2013, aged 20. At a junior level she has represented England at all three of the junior age groups (u16, u18, u21) playing in many international matches and tournaments including European Championships - winning silver (u16) and bronze (u18, u21) medals and the Junior World Cup, where they finished 4th. Jo has captained both the u16 and u18 England teams and has also represented Team GB Youth at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival in 2013.
Jo was a recipient of the TASS (Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme) during her first two years of university before becoming a professional. She also received the Vice Chancellor’s Scholarship awarded by Bristol University in celebration of Jo’s sporting achievements and aspirations.
In the most recent 2014/2015 season Jo has represented England in the Champions Trophy tournament held in Mendoza, Argentina and also Great Britain in the Olympic Qualifying tournament in Valencia, Spain, where Great Britain won all 7 matches and the tournament to ensure GB women’s hockey qualification for the Rio Olympic Games in 2016.
Keen to put back into her sport, Jo has helped over 100 children at Repton Summer Camps and is a volunteer coach at Clifton Ladies Hockey Club, Bristol, where she currently plays.
Jo’s ultimate aim is to play at the Olympics and is currently targeting the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
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SANDY MURRAYCLASS OF 2011ActorA Levels: Theatre Studies, English Literature, Maths, Religious Studies
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Sandy had a successful career at QEGS, not just academically but in other areas too. His love and talent for drama and performing was evident immediately, and he starred in many of the junior productions. He took the lead role in the senior productions of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and ‘Animal Farm’. He starred in the senior production of ‘Anything Goes’ and created and starred in a startling original piece of work inspired by Red Riding Hood, playing ‘the Wolf’.
Naturally, drama school beckoned and Sandy Graduated from The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 2014 having been the recipient of the John Thaw Foundation Award.
Sandy made his stage debut in the public arena as ‘Dance Captain’ in the Lee Hall stage adaption of Tom Stoppard’s screenplay ‘Shakespeare in Love’. The play, nominated for The Best New Comedy Olivier Award, ran for nine months and saw Sandy performing more than 300 times. It boasted one of the largest casts ever assembled for a West End play and was performed in London’s Noel Coward Theatre.
Since then Sandy has worked with his own theatre company, Selah Theatre Company, on a production for the Edinburgh Fring 2015, alongside auditioning.
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RYAN STONES CLASS OF 2010Law AcademicA Levels: Government & Politics, Latin, English Literature
Ryan studied at QEGS from 2003 to 2010, leaving with A Levels in English Literature, Government and Politics, and Latin (AAA).
From 2010 to 2013 he read Law at the London School of Economics and Political Science, graduating with First Class Honours; for each of his three years of study,
Ryan was awarded the prize for best examination performance in law. He then went on to undertake postgraduate study at the University of Oxford, graduating with a Distinction on the Bachelor of Civil Law programme in summer 2014.
He subsequently returned to the LSE, where he is currently working towards a PhD in EU competition law and legal theory.
In August 2015, Ryan taught a three-week intensive competition law course for legal professionals from around the world as part of the LSE Summer School.
Alongside his research, he currently teaches UK constitutional and administrative law for first-year undergraduate law students at the LSE
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Nicholas left Wakefield after completing his A Levels to read Aeronautical Engineering at Imperial College London. While studying for his Masters Degree, he undertook a three month internship at Rolls Royce, working on the development of the JSF F-35 Aircraft.
Following university, he took a gap year where he volunteered on a ten week programme in the Borneo Rainforest, employing his practical engineering skills. He also traveled Australia and New Zealand and worked as Transport Planner, managing the operational and commercial challenges of the role.
In 2011 he re-joined Rolls Royce on their Engineering Leadership Graduate Scheme. Since then he has worked in their Defence, Civil and Marine sectors, working in engineering design and project management roles. In 2014 he also completed a Post Graduate Certificate in Aerospace Science from the University of the West of England. He is now Engineering Programme Manager working to deliver the next generation of Trent Civil Airline Engines for Airbus & Boeing.
NICHOLAS THORNTON CLASS OF 2006Engineering Programme Manager at Rolls Royce A Levels: Maths, Physics, Design & Technology, General Studies
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Elizabeth left WGHS with an impressive caché of qualifications, including 8 A* and 2 A grades in her GCSEs, an A grade in AS Level Mathematics and 4 A grades in her A Levels. School accolades included an Academic Sixth Form Scholarship and the Ruth Benson Physical Education Scholarship. Elizabeth proceeded to Cambridge University where she obtained an MA in Medical Sciences, completing her Medical Degree (MBBS) at Imperial College, London. In 2013, Elizabeth achieved her Membership of the Royal College of Physicians (MRCP) Diploma.
