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2 | ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2018
WELCOME FROM THE PROVO ST
Welcome to another edition of Oriel News. As I write, the College is in the middle of the rituals of summer. Last week the garden play took over the hall steps. The weekend saw the last bop of the term. Now, with the Ball a few days away, a stylish marquee has gone up in Second Quad and an enormous helterskelter has appeared in Front Quad. On Saturday all of this will be coming down again and, soon enough, another marquee will go up for graduation celebrations in July. These rituals mark our celebrations and rites of passage, but this time David and I are saying our own goodbyes. The different farewell occasions in College, at the London Alumni Dinner, and with friends around the University, have been a lovely opportunity to reflect on our time here, and to thank the wonderful people we have had the privilege to get to know - students, Oriel staff and their families, our many colleagues across the rest of Oxford, and the wonderful worldwide community of Orielenses. The success and good health of the College and the University rests on the combined efforts of all these different groups. My privilege as Provost is that I get a chance to be involved in all these different communities, and to meet so many interesting people, with such varied backgrounds and interests. These groups are all linked by something that is timeless across generations. Today’s students live in the same buildings, study in the same library, row on the same river, and eat in the same hall as previous generations. It adds to our sense of privilege and purpose to know that we are part of a tradition that has existed for centuries on this same plot of land. But alongside these constants, the College continues to develop and adapt. It has been a pleasure during my term to have seen further progress in areas that have long been important to the College - becoming more academically ambitious and more attractive to applicants; strengthening our financial position;
becoming more responsive to input from staff and students; and fostering an ever more outward-looking and welcoming atmosphere. These goals go hand in hand, and unite all of the different parts of the College community. The job of Provost is extraordinarily varied, and there are many things about it that I will miss. Above all, I have valued the chance to get to know the students, as they go through these amazing years when their minds and characters are developing so fast. I have particularly enjoyed the pastoral side of the role, the chance to be an encourager, or to share a serious conversation about the future. I have also really relished the opportunity to get involved in our access and outreach efforts, at College and university level. The education we offer can be such a powerful engine of social mobility. That’s why it is so important that talented people from all backgrounds hear about Oxford, are made to feel welcome, and have the confidence to apply. I am so proud of the strides Oriel has made in this area, and am sure there is more progress to come. The theme of young people will be at the heart of the next phase of my career too, as I go off to write a book about youth policy and what we can learn from the many social changes and policy experiments of the last 20 years. I shall be based at the LSE, and hope I can play a part in advancing the debate about how we ought to look after the next generation. Rest assured, I won’t be forgetting Oriel, and David and I will always take great interest in the achievements of the College. We leave with so many happy memories of this beautiful College, and of all the friends we have made here. We wish Neil and Amelia all the very best for their time at Oriel. Thank you to the whole of the Oriel community for all you do to promote the health of the College, and for your friendship. Floreat Oriel!
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Next Provost The College is pleased to announce that Neil Mendoza has been formally elected as the next Provost of Oriel. Neil read Geography at Oriel and matriculated in 1978.
Neil Mendoza, 1978
Neil has a breadth of experience spanning the commercial, charitable, and public sectors. He is currently Chair of The Landmark Trust, a UK charity dedicated to saving buildings of historical importance; of The Illuminated River Foundation, a large art commission project to light London’s bridges; and Vice-Chair of the Soho Theatre in London, a theatre that aims to encourage new writing. Neil is also a director of Meira GTx, a gene therapy company with research facilities in New York and manufacturing facilities in London. Neil is a non-executive director of the Department of Digital, Culture, Media & Sport. He led two government reviews in 2017: The Mendoza Review of museums in England, and a review for the Cabinet Office covering the national museums. Additional government appointments include being a Commissioner of Historic England and a member of the review panel looking into the sustainability of English churches and cathedrals. Previously, Neil was Chair of Children and the Arts, a nationwide charity dedicated to using cultural work to help children in disadvantaged communities and hospices. He was also a trustee of the Shakespeare Schools Festival, a theatre charity working with thousands of children across the UK; and has twice been on the judging panel for the Laurence Olivier Awards. Early in his career Neil founded and ran a pioneering publishing company, Forward, which was eventually sold to the marketing group WPP.
Oriel Commemoration Ball 2018, Ludibrium
He will be joined at Oriel by his wife, Amelia Wallace, who is a writer. Neil and Amelia will also be introducing a new canine resident to Oriel – her name is Mitzi, and she is a West Highland Terrier/Poodle cross. Neil will start as Provost in September this year.
4 | ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2018
Dr Mark Whittow (1957-2017) It was with great sadness that Oriel heard of Dr Whittow’s death in December. He was set to be our next Provost before he died tragically in a car accident. His funeral took place on 12th February in a packed Christ Church Cathedral. Mark was a Fellow at St Peter’s from 1998 to 2009, and held the post of University Lecturer in Byzantine Studies at Corpus from 2009 to 2017. He worked at St Peter’s alongside Professor Lawrence Goldman, who knew him as a close friend and colleague. Professor Goldman has written the following tribute.
The death of Mark Whittow deprives Oxford of one of its most admired teachers and colleagues. It only adds to the sadness that Mark had just been elected Provost of Oriel College, a position he was to take up in October 2018. He would have made a brilliant Head of House, bringing to Oriel the same passion for Oxford, the tutorial system, college traditions and collegiality that he brought to St Peter’s during his time here. Mark was thoroughly Oxford. He read History at Trinity College, stayed on for a DPhil, and was elected to a Junior Research Fellowship at Oriel. He chose to work on Byzantine History, a subject he studied through texts and also through its material cultures: he was a keen archaeologist who went on many expeditions to the near east, and he used this second academic identity in all his research and teaching. When Mark began his career, Byzantine History had a small place in the History Faculty. One of his many achievements was to build the subject into a major component of the undergraduate curriculum and develop the Master’s degree in Byzantine Studies, which he ran, into one of the most notable courses of its type in any university in the world. On the strength of his reputation as an inspiring teacher and as the author of The Making of Byzantium 600-1025 (1996), Mark was elected to a tutorial Fellowship in History at St Peter’s in 1998 in succession to Henry Mayr-Harting. He was in every way a perfect undergraduate tutor. Mark enjoyed working with young minds; he believed in a broad, liberal education; he was a legendary host of the best student parties in Oxford. A tutor of the old school, he knew the role that alcohol, good food and good fellowship can play in the education of a historian. He was hardworking but always relentlessly cheerful, with the capacity to uplift everyone with whom he came in contact. He loved his subject and he could communicate that commitment whether teaching the fall of the Roman Empire, Anglo-Saxon England, Carolingian Europe, or the Crusades— the subject of a famous Further Subject, which he led. Indeed, he had an enormous range of interests and expertise, and relished the challenge of teaching across two millennia of history. He read widely alongside all the other work of a tutor and was conversant with all the latest ideas and arguments in Modern History as well. Teaching alongside him was an education. Mark
could grab a regular college seminar by the scruff of its neck and turn it into a master class in the most sophisticated historical ideas. In their third year, historians at St Peter’s went off for week-long reading parties in the Easter vacation, before their Finals. Whether teaching us how to read an ancient landscape, how to understand a church, how to follow the line of a medieval city wall, or to assess the defensibility of an iron age fort, Mark showed us that History was more than the books we read and the lectures we attend. In the evenings he cooked: he was an accomplished chef who loved good food and drink, and knew its value in bringing people together. After dinner we would talk History long into the night. When he took up the Lectureship in Byzantine Studies, which was based at Corpus, Mark left St Peter’s with a heavy heart. He could teach anything to anyone — the last of the Oxford tutors who would end a tutorial with the simple question ‘Well, what would you like to study next week?’ — but he loved being an undergraduate tutor best of all. Though his primary responsibilities became the supervision of postgraduates, and he had to narrow his horizons somewhat — no more impromptu lectures on Napoleonic campaigns or admissions interviews on the gentry controversy — he continued to teach undergraduates, especially from St Peter’s, in his own time. The opportunity to be Senior Proctor then came his way, and Mark relished a year, 2016-17, at the very heart of the University, privy to all its policies and issues. He was made for the pomp and ceremony of this ancient role, though he conducted the business of the Proctors’ Office with his usual efficiency. Widely admired across the University, he was a natural candidate for the Provostship at Oriel, another college with which Mark kept his relations warm. His election in early December 2017 was greeted with genuine joy: many of us welcomed the election of a Head of House who had so much experience at the sharp end of Oxford, who knew so much about the University, and who was utterly loyal to its traditions and methods of learning. Our thoughts are with Helen, his wife, and their three children: George, Mary, and Flossy. They have lost a wonderful husband and father, and we have lost a mentor, colleague, and friend.
ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2018 | 5
Here to Serve – Communication Preferences This year, a new EU data protection regulation has been introduced: the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which strengthens data protection for individuals. At its heart lies a desire to allow individuals to have control of their personal data and how it is used.
How does this affect me? We now offer you a greater choice of communication preferences, and would therefore encourage you to choose which communications you would like to receive and how you would like to receive them. For example, in our recent alumni survey some of you expressed a preference for receiving Oriel News via email, and as a result will have received a digital copy. We ask that all Orielenses choose their preferences by completing a form or going online as follows: Log-in to the Oriel Alumni Area at https://www.alumniweb.ox.ac.uk/orielensis and go to the mail preferences page. If you have not already registered, you will need your University Alumni number, 8-xxxxxxxx, to register. This can be found on emails and post or by contacting the University Alumni Office.