Whilst at Cambridge University, she received the Johnstone & Florence Stoney Travelling Studentship for her medical elective at Brown University, USA, in addition to the Effie Marshall Prize in recognition of her outstanding progress in the Medical Sciences Tripos.
Some of Elizabeth’s published papers include ‘Catastrophizing – A Predictive Factor For Post-Operative Pain’ (Am J Surg. 2011 Jan; 201(1):122-31) - a peer-reviewed article discussing the effects of pain catastrophizing on post surgical pain, ‘ECGs: Colour-coding for Initial Training’ (Resuscitation. 2012 May; 83(5):e115–e116) - a peer reviewed teaching article outlining a logical approach for the non-cardiologist to read an electro-cardiogram and ‘Children with a mother with delusional infestation-implications for child protection and management’ (Pediatr Dermatol. 2015 May-Jun;32(3):397-400) - A case report outlining a shared delusional infestation involving a mother and her children. She has been accepted to present at a number of national and international medical conferences including The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, The European Society of Dermatological Research and The British Society for Paediatric Dermatology.
Elizabeth’s first substantive post was at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust as a Foundation Doctor. She then she moved to Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust to complete her Core Medical Training as an Academic Clinical Fellow. In pursuit of her chosen specialty, Dermatology, she spent a year as a Clinical Research Fellow in Dermatology at Barts Health NHS Trust where she acted as a Sub-Investigator for 16 dermatological clinical trials, both commercial and non-commercial. She has since received her National Training Number in Dermatology having been appointed as a Dermatology Specialist Registrar in the Yorkshire and Humber Deanery and is currently based at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
Elizabeth has always had a zest for sport. She is a keen crossfitter, skier and has recently taken up golf. Whilst at Wakefield Girls’ she achieved Sporting Colours in Hockey, Netball, Tennis and Athletics in addition to competing at County Level in Netball. She obtained a Cambridge University Sporting Blue and was democratically elected as the University Ski Team Captain, leading the team through regional rounds to the national finals of collegiate races for the first time in five years. She takes pride in her commitment to charitable organisations having trained for and competed in a number of half marathons raising substantial funds for her chosen charities.
ELIZABETH BLAKEWAYCLASS OF 2002Dermatologist Specialist RegistrarA Levels: Physics, Chemistry, Human Biology, General Studies
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Sam gained a place at Stirling University to read Psychology. In his gap year he found work at the stocks and shares subsidiary of Yorkshire Building Society and elected to remain there.
When YorkShare was taken over by the Canadian TD Bank Group, Sam continued with the firm as a Trader until they closed his office as a result of the early 2000s recession.
Deciding upon a more stable career path, he chose Marketing and moved to Access Plus plc, a direct marketing and print outsourcing business where he managed a £2m print spend. He later moved to their technical division where he helped pioneer Web2Print technology in partnership with Hewlett Packard.
In 2007, Sam joined Axia Interactive Media as their Marketing and Quality Manager. He was key to the implementation and support of Axia’s e-portfolio, a platform that enables the online assessment of NVQs.
Sam’s next post was with Parabis Group, a legal services outsourcing business, where he oversaw the marketing requirements for multiple brands with a combined turnover of £180million.
Sam is currently Head of Marketing at Nexus Vehicle Rental, a private-equity backed vehicle rental broker providing businesses with access to any vehicle, anytime, anywhere, through an online rental system.
SAM BUTTERWORTHCLASS OF 1999Head of Marketing - NexusA Levels: English Language, Politics, Geography, General Studies
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SUSANNAH BROOKECLASS OF 2002Architectural Historian and Heritage ConsultantA Levels: Art, Geography, Spanish, General Studies
Following her A Levels at WGHS, Susannah took a gap year before studying at the University of Nottingham. She completed her degree in Architectural Studies in 2006 and the year after completed an MA in History of Art at the Courtauld Institute, London. In 2009 Susannah matriculated at Queens’ College Cambridge and successfully obtained a PhD in History in 2012. She is a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Arts Scholars.
Susannah’s work experience includes time with Wakefield Art Gallery, the British Pictures Department at Sotheby’s, London, and at Fenton House, London. While at Cambridge Susannah was an Undergraduate Supervisor for History of Art and a Convenor of the interdisciplinary seminar group ‘Things: Material Culture of the Long Eighteenth Century’. She has lectured for Nottingham Trent University and the Institut Supérieur des Arts. In 2013 Susannah was a Junior Research Fellow at the Centre for the History of Collecting at the Frick, New York; her research was on early American domestic picture collections.
An internship in the Conservation Department at Alan Baxter Limited led to her current position as Architectural Historian and Heritage Consultant at the firm. In this role Susannah researches a broad spectrum of buildings and places to illustrate their significance. She produces Heritage Statements and Conservation Management Plans, and works with architects and planning authorities to achieve listed building and planning consents.
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LISA TOTTMANCLASS OF 1998Managing DirectorA Levels: English Language, Business Studies, Economics, Human Biology, General Studies
Lisa completed her degree in Business Studies with Applied Consumer Studies at the University of Surrey. Whilst there, she and some fellow students took part in a national competition reaching the final, with a report based on labelling and marketing. Lisa’s dissertation was also all about food labelling.
Lisa left university and started at National Australia Bank as a PA providing sales support to the two UK heads of business and corporate banking. She then transferred onto their graduate scheme and became a Corporate Banking Associate looking after SME businesses. She later moved to working with FTSE and AIM listed companies. Lisa was involved in arranging high profile events for the NAB executive committee and in the recruitment and selection of new graduate intakes.
A move to be a Commercial Relationship Director at Barclays Bank followed, looking after the banking and borrowing needs of many £1m to £25m turnover businesses in West Yorkshire. She also specialised in the education sector and worked closely with the Wakefield Foundation.
The experience of working with local businesses gave Lisa a desire to leave banking and be involved in manufacturing. A position with City Graphics as Commercial Director was a pre-cursor to her current position as Managing Director and majority shareholder at CLS Identification Ltd. CLS is one of Yorkshire’s leading plain and printed self-adhesive label manufacturers, working with a wide range of clients from small local businesses to large blue chip organisations with instantly recognisable brands. Lisa’s company provides a complete service from design and artwork right through to printing, and ongoing service and support. CLS also supply thermal transfer printers, service and maintenance.
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Following completion of his A Levels at QEGS, Vivek went onto read Medicine at the University of Manchester graduating in 2011.
Post university, Vivek worked at Leeds Teaching Hospitals as a Foundation Year One Doctor and successfully had a research project published and subsequently presented at the British Society of Gastroenterology International Conference. Following this he returned to Wakefield to complete his Foundation Two Year at Pinderfields Hospital and Warrengate Medical Centre. He has since embarked on his GP training undergoing six month rotations in Emergency Medicine, General Practice, Psychiatry and Paediatrics at Pinderfields Hospital and Middlestown Medical centre. He is currently in his GP Registrar year at the Grove Surgery, Wakefield. His work as a GP trainee recently led him to be interviewed on BBC World News regarding the proposed seven day changes to the GP service.
This year Vivek has returned to the classroom as a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Leeds lecturing Primary Care to medical students focussing on communication skills. This work has also led to an involvement in the admissions process at the Medical School and he hopes to further develop a career in teaching.
Outside of work, Vivek has become involved in the Mid Yorkshire Children’s Burns Club for which he organised a charity ball last year at Oulton Hall. The event was a huge success raising over £3000 for children in the locality who have been affected by burns injuries.
VIVEK M. PATELCLASS OF 2005Doctor/Visiting Lecturer University of LeedsA Levels: Chemistry, Economics, Mathematics, General Studies
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LINDSEY ROBERTS CLASS OF 2003 Corporate Communications and Investor Relations, Macquarie Group A Levels: Art & Design, English Language, English Literature
ABBY BELL CLASS OF 2012Musician in the Royal Marines Band A Levels: Music, Biology, Chemistry
Pictured here in August 2015 Lindsey Roberts (left) completed her A Levels and left WGHS in 2003. Her sister, Abby Bell (right), finished her A Levels in 2012. The same education, nine years apart, these sisters have taken completely different career paths.
After completing a Foundation Art Course, BA in History of Art and an MA in Public Relations, Lindsey went on to forge a career in communications. Focusing on the financial services industry, she moved down to London just over a year ago to work for Macquarie, an Australian Investment Bank based in The City.
Abby, who has been a keen musician since the age of eight, decided she wanted to train to be part of the Royal Marines Band Service. First undertaking 12 weeks of basic military training, she then became part of Troop 1/12, and spent the next three years perfecting her skills on chosen instruments saxophone, flute and piccolo.
This picture is taken at Abby’s passing out parade in August, where she was joined by her sister Lindsey and entire family as she was assigned to Collingwood band, where she will undertake numerous musical assignments across the year, most notably the opening ceremony of the Rugby World Cup 2015, taking place at Twickenham.