‘The Oriel Quarter’ On 3rd May 2018, a consultation session was held for neighbours and other interested parties to view proposals for King Edward Street and Oriel Square — ‘The Oriel Quarter’. The aim of the proposed project is to improve the public realm, the approach to Oriel College and its neighbours, and to encourage more attractive uses of many of the buildings in King Edward Street. This is part of the consultation process in advance of a planning application that the College plans to make later this year to improve lighting in King Edward Street. The College is working with architects 5th Studio on this project, and representatives from both Oriel and 5th Studio were present at the consultation session to explain the proposals and answer any questions. More to follow on this in due course.
This will mean we can tailor our communications to your preferences, so thank you in advance for your help.
A Provost’s War Memorial Wood at Iffley By Autumn 2018, 162 trees will have been planted at Iffley Meadow in commemoration of the Oriel men who lost their lives in the Great War. Most had graduated, but many left the College to join up, and some never got the chance to start their degree. Each tree represents a young life lost. The College is planning a commemoration and dedication event at Iffley Meadow in Michaelmas Term, when the last tree will be planted. Further details will be publicised at a later date.
As part of the commemoration of the Great War Dr John Stevenson, with the help of the College Archivist Rob Petre, has prepared a short book containing a collection of the letters received by Provost Phelps during the Great War. With over 700 Oriel men in the forces during the conflict and 163 deaths, Provost Phelps had the unenviable task of writing many letters of condolences and helpfully passing on information from his numerous correspondents to grieving relatives - knitting Oriel’s community together. He also played an important role in Oxford, for many years as a city councillor and latterly an alderman. This book will be published in the summer and launched at the Oriel Alumni Weekend; more details on how to purchase a copy will follow.
6 | ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2018
Alumni Survey – You Said, We Did Alumni feedback collected from 56 different countries (green)
In 2017, the Development Office conducted a survey of all Orielenses. We received a tremendous response from over 33% of alumni, in 56 different countries, and we would like to thank all those who took the time to provide feedback. Here we provide a breakdown of the findings, and how the College has listened to enhance and improve its relationship with as many Orielenses as possible.
Oriel and You – What you said about Oriel… Your Relationship with Oriel
Event Feedback
It is clear from the data and free-text responses that Orielenses are very loyal to Oriel and feel positive about their time at College (graph Q.5).
Almost 60% of all respondents have attended at least one alumni event organised by College. The most popular events include Gaudies and other dinners in College. Key reasons for attending an Oriel event included the desire to re-visit the College and reconnect with other Orielenses, or to hear interesting speakers (graph Q.11).
Many Orielenses wish to stay in contact with Oriel in order to keep in touch with contemporaries and to reconnect with memories of their student days; but give less priority to engaging with current students or current academic content. However, 2,500 offers of help or support were received across 11 topics from just over 50% of respondents, indicating that there is significant potential for alumni to enrich the alumni relations programme generally, as well as College life for current students (graph Q.14).
Oriel Society Feedback
Communications Feedback Overall, respondents like to receive emails, and alumni prefer to be sent information rather than having actively to search for it. Oriel News and The Record are enjoyed by many Orielenses. The survey found that 62% of respondents use social-media platforms, with Facebook being the most popular. However, only 20% of respondents indicated that they liked social media as a channel for College to communicate with them.
Whilst 73% of alumni are aware of the Oriel Society, 12% of alumni feel that the Oriel Society ‘provides a useful body to represent my interests’ and 20% of alumni think that the Oriel Society ‘is relevant to my relationship with Oriel’.
Respondent technology used to access survey
mobile 19.9%
desktop 68.8%
tablet 7.5% paper 3.8%
Almost
Just over
90%
50%
had a positive experience at Oriel
of respondents offered support or help
ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2018 | 7
Q5. We would like to understand how you feel about Oriel
negative
undecided
positive
negative
undecided
positive
My experience at Oriel was positive Studying at Oriel prepared me well for my career My experience at Oriel prepared me well for life I am proud to be an Orielensis The connections I made whilst at Oriel continue to be important to me
Q11. What are the reasons you might attend an Oriel event?
To re-visit College
To visit an interesting venue
Interesting content or speaker
Re-connecting with fellow Orielenses
Meeting new Orielenses
Loyalty to Oriel
Networking opportunities
Q14. Count of offers – by participatory activity
455 376 309
291 190
174
211
228
135
161
41 Help to organise or support an event
Speak at an event
Perform/ exhibit at an event
Serve as a Talk to Provide Offer year group prospective career advice internships/ representative students to current employment students or country opportunities contact
Mentor a current student
Contribute Contribute articles to our career publications profiles
Join a Giving Society
read our response to your feedback overleaf f
8 | ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2018
Our response to your feedback… Alongside the set questions, the opportunity for free text brought a number of themes to the fore. As a response to those, Oriel plans to do the following: Dining Rights
Graduation and MA Graduations
The question of dining rights for alumni emerged as a theme in the free-text section of the results. In line with many other colleges in Oxford and Cambridge, Oriel would like to offer dining rights to its former students. All Orielenses after 21 terms following matriculation will be welcome to dine at High Table in College once a term, during term time. Owing to limitations on space, Orielenses will not be able to bring guests, but are encouraged to arrange to come with their contemporaries; and there will be a maximum of four Orielenses dining per any given evening. Dining will be available on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays when sufficient Fellows or SCR members are dining to constitute High Table. More details on how you can book a place at dinner to follow.
Graduation, and in particular MA Graduation ceremonies, featured as a theme in the free-text. In recent years graduation ceremonies have been more structured around the summer after Finals for most current undergraduates. As such many of the concerns expressed have already been addressed, and the way current undergraduates now graduate mirrors what is done is most UK universities.
Alumni Facilities in College Over the coming months the College is planning to create three new guest rooms which will be available to alumni to book. These will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and will be available to book up to two months prior to the planned stay. In accordance with current guest room rules, rooms may be booked for a maximum of three consecutive nights. The rooms will be available from January 2019; more details on how to book to follow.
Oxford Alumni Card The Oxford Alumni Card, issued centrally by the University, has become the default means by which Oxonians can identify themselves and gain access to parts of the University, including their College. We would like to ensure Orielenses are able to gain access to the University and College with ease. As such we wish to encourage you all to apply for an Alumni Card, which is free of charge, and can be obtained at: https://www.alumni.ox.ac.uk/oxford-alumni-card. Only those who have an Alumni Card will be able to book dinner and/or guest rooms in College from Hilary Term 2019.
For those wishing to graduate with their MA, finding a possible date has become more problematic in recent years owing to the limited space at graduation ceremonies over the course of the academic year. The College plans to address this by having an annual ceremony in College for those eligible to take their MA who wish to do so. More details on this will follow.
Events Even with the current portfolio of events, the results suggest that a greater variety of events would encourage different groups of alumni to attend. Some types of event are generally appealing, while others only appeal to certain age-groups. It is clear that there is significant demand within specific age-groups for active events, family-friendly events, and professional networking events for recent graduates. We would like to broaden the portfolio of events to encompass the needs of all constituencies that comprise the alumni population — from new graduates to families to those more mature in years. All events are under regular review; and while the College has limited recourses to organise additional events, it is always happy to advertise and give advice to those who wish to organise their own events.
The Oriel Society The Oriel Society Committee is discussing with the College its reconstitution as an Oriel Alumni Committee, with appropriate terms of reference to ensure that alumni views are represented, and events and other alumni activities are designed to be as appealing to as many Oriel constituencies as possible.
As mentioned above, the Oxford Alumni Card will allow you to claim a number of benefits and offers, for example enabling you to book dinner and/or guest rooms in Oriel College in the future. If you don’t already have one of these, please login to the University’s website to request one (you will need your alumni number, 8-xxxxxxxx): https://www.alumni.ox.ac.uk/oxford-alumni-card or email enquiries@alumni.ox.ac.uk if you have any problems.
ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2018 | 9
The President of the Oriel Society writes…
The Oriel Society was established to bring Orielenses together in a spirit of fun and fellowship. It was ahead of its time as an alumni relations organisation, and originally undergraduates paid a termly subscription to become members on graduation. In recent years all alumni of the College have been considered to be members of the Society and included in events and initiatives organised by the Oriel Society Committee. Indeed, my predecessor John Albert and I have made a point of appearing at many Leavers’ Dinners to remind all alumni that they are members…
The Committee has therefore been discussing with the College the basis on which it would reconstitute itself as the Oriel Alumni Committee, with appropriate terms of reference. This ‘rebranding’ would better describe the function the Committee now effectively carries out: helping the College to realise its goals through building up the community of Orielenses across the generations. The Oriel Society would continue to exist as a legal entity with its own funds, and the Committee would continue to fulfil its function as the Oriel Society Committee.
However, as you will have seen from the survey (half of the cost of which was paid for by the Oriel Society!), we have a problem of nomenclature. Concerned that the word ‘Society’ was putting off alumni who assumed that they were not members, we have tried downplaying the use of the Oriel Society name at recent events in the belief that it would encourage more Orielenses, particularly from recent matriculation years, to attend. The fact that the last four Oxford and London ‘alumni’ dinners, together with events such as the Garden Party, have been fully subscribed, leads us to believe that our concern is not misplaced. The survey also adds some helpful factual data to the view that Orielenses regard themselves as alumni of the College rather than members of the Oriel Society, and are largely unaware of the Committee’s role in alumni relations.
These plans for the Committee, and the other initiatives arising from the survey, mark a step change for alumni relations at Oriel, but equally are evolutionary in nature. Most importantly, they will allow the College to respond to the needs of the wider Oriel community more effectively. The Committee would be very grateful for any views on them from Orielenses on the email address below:
The role of the Committee has also changed in recent years. In line with other colleges, Oriel has developed a professional alumni and development function over the past 20 years or so. As a result, the planning and organising of events for Orielenses has increasingly been carried out by the Development Office, with input from the Committee. The Committee members are therefore no longer the principal organisers of events, but rather see themselves as adding value to existing events, for example by finding venues and speakers, as well as conduits through which the wider Oriel community can communicate with the College. The Committee believes that its role is to represent the interests of all alumni, and that making this clearer would remove much confusion as to the role of the Oriel Society, and allow the College’s alumni relations to be more effectively organised.
Committee Members Geoffrey Austin (President) (1983) Hugh Bryant (Secretary) (1969) Clive Mackintosh (Treasurer) (1977) Professor Teresa Morgan (Fellow & Tutor) Jonathan Brewer (1973) Peter Collett (1952) Laura Dosanjh (1986) Michael Kenworthy-Browne (1957) Sarah Kiefer (2003) Daniel McLean (2007) Sophie Ross (2011) John Slade (1976) Claire Toogood (1991) Vincent Warner (1984) If you would like to contact the Oriel Society Committee, please email development.office@oriel.ox.ac.uk with a subject line of: FAO Oriel Society Committee and we will forward this on.
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Fundraising Successes A Big Thank You and YouTube Channel Please visit College’s new YouTube channel - we have just added our first short video to say a big thank you to our alumni and friends for helping us to achieve our £25 million fundraising target, illustrating the transformative impact it has had on College and our students. From student support and outreach, to the creation of new and improved student rooms and a teaching centre in Third Quad, the money raised has had an overwhelmingly positive effect on the Oriel community. Thank you! Oriel Thank You Video
www.youtube.com – ‘Oriel College, Oxford’ channel
2018 Telephone Campaign We are delighted to report that Oriel’s 12th annual telephone campaign was a great success, raising over £112,302 for the College. This year, the campaign was fundraising to support three key project areas: our student support fund, our outreach work and the refurbishment of the Goldie building on Rectory Road. Of the 400 Orielenses we spoke to over two weeks, nearly half chose to make a gift to support these valuable projects. Thanks to your generosity, we will be able to ensure that no student is prevented from playing a full role in College life owing to their financial circumstances; that we reach even more schoolchildren across our linked regions and encourage more applications to Oxford; and finally, that College accommodation is fully fit for the requirements of modern student living. The telephone campaign is a very important part of the College’s development and alumni relations strategy – we speak with more alumni during this fortnight than at any other time of the year, keeping you updated on the latest College news and events. It is also a chance for Orielenses to give us feedback about our own work, something which helps us shape our future interactions with you. The heartfelt response from alumni to the campaign is something that cannot be understated. Not only does your generosity help ensure our students can take advantage of all the things that an Oxford education offers; but your experience and advice to our student callers is hugely valuable in helping them shape their career choices after they finish their degree. In a time where the environment for graduate employment is continually changing, this guidance is appreciated in helping our students navigate their career options for post-college life. The Development Office would like to offer our extended gratitude to all those who took the time to speak with our student callers. They enjoyed the opportunity to hear some remarkable stories about life at Oriel over the years, as well as the chance to find out about the fantastic things that Orielenses have gone on to do since leaving. It serves as a great reminder that, wherever you go, to be an Orielensis is to be part of a lifelong community.
Telephone Campaign Callers: Top Row (L-R) – Simon Bevan, Madalene Smith, Sofija Paneva, Eleanor Juckes; Bottom Row (L-R) Simone Fraser, Chloe Jacobs, Jessica Fechner, Esther Agbolade
ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2018 | 11
Oriel-INET Oxford Graduate Scholarship and the Oxford-Oriel Africa Graduate Scholarship We are pleased to announce the creation of two new scholarships: one with the Institute for New Economic Thinking at The Oxford Martin School and the other with University of Oxford.
Oriel-INET Oxford Graduate Scholarship Oriel has teamed up with the Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School (INET Oxford) — which is a multidisciplinary research institute dedicated to applying leading-edge thinking from the social and physical sciences to global economic challenges — to provide an annual scholarship to a prospective graduate student at INET Oxford who will become a member of Oriel’s community. The scholarship will assist the graduate by covering the College fee and providing a stipend for research, helping to remove financial burdens. This is a pioneering development to be partnering with INET Oxford to support graduates in this way.
Oxford-Oriel Africa Graduate Scholarship Oriel has also collaborated with the University of Oxford to set up an African Graduate Scholarship, to provide funding for a student from Africa to study for a Master’s degree at Oriel next year. Funding is usually the main issue in deterring outstanding applicants that could potentially find solutions to global problems. The University of Oxford kindly offered to match funding provided by the many generous donations from Orielenses to make this possible. It is hoped this scheme will continue in future years if further donations can be raised. Announcements on the selected candidates will be made in due course.
Oriel Outreach – Spring Update As the warmer weather transforms Oriel into the perfect setting for a school trip, the College outreach programme continues to gain momentum. By the end of April, Oriel had engaged in 112 separate outreach events for state schools, including hosting group visits to Oxford; participating in university-wide schemes such as the Oxford Pathways programme; exhibiting at HE Fairs; and collaborating with local councils and other universities. The outreach calendar continues to look busy for the rest of the academic year. Spring is the busiest season for outreach activity, and this year was no exception. A productive week was spent collaborating with Newnham College, Cambridge, on an Oxbridge ‘roadshow’ in Walsall, which will be followed up with visits to Cambridge in May and to Oriel in the autumn as part of the colleges’ collaborative regional-hub initiative. The enthusiasm of participating schools grows each year. Further events, with or without Cambridge collaboration, are organised and attended every week in Oriel’s three other West Midlands link authorities, and two link London boroughs. The Easter break saw the first instalment of Oriel’s Study Day programme: a high impact series of one-night, subject-focused residential visits to the College for Year 12 state school students. Two subjects were hosted at Easter — PPE, and Biochemistry/ Biomedical Sciences — and a further three were held in August. Current undergraduates, some of whom benefited from the first round of Study Days in 2016, were able to assist and encourage our latest crop of participants: testament to the programme’s
value and power. The College is immensely grateful to the generous Orielensis who has made these events possible, at no cost to participants. Students are selected for a place on a Study Day based on information about their school and background, alongside rigorous academic criteria. For more than half of the diverse group of young people hosted by Oriel this Easter, the Study Day was their first experience of Oxbridge. 81% of participants said that their time at Oriel had changed their perceptions of the University, and both Easter Study Days were praised as an enjoyable and useful experience (97% of participants rated the programme as ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’). As part of the event’s evaluation process, the College will continue to track participants to see if they make an Oxbridge application: 90% responded positively when asked if they would make an application in the autumn. Outside of the College’s flagship outreach programmes, time and energy from across the College community is put into engaging students of all ages on a daily basis. Trinity Term has seen us welcome the youngest visitors of the year, 10- and 11-year-olds in Year 6; Year 12 students on the cusp of writing their applications to Oxford; and every year group in between. The aim is to instil in every visitor the sentiment expressed by one of our Easter Study Day attendees: “Visiting Oriel made me realise that attending Oxford could be an achievable goal — not just a dream!” India Collins-Davies, Outreach Officer
12 | ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2018
JCR Report
There is no better place to start than at the river, where Oriel dominated yet again at Torpids, despite the cancellation of two days’ racing owing to snow. After some heroic shovelling in the morning from Oriel’s finest, the crowds turned out in force for a spectacular Torpids Saturday. The Women’s 1st VIII led with a valiant row-over to retain the Headship they took last year. The men then followed by bumping Pembroke in front of their own boathouse to give Oriel the Double Headship — only the second in Torpids history, and both ours.
Not satisfied with their College exploits, many of our sporting stars have also represented the University. Lucy Wright (2nd Year, Physics) captained the Women’s Water Polo Blues to a Varsity win and a BUCS title. Erin Robinson (1st Year, Medicine) has played Blues football, while Eoin Monaghan (3rd Year, PPE) captained the 3rd XI to Varsity victory. Alexander Agureev (2nd Year, Engineering) and James Somerville (3rd Year, Law) also shoed Tabs on the rugby pitch, for the 2nds and 3rds respectively. Angus Forbes (2nd Year, PPE) has also represented Oriel on the river with OUBC. Further highlights include William Pickering (3rd Year, Engineering) in powerlifting, Lena Schneidewind (4th Year, Chemistry) in climbing, and Wesley Rawlings (3rd Year, Physics) with the pool cue.
College sport more generally continues to flourish. The men’s football team followed last year’s promotion battle with a fairy-tale cup run, culminating in a semi-final played in front of their largest crowd in living memory. Special mention must go to Rohin BurneyO’Dowd (3rd Year, PPE), whose nifty antics made him Oriel’s all-time top goal scorer. The netball team maintained their Division 1 status, while our alternative ice hockey teams finished 2nd and 8th in Cuppers. Pool remains our fastest growing sport: the hours spent at the table after hall lunch have paid dividends, with an unbeaten league campaign resulting in promotion.
The undergraduates have also performed well in the arts. The Chapel Choir released a Christmas CD, Lumen de Lumine, and will be touring Munich this summer to showcase their talent. The Christmas festivities didn’t end there, with the Oriel College Ensemble also putting on their inaugural concert. The Poor Print has shone throughout the year, providing a platform for outstanding student journalism and even poetry. The JCR has also been well represented in university drama, and the Oriel-founded 5Eleven Entertainment will return to host the annual Garden Play in First Quad this summer.
Equipped with a refurbished Common Room and vibrant original artwork in the bar, the JCR entered the new academic year in high spirits. The past two terms have flown by, as students have once again impressed College with the scope and diversity of their achievements.