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Joshua enjoyed his time at QEGS and left with a quite varied choice of A Levels and GCSEs but had yet to decide upon what career path he wished to take and applied for deferred entry at various universities, in different subjects
During his gap-year, he made the decision to embark on the BA (Hons) Journalism course at City University London. It proved to be an invaluable decision, one he doesn’t think he would have been able to get right had he not given himself time to weigh up his options and instead made a snap decision on his future during Sixth Form.
Throughout his degree, Joshua acquired numerous work placements, including work as a Live Commentator for French news agency Agence France Presse during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Sport, particularly football, has always been a passion of Joshua’s and upon his graduation with an upper-tier 2:1, he was lucky enough to acquire an internship with sport start-up company Fanatix – and thus be in the enviable position of getting paid to watch sport.
That position developed into a contracted role and saw Joshua embark on a number of exciting projects such as reporting from football matches live at stadiums around the country to dropping in on press conferences with notable managers and players – not to mention trying not to cheer in the press box when his beloved Arsenal score!
Following his return to the North after four years in London, Joshua has taken up a number of freelance roles including work with the Development Office of Wakefield Grammar School Foundation, where he has helped on a number of different projects including the complete re-design of the QEGS magazine, The Savilian.
JOSHUA WALTERS CLASS OF 2010Journalist, CopywriterA Levels: Maths, Government & Politics, Design & Technology, General Studies
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JAMES CRAPPER CLASS OF 2013LuthierA Levels: Music, Economics, Politics, General Studies
Throughout his career at QEGS, James’ passion was music. He played in many school bands on both guitar and trumpet. He also sang with the Foundation Choir. In Year 12 he recorded an album with the folk band ‘Ceol’.
Following completion of his A Levels, rather than going to university, he chose the road less travelled, moving to Ireland to study lutherie, the craft of making string instruments.
There he learned traditional methods of guitar building by hand and eye, and was also encouraged to explore new modern concepts. James combines traditional craftsmanship with exotic tonewoods, carbon fibre bracing, offset soundholes, soundports and other such features to create the highest quality instruments, both tonally and aesthetically.
James is now back in Yorkshire building bespoke acoustic guitars and repairing instruments in his workshop. Each guitar is the culmination of approximately 150 hours of work with each piece of timber being hand selected and individually fine-tuned. The end product is a truly unique guitar of the finest quality.
www.jamesalexanderguitars.com
www.instagram.com/jamesalexanderluthier
www.facebook.com/jamesalexanderguitars
www.twitter.com/james_a_guitars
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Evangelene’s educational career has seen her achieve a caché of excellent qualifications and many awards and prizes for her outstanding achievements. These include, a Sixth Form Scholarship, Year Prizes for AS Level results (2010) and A Level results (2011) and Year Prizes for achievement in both AS and A Level Government & Politics. As a Chorister of Wakefield Cathedral, she was also awarded RSCM Bishop’s Chorister Award and a scholarship for Commitment & Excellence in Music by The Wakefield Music Trust.
Evangelene graduated from the University of St Andrews in 2015 with a First Class MA in Modern Languages, which included spending a year abroad at the Université de Toulouse-le-Mirail and she was placed on the Deans’ List for Academic Excellence upon graduation. Whilst at St Andrews, Evangelene was awarded Sports Colours for her commitment to sport and high levels of achievement in Clay Pigeon Shooting as part of the Ladies’ First Team.
Having been committed to a career in law from a young age, Evangelene has spent much of her time exploring the legal profession. Her work experience includes placements at the Rugby Football League in Leeds, Howes Percival LLP in Northampton, Rollits LLP in York, Reynolds Porter Chamberlain LLP in London, and Mayer Brown International in New York and London. She was also Marshall to the Recorder of Middlesbrough, assisting HHJ Bourne-Arton QC during a high profile murder trial and Marshall to His Honour Judge Crowson at Teesside Crown Court. Additionally, she has undertaken a range of mini pupillages at Zenith, New Park Court, Parklane Plowden and Sovereign Chambers in Leeds, Bell Yard Chambers in London, and St Phillip’s Chambers, Birmingham. Her current position is as a Caseworker with the Personal Support Unit at Leeds Court Centre, where she provides procedural, emotional and representational support to litigants-in-person in County Court and High Court cases. She will continue in this role at the Court of Appeal in London whilst studying for a Graduate Diploma in Law at City University London, in the coming year.