Deciding that national television was not a suitable setting this year, Oriel’s quizzers instead turned to the Cape of Good Hope, where they won the ultimate prize. The College team also enjoyed a successful Cuppers run despite tough opposition. JCR Open Meetings have been another lively source of entertainment, and a motion passed in the JCR that eventually resulted in the Rainbow Flag flying from the College flagpole for most of the month of February. Other highlights have included the Chinese New Year Formal, and two well-attended charity Formals. Another successful charity event was the RAG Casino Night held in the bar. The evening reached a dramatic climax when Prateek Mehan (1st Year, Engineering) and Sebastien Santhiapillai (2nd Year, History and Economics) set aside their rivalry to win it all on the roulette wheel. The bar has also witnessed a Super Bowl screening, ‘Take Me Oriel’, an (almost) original Nativity Play, and of course, many bops. Sebastien Santhiapillai, JCR President 2017-18
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MCR Report Every year the MCR goes from strength to strength. This year has proved to be no different, with 94 new members starting in October 2017 along with 40 continuing 4th year undergrads. Engagement with MCR life has remained high, with many new members taking up committee roles from the outset. It is the hard work of all these individuals that helps make the MCR the fantastic place it is, for which I am truly grateful.
The MCR bar is the focal point of many memorable evenings at Oriel, and visitors from other colleges maintain that it is the beststocked student bar in Oxford. Afternoon tea, second desserts, yoga, and wine-tasting are a regular feature of the social calendar, and the MCR Punting Scheme allows all members to enjoy this quintessential Oxford pastime free of charge. This year the MCR has continued to travel around Oxford to sample the culinary delights of other colleges on exchange dinners. In February, a contingent of MCR members travelled to Trinity College, Dublin, for our annual exchange dinner, with 15 members of Trinity coming to Oriel for the reciprocal Hilary MCR Guest Night. This was followed by an exchange with our other sister college, Clare College, Cambridge, later in Trinity Term. Oriel Talks, which is the MCR-led seminar series held twice per term, is as successful as ever and has now entered its third year. Themes this year have included ‘Perception’, ‘Possibility’, and ‘Humanity’, with each seminar having an SCR keynote and two MCR speakers giving fascinating talks designed to be accessible to everyone, not just a specialist audience. The MCR has continued to show its prowess on the sports field, with many members being involved in College sports including cricket and croquet. MCR members have also been very active on the river, with approximately 20 members in the various boats for Torpids, including nine individuals in the double-headship-winning M1 and W1 crews; and this involvement continued for Eights Week, when the MCR hosted a Pimm’s party on the roof of the boathouse as it supported the crews on the water.
Oriel Players in The Beaux’ Stratagem
Alexander Pateman, MCR President 2017-18
Torpids Double Headship The river ran blue and white at Torpids this year, as Oriel finally regained the Double Headship. The week wasn’t without its difficulties: M2/3 and W2 had a very frustrating time, being unable to row for more than the first day owing to the adverse weather. However, their Oriel spirit shone through when over 30 of them went to help clear the towpath of snow so that racing could go ahead on the Saturday.
As ever, without all the hard work of the crews that came before, this would never have been possible. We’d like to say a special ‘thank you’ to the Tortoise Club for its continuing support, and also to the particularly keen alumni who went down to help clear the towpath to let racing go ahead and to allow the Double Headship to happen. Lara Bonney & Robert Boswall, Captains of Boats
After a nail-biting race with Wadham on the Wednesday, in which W1 had displayed some of the gutsiest rowing on the Isis to come back from Wadham’s early overlap, W1 knew that if they kept their nerve they could retain the Headship. With the added confidence from their first race they managed to keep half a length ahead of Wadham for the entirety of Saturday’s race. In both women’s crews this year only four girls had rowed before this October: a testament to the hard work they all put in this year. In rowing over, they became the first ever Oriel Women’s crew to retain the Headship. M1 came into Torpids knowing that they were in with a strong chance of bumping to Head of the River. They have had a fantastic season frequently beating other university crews including Oxford Lightweights and Bristol University, but on the Wednesday of Torpids they narrowly missed out on the bump — with first day nerves it was always going to be hard. However, they knew they were quick enough, and on the Saturday emphatically bumped Pembroke outside their own boathouse to regain the Double Headship.
Double Headship Crews
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I’m conscious that many people don’t ask for the support that’s available in College. The Welfare Team is working hard to make it more accessible. What was your first impression of Oriel? I first came for tutorials here and was put through my paces by Bill Wood. I think I got every answer wrong about Aquinas! So I was duly impressed by the theological powerhouse that is Oriel, both staff and students.
An interview with Oriel’s new Chaplain and Fellow, Revd Dr Rob Wainwright, who took up his post in January. When did you discover a vocation to ordained ministry? My grandfather was a vicar, but for years I wanted to be a politician. When I was 19 someone said to me that the Christian message, if it is true, is the best news ever. I wanted my life to be about sharing it. When did you start at Oriel and what does a normal day look like for you? January 2018. Besides daily services in chapel, I spend a lot of time with students and staff talking things through: planned welfare meetings and unexpected drop-ins. All with cups of tea. My academic research (Early Modern History) will have to wait for the vacation! What is your favourite part of being the College Chaplain? I love sharing life together in a community. It’s a particular privilege to walk with individuals through some really tough times in their lives. What is the most challenging aspect of your role? Apart from trying not to eat too much of the delicious food in Hall?
What has been your greatest triumph? I realised fairly early on that academic success, as nice as it is, wasn’t satisfying me at a deep level. One great joy was seeing my little sister walk up the aisle and then leading her through her marriage vows as the vicar. I guess faithfulness and loyalty are things I take pride in. Apart from family, who or what inspires you? Is it too obvious to say Jesus Christ?! If nothing else he had some extraordinary lines: ‘Whoever wants to save his life must lose it’ and ‘Fear not. I died, and behold I am alive forever.’ Do you have any unusual hobbies? I don’t think so: running, reading novels, hanging out with friends, and rowing years ago. I’m a conformist, ecclesiastically and recreationally. What one luxury would you take on a desert island? My fountain pen. I like to write long letters and keep a commonplace book. There are still few pleasures in life nicer than a handwritten letter from a friend. I hardly ever use my iPad. What is the one piece of ‘life’ advice you would offer to a student? Live life backwards. Consider how you want it to end and make every decision with that in mind. Whom would you invite to Formal Hall (dead or alive)? Rembrandt. His paintings are incredible; I especially admire the insight he displays in his Return of the Prodigal Son. He experienced great personal tragedy in his life and seems to have persevered in a remarkable way.
Women’s Dinner On 27th April Oriel held the second Annual Women’s Dinner, with preparations masterfully driven by undergraduate Phoebe Finn and Susan Simons in the Development Office. It was a joy to be invited back as one of three alumnae speakers.
Annabel Bosman, Head of Relationship Management at Julius Baer, shared her experiences as one of the most senior women in the Square Mile. She excels at bringing teams together and translating this into commercial success. Phanella Mayall-Fine, who co-founded the Step-up Club has brought together her twin passions of business and fashion, creating a platform to support women’s careers. I spoke about my portfolio career, starting in New York interning for President Clinton and now working as a Strategy Consultant at Accenture. I told the audience that while graduating into an uncertain macroeconomic climate can be challenging, if they did not know what gender, race, sexuality or socio-economic background they would have, they would choose to be born at this time.
L-R: Annabel Bosman (1993, Modern Languages), Phoebe Finn (current student), Mwenya Kawesha (2006, Modern History), Phanella Mayall-Fine (1998, French & German)
After dinner, all attendees were kindly hosted by the MCR, where it was a pleasure to meet current undergraduates. They demonstrated a clear determination to use their fabulous education to change the world, and are a clear inspiration. Mwenya Kawesha (2006, Modern History)
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Visiting Musician Masterclasses – and Lessons for Life Before you begin, pause, hold the silence in the room, then play your first note loud and proud. Words of advice I heard classical guitarist Craig Ogden giving to one of our students at a Masterclass last term, but wise words for any performer or public speaker to follow. One of the privileges of my time at Oriel has been the opportunity to meet five visiting musicians and to be part of the audience at the masterclasses they hold with our students. Seeing great teaching and learning taking place right in front of your eyes (and ears) is a treat in itself. There have been several magical musical moments over the years when students have been challenged to step way out of their comfort zone, and I’ve thought ‘there’s either going to be tears here, or something wonderful is going to happen’ – and wonderful it has always been. More than just learning about the technicalities of playing the baroque cello or tenor saxophone, I’ve also had the chance to hear world renowned musicians share lessons with our students on performance, self-awareness, and practice that have relevance far beyond the concert hall. They struck many a chord for me personally, as, being a management consultant, my day job consists of a lot of presentation, influencing, and confidence-building — although more often delivered in the boardroom than from the stage. It all started in 2013 with Richard Tunnicliffe, who — as well as giving us the wonderfully evocative statement ‘There’s no such thing as unaccompanied Bach’ — was so good at stressing the importance of always listening, listening to yourself and the different lines you are playing, and listening to what your body is telling you (and the audience). As he put it, ‘tension in one part of the body creates tensions everywhere – and for everyone’. Then came Tim Garland — as a jazz fan I was hanging on every note he played. He gave us many musical lessons in how to create a safety net for an audience by stating and re-stating a theme before building an improvisation above it. However, the exchange he had with a student that will stay with me longest and has affected me the most was perhaps the simplest: ‘If you want to put an audience on edge, play all the notes you know as fast as you can, but to put them at ease and make them feel they’re in safe hands … just play fewer notes….’
Alex Waygood (current student) with Craig Ogden
Pianist Joanna MacGregor was the next international star to give her time to Oriel students, and the lessons for life that I took from her masterclasses were about practice — and the need to understand how you practice, as well as just exactly what it is you are practising. Practice is about rehearsal, yes, but it’s about more than that. It can be a time to experiment to surprise yourself with a new interpretation — it can be a time to break down a performance and study it note for note. Practice is also a time to prepare yourself physically for the rigour of the next performance, and to work through the details of how you are going to sit (or stand) to give yourself the foundation to project your message to the farthest reaches of the room. Last year mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly ran two masterclasses which were particularly special for me as some members of the Oriel choir, that I’d known from their first years as undergraduates, got the chance to perform and learn from a world-class concert soloist. I remember well her focus on the details of language, and her emphasis on thinking of lyrics as not just words but as channels of emotion from the composer through the performer to the audience. She also demonstrated some great lessons about the partnership between singer and accompanist — and the importance of the unspoken communication of gesture and eye contact that can create one performance in the space between two performers. That is certainly true for so many other successful joint endeavours in professional or sporting life. To return to where I started, earlier this year the Australian guitarist Craig Ogden ran two great masterclasses, as well as playing with the Choir in Chapel. His words are still fresh in my ears and they point to many lessons for anyone that has to present a message and engage an audience. I’ve chosen three of his quotes to end this piece: ‘An audience will never feel comfortable until they see the performer looking comfortable.’ ‘If a performance feels new to you it will sound fresh to your audience.’ ‘Remember to sell the melody, not the grace notes.’ So I’d advise all Oriel alumni, students, and staff to keep their eyes open for the next series of visiting musician masterclasses and come along, either as a performer or an audience member. In either case you’ll have the chance to learn something that may surprise you, and will stay with you long after the encore.
John Young (2014, Music) and Miranda Davis (2014, Classics), who have both now graduated, with Tim Garland
David Archer
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Industry Focus: Entrepreneurship There’s nothing like running your own business: it’s exciting to see things grow all because of your own hard work and ideas. On the other hand, it can also be overwhelming, particularly with my three small children in tow. I cope by being very strict with my scheduling and by asking for help as much as possible both at home and at work: our business really took off when we hired our first employee.
Phanella Mayall-Fine, 1988
Stepping Up to the Challenge
My best advice for anyone at the start of their career (or any stage thereafter!) is to make sure you’ve taken the time to define what success means to you. I see so many people who have worked so hard only to find they have reached their goals and then are disappointed. They’re just not as happy as they thought they’d be. The answer is invariably that they have been pushing for a success that wasn’t theirs. When you take a step back and really understand what you want to achieve, it’s so much easier to make the right choices and, crucially, to stop comparing yourself to anyone else.
Phanella Mayall-Fine (1988, French & German) I am the Co-Founder of the Step Up Club, a powerful, expert voice in the women's career conversation. Driven by my work around the mid-career crisis: the phenomenon that sees job satisfaction of almost all employees deteriorating dramatically in mid-life; I initially set out — along with my partner, journalist Alice Olins — to write a careers guide. Previously a Slaughter & May lawyer and J. P. Morgan fund manager, I now work as an Accredited Executive Coach. Through my coaching work, I found that this mid-career crisis was afflicting my many female clients worst of all. The natural mid-life dip in career satisfaction is, for many women, compounded by babies, family responsibility and gender barriers such as unconscious bias.
Step Up: Confidence, Success and Your Stellar Career in 10 Minutes a Day
Research tells us that once we emerge from this crisis, job satisfaction tends to increase again, and in many cases reaches even higher levels than before. It’s a powerful U-shaped curve. The challenge, particularly for women, is to maintain motivation, confidence and drive through to the other side. After trialling my approach with my coaching work in law firms and banks, it was clear that if these women spent just 10 minutes a day consciously focussing on their career development and confidence in a structured way (as opposed
to an additional 10 minutes doing their day jobs), the result would be a dramatic improvement both in job satisfaction and career enjoyment. It was this premise that informed our book: Step Up: Confidence, Success and your Stellar Career in 10 Minutes a Day (Random House). The book hit a nerve with readers and the media. After being featured across most of the UK broadsheets and glossies, including a cover of The Telegraph, Alice and I realised that our brand of modern careers advice was desperately needed. We were approached by large female-led brands to collaborate on content and we launched an event series alongside our weekly newsletter. Our latest venture is Step Up School: an innovative and powerful course running both online and in person. The course uses our proven career development system, combining accredited advice, interactive 10 minute edu-workouts and a vibrant network of fellow students, to progress women in their businesses and careers. It’s been such an exciting, if unexpected journey. Our first round of Step Up School sold out in just five hours! Since starting The Step Up Club, Alice and I have been able to help thousands of women to change career, get promoted, obtain serious pay rises, find angel investment, and get themselves onto high-level boards. We also work in tandem with charities, including Dress for Success and mothers2mothers, to offer free places on Step Up School for women financially unable to access traditional career development. Our mission is to give women hope, financial independence, and confidence: I can’t imagine a more fulfilling way to spend my time.
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Dr Chris Hayes, 1992
take Chris up on this offer, please feel free to email him at chris.hayes@lewissilkin.com (with Oriel in the subject). Here is a bit from Chris about himself: “Before retraining as a lawyer I was a geneticist: I held a Junior Research Fellowship at Merton College and was awarded a Medical Research Council Research Fellowship at the University. I have had work published in a range of leading scientific peerreviewed journals; and have been fortunate to have worked as a scientist and as a lawyer for leading global pharmaceutical companies including Merck, Sharpe & Dohme, Bristol MyersSquibb, and Lundbeck.
Advice from another Orielensis Orielensis Dr Chris Hayes (1992, DPhil Biological Sciences) is an intellectual property lawyer based in London and Oxford. He works with many start-up companies, as well as large household names. Chris often sees the same issues and queries arising with new businesses and new business owners, and so would like to offer Oriel students and alumni half an hour’s free legal advice for any first-time entrepreneurs starting a business or thinking of starting their own business. If anyone would like to
Giles Clarke CBE DL 1972, Persian with Arabic Current entrepreneurial role: I am currently Chairman and controlling shareholder, partly via my company Westleigh Investments, of ATL; Fosters Event; WCBS; Boston Tea Party; Promatic Holdings; CCI; Barkby Group PLC; Ironveld PLC; Kennedy Ventures PLC; Edvectus. I am also Chairman of oil and gas explorer Amerisur Resources PLC.
“I am now a partner at Lewis Silkin, based in the City of London, specialising in intellectual property, particularly patent law, across a number of sectors. These include automotive, fashion and retail, manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals; however, the common thread is my focus on high-technology, high-growth IP rich clients from SMEs to international corporations. Working with start-ups is particularly exciting, as often these companies will be built on really novel and interesting ideas, although I often see similar legal issues arising: such as failing to identify who owns the IP or protect their IP in the most optimal manner, or choosing an inappropriate corporate structure.”
What has been your greatest triumph? I was elected an EU 500 Entrepreneur in 1999, and appointed a CBE in the 2012 New Years Honours for services to cricket. Do you have any unusual hobbies? I enjoy Game shooting, scuba diving, and preserving remote places. Do you do any voluntary work? I have been a co-sponsor of Academies in the deprived area of South Bristol. I also sponsor Youth Workers in the Redcliffe ward in Bristol, which is the most deprived ward in the city and in the bottom 1% for child poverty in the country.
Where has life taken you since you left Oriel? I went into the City. In 1981, I started Majestic Wine, which I sold in 1989. In 1990 I founded Pet City which I built into a national chain and sold in 1996. In 1998 I founded Safestore, which was sold in 2003. I became Chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board in 2007 and a Director of the International Cricket Council, the World Governing Council, from which I retired in 2018.
I have served on the following public bodies:
What do you most enjoy about being an entrepreneur? The excitement of growing businesses, seeing ideas become reality, and encouraging people to make the most of their potential.
• 2001 – 2007 Deputy Chairman of the Bristol Old Vic
What motivates you? Achieving as much as possible whilst on this planet. What is one of the greatest challenges in your job? Running it myself. I thrive on taking risks and creating an idea that becomes a national activity, and on working alongside colleagues and helping them develop in their roles. Who or what inspired you during your time at Oriel? I was inspired by Professor R. C. Zaehner at All Souls’, who was the Professor of Eastern Religions and Ethics and the world authority at the time on Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, and Islamic Studies. He spoke 38 languages, which is something to aspire towards.
• 2002 – 2007 National Council member of the Learning and Skills Council, responsible for all UK Further and Adult Education • 2001 - 2002 Deputy Chair of the EU Task Force on Skills and Mobility and presented its report to the Barcelona Summit in 2002
• A Patron of Changing Faces, the UK national charity supporting and representing people with disfigurement • Master of the Society of Merchant Venturers, Bristol (2011) Having just stepped down from cricket, which was voluntary, I chair my livery company’s investment group which manages over £300 million assets whose income supports over 4,000 care homes. What is the one piece of ‘life’ advice you would give to a current student? Believe in yourself. Never give up and be prepared to take risks. What advice would you give to students aspiring to set-up and run their own businesses? Do so in niches which you understand and know about. Be brave and determined, and don’t worry about sleepless nights.
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Mark Beilby 1979, Modern History Current entrepreneurial role: Co-Founder/Executive Chairman of Meetoo Ltd, a world leader in the provision of engagement and insight through the mobile device, operating principally in Further and Higher Education. Where has life taken you since you left Oriel? A circuitous route through being a TV researcher, screenwriter, investment banker, lecturer in finance at a business school, and technology entrepreneur. What do you most enjoy about being an entrepreneur? The sense I am creating something with my own energy and cerebral capital. I spent 22 years in leading investment banks (13 years at MD level) and was never in control of my own destiny, albeit that it had compensations. What motivates you? Simply building the reputation, scale, and market penetration of our company. It is a feeling difficult to replicate working for someone else.
life’s endeavour, creative or not. Have the courage to pursue it. It may not work, you may prove unlucky; but give it a shot. If you ask the Careers Service what you should do, they will inevitably tell you to qualify as an accountant or apply to market Toilet Duck. That is their job. What advice would you give for a student wishing to join your industry? We, like all UK tech companies, are always looking for good young people. But recruitment by technology companies can sometimes seem based on whom you know. There exist, however, a multitude of networking organisations for aspirant technology entrepreneurs and start-up tech companies, and Oxford itself is a tech hub. Network to find a suitable opportunity. What advice would you give to students aspiring to set-up and run their own businesses? You need to balance the big idea and vaulting ambition with knowledge and control of your business. For any company the single most important consideration is cashflow.