EVANGELENE BOOTHMANCLASS OF 2011Postgraduate Law Student; Caseworker at the Personal Support UnitA Levels: English Literature, French, Government & Politics, History
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Mike enjoyed a successful career at QEGS, completing GCSEs with 9 A* grades and A Levels with an A* grade in Maths, Further Maths and Physics and an A grade in History. Alongside academics, he was also Captain of the school Bridge team and found a passion in helping younger students.
Mike went on to read Mathematics at the University of Warwick where he attained a Lower Second Degree. As part of the degree he participated in the ‘Warwick in Schools’ project, which involved a teaching placement and showed him the thrill of being back in the classroom as an educator. Alongside his studies, he also got involved with a range of clubs and societies. In particular, he represented the university at national competitions in Indoor Skydiving and Bowling.
Following graduation, Mike worked as a Mathematics Teaching Assistant. He looked back fondly on his time at QEGS and decided to dive fully into the career, following in the footsteps of some of his own inspirational teachers. After a hard year with the Red Kite Alliance as a Trainee Mathematics Teacher, he qualified with a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of York.
He is now working as a Newly Qualified Teacher in his first post at Bourne Grammar School in Lincolnshire. Though he still keeps checking the QEGS website for any vacancies and a chance to come back to his favourite school!
MICHAEL TURTONCLASS OF 2010Teacher, Bourne Grammar SchoolA Levels: Maths, Further Maths, Physics, History
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Throughout our work on this book we have seen countless examples of Old Boys and Old Girls pushing themselves and others to go one step further. Our hope in compiling this work is to celebrate the achievements of our former pupils and to share their stories with the next generation. Everyone featured in this book has succeeded because of their talents. Equally all of them have made the most of those talents thanks to the skills they have honed in one of the Foundation’s schools here in Wakefield.
For this book to ever make it to print we had to limit it to those who were under 40 at the start of the 2014/15 academic year. That is not to say there are not as many alumni over that age who have and will continue to make a huge contribution to the world. Many of their stories will be told in future publications.
The profiles we have used are edited excerpts from interviews and correspondence which took place between alumni and the Development Office between October 2014 and October 2015. As careers continue to progress at an impressive pace, undoubtedly the young people featured here will already have more up-to-date successes to celebrate. I am also sure that another volume will be needed to house the many stories that will come from other young alumni, who will quite rightly want to share their achievements having heard of this first edition.
This book has many authors. It has been compiled by the Development Office and every member of that team has contributed to it. In particular this book could not have happened without Development Officer Lizzie Hulme and Development Assistant Joshua Walters.
This book was written to inspire the next generation. If I had one message for any young person leaving QEGS or WGHS it would be that you have the talent and the skills to make an impact in the world. Where and what you do, and when you do it is your choice, but whatever you choose you will have the Foundation behind you.
Andrew Beales Development Director
Wakefield Grammar School Foundation Development Office
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INDEX
GIRLS BOYSCaroline Atkinson Abby Bell Elizabeth Blakeway Evangelene Boothman Susannah Brooke Sophie Carrigill Emma Cousin Katie Evans Jenna Hartley Nichi Hodgson Ruth Ithurralde Valentina Klejnow-Plenneck Charlotte Lamb Joanna Leigh Helen Massey Victoria Murtland Joanna Otterburn Danielle Platts Alice Revel Lindsey Roberts Polly Rodgers Angela Rosewarne Sophie Shaw Laura Siddall Lisa Tottman Lizz Wainwright Holly Walters Rebecca Wathen Claire Young
Ed Barrett Alex Bluett
David Brindley Sam Butterworth
Tim Cawsey Will Cooper
James Crapper Marc Crobett-Weaver
Javed Dar Paul Edwards
Edward Farmer Steven Haynes
Dhrupad Karwa Chris Kelly
Jonathan Lewis Jacob Mawby Sandy Murray Matthew Ogg
Vivek Patel Nick Pickles
Stephen Ridley Daniel Smith Ryan Stones
Nicholas Thornton Mike Tolman
Michael Turton Joshua Walters
Jon Watson Matthew Woodhead
46 72 66 75 69 6
48 38 24 56 12 21 3
61 8
28 30 26 2
72 36 44 32 16 70 33 23 27 42
4 13 54 68 60 30 74 50 45 57 10 34 52
7 22 20 62 18 71 47 40 14 64 65 39 76 73
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A Foundation in WakefieldThe Development Office
Wakefield Grammar School FoundationTelephone: 01924 231 642 email: [email protected]