Miles Cresswell-Turner 1981, Geography
What is one of the greatest challenges in your job? Deciding when a strategy is not working and cannot be pursued without endangering your company. In a small and growing company, it is possible to discern a market opportunity but lack the resources to exploit it. How did you get into the business sector? I got into my current business by meeting two clever people from Finland who, pre-smart phone, had worked out how to deliver content in real time to an application downloaded to a mobile. I, myself, am a technological idiot. Who or what inspired you during your time at Oriel? I was fairly obsessed with History then and the notion of being a historian. Life took a different path, but I do think that the lessons in analysis, context, cause and effect you learn through the study of history subsequently stood me in good stead. What has been your greatest triumph? I am tempted to say I shall let you know if it happens. But, probably our company’s selection by the Cameron Government in the ‘Future 50’ of UK technology champions alongside Just East, Shazam, and Zoopla. We were then tiny in comparison. Do you have any unusual hobbies? The technology sector is notoriously image conscious. I stick out like a sore thumb through advanced years, and wearing a suit. My colleagues were nonplussed to discover that I had been at one time a journalist writing on some of the rawer sub-genres of Heavy Metal. Much of this now sounds to me like an express train going through a tunnel.
Current entrepreneurial role: Co-Founder of Non Standard Finance PLC. I raised £280m of equity in a ‘shell company’ (i.e. just an idea and a business plan) with the aim of creating a major force in the ‘non-standard’ consumer finance market — providing credit to the 12m UK adults that the high street banks won’t serve due to people having a ‘thin’ (i.e. they are young or new to the country), or ‘impaired’ credit history. We acquired three companies over the ensuing two years and I unexpectedly stepped in to run the largest one (Everyday Loans) as CEO a year ago whilst maintaining my role at NSF.
Do you do any voluntary work? I mentor companies, in the past under the aegis of The National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts.
Where has life taken you since you left Oriel? As a graduate of the ‘Thatcher generation’ I went, almost by accident, into the financial-services sector, opting to start with an American bank (Bankers Trust) which provided a 12-month classroom training programme in New York. After 12 years in banking I was fortunate to find a break in the private equity market, where I worked as a partner in two firms (Palamon Capital and Duke Street Capital) for 18 years. I then decided to branch out on my own, and set up NSF.
What is the one piece of ‘life’ advice you would give to a current student? Everyone is passionate about something that could prove to be your
What do you most enjoy about being an entrepreneur? Near-instant decision-making, no office politics, and being personally able to make a difference.
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What motivates you? Getting to the top of the mountain. In business — delivering accelerated growth and employment, with the hope of creating a stand-out market-leading company. What is one of the greatest challenges in your job? I have always (rather secretly) been a bit of a solo player; learning to work in a team and motivate/manage others has taken a while to master (and I’m still working on it!). How did you get into the business sector? Pure serendipity; graduating in 1984 when the economy was on a strong rebound there were a lot of leading financial institutions looking for graduates in the ‘milk round’ in my final year. In retrospect, the privilege of being an undergraduate at Oriel was the major stepping stone in securing a route in to a leading international institution, which provided me with the training and platform to prosper. Despite reading Geography and having only an O-Level in Maths, I have spent much of my career on spreadsheets and have never found studying the Humanities a limitation to working in finance.
What advice would you give to students aspiring to set-up and run their own businesses? Get a partner — it is really lonely on your own — and make sure you have a passion for your chosen business.
Laura Ashley-Timms (née Goldsmith) 1985, Geography
Who or what inspired you during your time at Oriel? I really wish I could say ‘my tutor’, but we never really hit it off. I loved the ability to do what I wanted, when I wanted (no school timetables any more) surrounded by a really smart group of peers. What has been your greatest triumph? Personally, learning as an adult to speak Spanish and Italian fluently and marrying a Spaniard. Professionally, finding and acquiring a small family-run 20-year-old company in the sixth form college sector called Cambridge Education Group, and building a business plan and management team which enabled it to grow its revenues 10-fold and its profits 20-fold over the ensuing seven years to become a leading international schools group with over 5,000 pupils. Do you have any unusual hobbies? Mountaineering and ice-climbing — all thanks to the Oriel connection. A fellow Orielensis, Patrick McGrath, invited me to join him and a group of his army friends to climb Cotopaxi (6,000m in Ecuador) in 1988. Since then, I got the bug and have been on numerous climbs, including some scarily vertical ice falls, with Patrick most years. Do you do any voluntary work? My main focus in voluntary work is via the education sector. I am closely involved in an Indian schools group (Levana Education) which provides low-cost (£25/month) English immersion education in Bihar — the poorest state in India, with 40m children. The current school has 1,500 pupils and we aim over time to grow to 30,000 pupils via the building of a 10-schools group. What is the one piece of ‘life’ advice you would give to a current student? Make the most of the extra-curricular activities on offer at Oxford, since later in life you are unlikely to have the time or opportunity for years to come; I wish I had learned to fly (which I did later). Also (I hate to say it, but given the ever more competitive nature of the jobs market) get an internship during the holidays — both to build your CV and also get first-hand experience of a number of different careers. What advice would you give for a student wishing to join your industry? Learn a proper professional skill before joining (best done in your 30s or 40s) such as accounting, investment banking, management consulting, or a niche industry (e.g. bio-sciences) since it is intensely competitive and you need an edge.
Current entrepreneurial role: I am a Director and the Joint Founder of Notion, which was established in 2000 to help organisations to ‘change momentum’. 18 years later, we are best known for our work in behavioural change and are generally considered to be global experts in all things coaching. Our passion is working with organisations to help leaders and managers leverage performance, productivity, and engagement; and we have the privilege to work with some of the world's most exciting organisations, from merchant and commercial banks to major supermarkets, Russell Group Universities, telecoms, traditional manufacturers, and everything in-between. This year alone our work has taken us to the USA, South Africa, Poland, France, Croatia, Germany, Dubai from our core base in the UK. Where has life taken you since you left Oriel? I was lucky to have a really exciting start to my career, having secured an AIESEC traineeship in the marketing department of 3M in Manila. This was closely followed by over a decade in retail. I used to boast that I really started my career in men’s trousers, but did so well that I quickly got promoted to men's underwear! This was based on my solid early business foundation running buying departments in Marks & Spencer, where within a few years you find yourself running departments and P&Ls of £90m, which was a fantastic business foundation. I had always had a desire to have a very international career, and managed to get sent to New York to work in Brooks Brothers for a few years and then return to an international consultancy role for Marks & Spencer, before I finally left for a more senior role at a mid-sized retailer. By my early 30s, I really wanted to change industry and had a number of very 'grown-up' job offers in some big consultancies; but the offer of working for a small family-run business in Stratford-upon-Avon kept making me smile. Deciding laughter trumped status I spent four years working with the Teletubbies, travelling the world, arranging licensing deals, designing products, and establishing marketing for programme launches like
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Brum. It was a whirlwind of fun, and took me back to another stint living in New York again to set up Ragdoll's American office in Soho. It was extremely insightful working for a small family business (with only 70 employees) that had achieved world domination. Anne Wood won ‘Business Woman of the Year’ when I worked for her so proved to be an interesting mentor, as her belief in her passion to 'make children smile' took priority over every commercial business decision and led to outstanding success. I had always known I wanted my own business, and moving from a large corporate to a mid-sized organisation and then to a small family business helped me finally make the break and set up Notion. I was fortunate to have married my soulmate by this time, Dominic, another AIESECer. Initially, the move was to take full control of our lives. A more sane individual would have stayed in a well-paid job, with a lovely 15-minute drive to the office, and started a family, with all the benefits employment brings. But for some reason, the idea of starting a business and a family at the same time seemed like a good idea! It was definitely a 'be careful what you wish for moment' and luckily, after 18 years of extremely hard work, I can now say it's been a great success. What do you most enjoy about being an entrepreneur? Truthfully, not having anyone to tell me what to do and having full control to challenge the status quo with no repercussions. I get to be challenging, passionate, impulsive, even moody if I'm really exhausted, and I can't get fired! Also, wowing clients is really exciting. This month we've just delivered a programme for a top university and a major supermarket that both delivered over 100 times return on investment for them, which was very rewarding. Presenting those reports to the clients was a lot of fun. There are huge downsides too, of course, like the ridiculous hours we tend to work; and, as we grow, things like ensuring we're developing enough new business to cover the needs and aspirations of a growing team can add new pressures. What motivates you? I'm motivated by ensuring all members of the team deliver a genuinely world-class service that is truly measurable. Being a disruptor to the industry is also motivational — for example being very commercial and results-orientated in what can sometimes be a rather superficial and 'soft and fluffy' industry. Right now, though, I'm specifically motivated to create 100,000 'STAR® Managers' by 2020, and have set a new target of One Million 'STAR® Managers' by 2025. This is based on a game-changing programme we have been developing over the last two years which can finally allow organisations to scale behavioural change and transform performance, and we are really excited about the impact this will have on all businesses. What is one of the greatest challenges in your job? To be a 100%-present parent whilst growing a business. I'm a self-confessed rubbish wife, but luckily my husband is also my business partner so he knows I'm the probably the hardest working Co-Director he'll ever find, so he's incredibly kind to me about my failings! Between us, we do a pretty good job of being around for the kids a lot and we're both very proud of that, although making the decision to put the children first definitely slowed the growth of the business in the early years. The other particular challenge I face is that I am an Executive Coach, so I get a very hard time in the office when I'm not very 'coach like'! Our team hold us to high account and can forget that when I'm in the office I'm also an entrepreneur and an exhausted Director, who as a human is very, very far from perfect, and that the 'coaching behaviours' can slip! This is work in progress. How did you get into the business sector? At 11, I started my own chocolate business. I made handmade
brandy truffles in beautiful gift boxes in a world before Thorntons or Hotel Chocolat; but my dad wouldn't let me leave school to start a factory, although I did ask him! My parents were both self-employed and I'd always helped out in their respective businesses as a child (as different as working on a market and in a dental surgery) so I guess business was in my blood. Who or what inspired you during your time at Oriel? I was lucky enough to get involved with AIESEC which is an international business society. I got to help organise a careers fair, travel to conferences in UK and Europe, and develop and run a large international business conference at Oxford which allowed me to go directly to Board Directors of FTSE companies and put proposals together for sponsorship (we raised £30,000 to host 'The Burning Issue', which was a three-day symposium on Energy and the Environment with students from over 20 countries debating with large businesses). The opportunities this allowed us and the training we received was truly inspirational, and friendships formed during these events still stand today. What has been your greatest triumph? Developing STAR® Manager. It's been the most challenging and difficult project of our career to date. We've never worked so hard and we've created something that two years ago we thought was technically impossible. We're being told by the industry experts that it's a true game-changer, and I'm immensely proud of it. It will literally change the way people communicate and work together in business for the better. It's just going live now, so watch this space. Do you have any unusual hobbies? Hobbies? I think that comes next, doesn't it? The downside of being an entrepreneur is that you don't have any personal time. I do like property, and have developed a small portfolio — if that counts. Do you do any voluntary work? I have co-authored two books for charity and had a role on one of the school PTAs for a short while. The reality is, though, that with the business and three children there is no other time. I expect in the next two years there will be a big shift in my work-life balance and I have a very clear vision of where I want to give back: it will be working with 16-21-year-olds to help get them ready for the world of work. What is the one piece of ‘life’ advice you would give to a current student? Live your life and trust your gut, but if you choose to be an employee in any business choose to be good. Be proactive, be professional, and develop yourself so that you can add value to the company. If you add value you will get promoted: don't wait to be asked, choose to be better. What advice would you give for a student wishing to join your industry? To add the most value you are best bringing experience at reasonably senior levels from a number of sectors, so get some really good experience that you can draw on later in your career. What advice would you give to students aspiring to set-up and run their own businesses? Be passionate about it, but more importantly do your research first. Is there really a market for your idea/product? Test small and test again. Fail fast and learn. Do you understand that 80% of your time will be sales and marketing and administration and only 20% in the early years will be doing the thing you thought you loved or were good at? If you don't want to be doing the sales and marketing you will likely fail. Invest early in bringing in good people, the sooner you can leverage your time the better.
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Mark Wilson 1986, Chemistry
An exciting challenge for us is to select new seasons’ ranges of items to stock — we know what we like, however we need to consider what will people will want to be buying in 6-12 months’ time. How did you get into the business sector? My route started with the training as a Chartered Accountant — fuelled by my desire to understand the world of commerce, having taken Chemistry as far as I could without specialising in a particular field of research. Who or what inspired you during your time at Oriel? I was inspired by the whole academic environment, the desire for knowledge and for answers, as well as the drive to achieve, and to push limits of achievement to beyond what was previously thought possible. What has been your greatest triumph? Professionally, I am most proud of the work I completed as SVP Finance NAA with Reckitt Benckiser — the international move combined with the complexity of the organisation challenged me, however I was able to transform the finance function from a rather steady and routine back office into an efficient business support function.
Current entrepreneurial role: Director, Co-Founder of Walk the Storm Where has life taken you since you left Oriel? Upon leaving Oriel I joined the accounting firm Price Waterhouse in Windsor, with the intention of gaining a respected qualification and learning about businesses. After qualifying and obtaining further experience as an audit manager, I chose to move into industry. I joined Glaxo Wellcome, in their head office accounting function. After five years, a merger, and learning a great deal in two roles, I wanted wider responsibility in a smaller company. I joined Reckitt Benckiser, who themselves had only just before completed a merger. I enjoyed a successful 11 years with RB, culminating in a move to the US to head up the 120-strong finance team of North America and Australia. Returning to the UK, I joined Essentra as Group Financial Controller before deciding, after just over a year, that I wanted more independence and excitement than a corporate role offered. I took some time out and considered a range of alternative career options, including retraining. However, while enjoying New Year’s Eve 2015 with my partner Carolyn, a question popped out of a leftover cracker – ‘what’s your ideal job?’ From that discussion, we generated the idea to start a retail business in brightly coloured, stylish wet weather gear to bring a brighter perspective to rainy days, to lift people even in everyday life, to ‘walk the storm’. Over the next few months, the company was created, suppliers engaged, stock purchased and a website built, and in June 2016 we had our first sale! We are now into our third year, learning and growing constantly. What do you most enjoy about being an entrepreneur? I enjoy the personal freedom, decision making, and the responsibility – it starts and ends with us! We can be creative, spontaneous and decisive, and we are accountable only to ourselves. What motivates you? I am highly motivated to make a difference to people’s lives, bring them something positive, some enjoyment, some growth, providing a solution to a problem while also being a little different. In allowing someone to enjoy the rain, we find we can change perceptions and create positivity in an otherwise negative space, that experience is both motivating and rewarding. What is one of the greatest challenges in your job? Our biggest challenge currently is how to reach new customers, how to make our marketing effective while keeping the spend efficient.
Personally, I am dedicated to being the best father I can be to my two sons, and being the best partner I can be to Carolyn. Do you have any unusual hobbies? Not so unusual now but it was when I first started — I have participated in over 100 triathlons since 1995, including representing GB as an age group athlete in the 2002 Long Distance triathlon championships in Nice, France. I enjoy the challenge of the event — simply finishing is a victory — and the camaraderie of many athletes knowing we are all pushing ourselves, whatever the resulting finishing time, is very inspiring to me. Do you do any voluntary work or work in the community? I am a Governor of the Windsor Boys’ School, and Treasurer of its Boat Club — a role inspired by my rowing experience at Oriel. WBSBC is a premier junior club, despite the constraints of being part of a state school, and notably won the Fawley Challenge Cup for Junior Quad Sculls at Henley last year in a course record time. The Club also regularly has boys representing GB in international competition. I am also Governor and Chair of the Audit Committee at Croydon College. What is the one piece of ‘life’ advice you would give to a current student? To a current student, I would guide them to follow their passions, be dedicated and have fun. With that, I think there is the strongest chance of success and enjoyment in their life! What advice would you give for a student wishing to join your industry? To someone considering the Chartered Accounting profession: it’s safe, predictable, and rewarding; but can be long hours and hard work. To someone considering retail: it’s much more dynamic — meaning it can be exciting, but it is also risky! What advice would you give to students aspiring to set-up and run their own businesses? Go for it with both a sense of the dream and a sense of reality — give yourself options and headroom whenever possible so as to ensure you can keep moving forward.
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Gary Pitts 1986, Ancient and Modern History
something back when they don’t necessarily have much financially to give, and in return they receive a good grounding in corporate governance. What is the one piece of ‘life’ advice you would give to a current student? Don’t judge yourself by the ‘successes’ of others. Always choose the option that gives you the most future options. What advice would you give for a student wishing to join your industry? Apply for internships in smaller firms and start-ups so you can see more of how a business works, get a charity-trustee role to understand governance, strategy, and managing stakeholder needs.
Current entrepreneurial role: Owner and Managing Partner of Tetractys Partners LLP; Owner and Partner of Two Terriers LLP; trustee of a start-up charity. Where has life taken you since you left Oriel? Through the usual domestic ups and downs of births, deaths, divorce and remarriage, across the world on business and into charitable work that will hopefully leave a legacy of good.
What advice would you give to students aspiring to set-up and run their own businesses? It is never too late to start — some people can do it from the off, while others need to use their employment to grow relevant experience and contracts. Don’t be misled by all the media nonsense about start-ups and entrepreneurs.
Sara Vaughan 1989, Modern History
What do you most enjoy about being an entrepreneur? The freedom to decide how I respond to events that affect me, and the freedom to turn those problems into opportunities. What motivates you? Creating something that does some good and which creates futures and opportunity for the staff who ultimately have the opportunity to be co-owners of their own business. What is one of the greatest challenges in your job? Balancing multiple demands — the long hours invested into getting the business off the ground, time for my family and my dogs, my charitable activities and my surfing while still staying healthy. How did you get into the business sector? By accident — I had quit my tax-trainee career with Touche Ross due to boredom, and fell into a role with the embryonic regulator LAUTRO, where I discovered a role that suited my skills-set and temperament. Who or what inspired you during your time at Oriel? Mark Whittow (my first tutor), who helped me to get to grips with the rigours of the tutorial system. What has been your greatest triumph? Starting a business with a laptop, £1,500, and one client, and turning it into a brand recognised for the quality and discretion of its work. As someone who had never networked properly or marketed anything until I started the business, discovering I could market the business and develop opportunities successfully was a real eye-opener. Do you have any unusual hobbies? Surfing, and Byzantine History. Do you do any voluntary work? I have been a charity trustee for a number of years (Theatre Peckham; The Association of Teachers and Lecturers Benevolent Fund; and Beat Kidney Stones — a charity start-up). This is great experience for students and people early in their career to give
Current entrepreneurial role: Innovator, Creator of Brands with Purpose, and Positive Change Maker at Sara Vaughan Consulting. Where has life taken you since you left Oriel? On leaving Oriel, I took a relatively traditional route becoming a strategy consultant and working for the likes of Bain and Marakon. I then went into communications, working at Brunswick and what is now Edelman. My passion and purpose came together when I went in-house at De Beers to create and launch Forevermark — their global ethical diamond brand. I then went to L’Oreal Group/The Body Shop, where I was responsible for developing and driving The Body Shop’s global brand repositioning: Beauty with Heart and The Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People Campaign. Latterly, I was a Vice-President at Unilever, where I looked after sustainable business and communications for all the categories and brands, and sat on the Global Personal Care Leadership Team. I created and rolled out the People Are Beautiful brand for Unilever Personal Care — a €21 billion company, and also worked on the brand purpose for the 16 €1 billion+ brands. Today, I have my own consultancy working with global companies like Unilever and Reckitt Benckiser to innovate, create, and develop
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purpose for their brands. I believe that a truly sustainable brand, whether consumer or corporate, is one that not only understands its purpose and acts on it, but also one that inherently ties it to its commercial success: it is a profitable brand that grows. In this fastchanging VUCA world of ours, it is only purpose-led companies and brands that will survive.
Currivan, and Dr Alan Watkins who are hosting and organising The Unity Conference in November at Westminster Abbey and the House of Lords — a one-day convergence of 200 organisation leaders, inter-faith representatives, artists, scientists, technologists, changemakers, and social activists to affirm our common humanity and together define and commit to solutions for our divided world.
What do you most enjoy about being an entrepreneur? The ability and freedom to work with different types of companies and brands. I recently co-hosted a Conscious Business Leadership workshop with Giles Hutchins, Chair at The FutureFit Leadership Academy, and an author and speaker. It was truly inspiring to see senior leaders from companies as diverse as Google, HSBC, Freshfields, The Crown Estate, Scott Bader, Weleda, Pukka, and Grant Thornton learning, sharing, and discussing how to be a conscious leader and how to create conscious organisations.
I am also a longstanding volunteer for Glassdoor, the West London Homeless Charity for which we are working with Facebook and Universal to create a series of video portraits demystifying the homeless and homelessness.
What motivates you? Creating powerful brands and movements for positive change.
What advice would you give for a student wishing to join your industry? Get yourself some great work experience and some great mentors. Be brave — and shoot for the stars. Reach out on Linkedin, Twitter, or whatever they’re most prevalent on. I promise you, even if they say no, they’ll be flattered to be asked. So, go for it!
What has been one of the greatest challenges in your job? My greatest challenge has actually never been the job: it’s actually been me. Whilst outwardly I have always appeared confident, for many years — most of my life in fact— I struggled with low selfesteem, self-limiting beliefs, doubts and fears about myself and my abilities. Working on and delivering The Dove Self-Esteem Project, whilst at Unilever, helped me as much as it’s helped the 20 million young people across 138 countries that it’s reached to date. Doing the Avatar Course last year finally put the fears and doubts to rest, and gave me the confidence and courage to set up on my own. Who or what inspired you during your time at Oriel? I am eternally grateful to Dr Beddard and Dr Catto for their wonderful teaching. Thank you! What has been your greatest triumph? Undoubtedly, I am most proud of The Body Shop’s The Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People Campaign. It is still the largest corporate-led petition ever presented to the United Nations — more than 7 million signatures — and effected real change in trafficking legislation in over 20 countries. It was a truly incredible experience to see so many people all over the globe — our store staff, our customers, and the NGOs we worked with, such as ECPAT International and our media partner CNN, working together to put a stop to what is the world’s third largest criminal industry.
What is the one piece of ‘life’ advice you would give to a current student? To find your life purpose — whatever that may be. Each one of us is unique. Honour it and live by it.
What advice would you give to students aspiring to set-up and run their own businesses? From the outset, create and build a business with a purpose. Act on it and tie it to your commercial success.
Nic Pillow 1989, Engineering and Computing Science, and a DPhil in computer vision
A close second is the current A Plastic Planet Campaign for #aplasticfreeaisle in supermarkets. Some 12 months after launching, we have unveiled the world’s first plastic free aisle with Ekoplaza, capturing worldwide consumer and media attention, and are working with Iceland, Waitrose, and other international retailers on their plastic-free ambitions, partnering with Sky and the Volvo Ocean Race. APP Co-Founder Sian Sutherland will be addressing the UN next month. Do you have any unusual hobbies? I like to challenge myself to learn and grow. Last weekend I went canvassing for the first time with a friend of mine who is standing as the Women’s Equality Party candidate for Tower Hamlets. It was a truly humbling yet inspiring experience to meet so many people, and to hear them voice their concerns about, and potential solutions to, the issues facing their borough: gangland crime, the lack of childcare and support for working mums, and the fact that Tower Hamlets has the worst child-poverty record in the whole country. Do you do any voluntary work? I am part of the circle along with Lord Stone of Blackheath, Dr Jude
Current entrepreneurial role: I run Rhizome, a start-up for online learning within businesses, in which large groups of participants learn together through discussion with each other — unlike normal eLearning, which is a very solitary and passive activity. We’re currently working with beta customers, with a formal launch coming in the middle of this year. Where has life taken you since you left Oriel? After my DPhil I moved to Bristol to join a growing mobile telecom start-up. It was soon acquired, giving me my first taste of working in
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a much larger organisation. I later repeated the pattern, setting up the Product Management function in another Bristol-based start-up before it was acquired by a huge multi-national. By then my wife and I had built a house in the Wiltshire countryside, where we live with two children and the odd chicken.
Melanie White 1995, English
What do you most enjoy about being an entrepreneur? The freedom to make rapid progress and decisions in many aspects of the business — and constantly learning more about all those different aspects. What motivates you? Ultimately it’s knowing that we’re doing something genuinely new that will really benefit organisations and the people who work in them — in a small way to improve the world. What is one of the greatest challenges in your job? The need to make rapid progress and decisions in so many aspects of the business all at once! Particularly at this stage, with so few other people involved. How did you get into the business sector? Completely by chance. It was a conversation at a fundraising dinner with someone who is now my main investor. Although I was painfully aware of the problems with online learning within large organisations, I had never intended to tackle them until we came up with the concept for Rhizome. Who or what inspired you during your time at Oriel? In many ways it was the collective attitude but to highlight one individual: my DPhil supervisor, Professor Andrew Zisserman FRS. He is always fizzing with ideas, energy, and enthusiasm for what can be explored and achieved. What has been your greatest triumph? I’m hoping it will turn out to be Rhizome! Previously it was being recognised for setting the benchmark within a 60,000 person company on how to run an international team, despite the many corporate restrictions that got in the way. Do you have any unusual hobbies? It’s perhaps not so unusual for Oxford; but I still play the organ, even giving the occasional recital. Do you do any voluntary work? I run a children’s choir — largely at the insistence of my daughter — and I’m Chairman of trustees for the local village hall. What is the one piece of ‘life’ advice you would give to a current student? Always maintain some non-work interests and activities. It helps maintain perspective on what you’re doing, and the ideas and contacts they produce can prove extremely valuable. What advice would you give for a student wishing to join your industry? There are many small companies involved in learning and learning technology, with a huge variety in the quality and effectiveness of what they do. Do your research carefully before joining one. (I may be biased; but if you want to join something new and exciting, then Rhizome is recruiting!) What advice would you give to students aspiring to set-up and run their own businesses? Do it. You can’t possibly know everything you should before you start, but there’s so much help and support available for start-ups now — providing you take it — that you’ll learn very quickly as you go.
Current entrepreneurial role: Publisher/Editor of Shooter Literary Magazine Where has life taken you since you left Oriel? I’ve always worked in literary fields, but had a fair bit of wanderlust to burn before staying put long enough to create a magazine! After graduating I taught English for a year in Sri Lanka, then returned to London to work as a script reader. That was basically writing glorified book reports on material for film executives, giving them reasons to reject projects. I then went to journalism school at Columbia in New York, and worked at a newspaper in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, as a reporter and editor for four years after that. Although I loved it there, it proved a bit far from family and old friends to stay for good. I boomeranged back to London via New York again, freelancing along the way as an arts writer and book reviewer. I decided to set up a literary journal in 2014, after noticing how few of note were in circulation at that point in the UK compared to the US. There’s been quite a resurgence of interest in the short story during the last five years, though, so there are several good new magazines around now on the UK literary scene — including Shooter, of course. What do you most enjoy about being an entrepreneur? The autonomy to work as you like and make decisions without compromise. There are no other fingers in Shooter’s pie, and although that makes me 100% responsible if things go wrong, I gain great satisfaction from creating every issue of the magazine from start to finish. What motivates you? That fizz of delight when you discover an outstanding piece of writing amid the slush pile is very exciting. I love working with a writer on their piece, too — the back-and-forth involved in refining word choice, plotting, sentence structure, building character… it’s very absorbing. And it’s rewarding when a writer appreciates your edits, and tells you they’ve improved the piece. Some of Shooter’s writers have gone on to have great success already, with stories in The New Yorker (the pinnacle of short story publishing) and landing book deals and awards. One of the writers currently on the longlist for the Sunday Times Short Story Award (the richest prize in the world for
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the short story) was first published in Shooter. I get a big buzz out of seeing Shooter’s writers go on to have that kind of success.
Nigel Fletcher
What is one of the greatest challenges in your job? Turning a healthy profit remains one of the major challenges! I don’t think anyone sets up a literary magazine in order to get rich. But Shooter has grown steadily in its first three years to the point where there’s now some brand recognition. I’ve capitalised on that by introducing fee-paying poetry and story competitions, which are proving popular, as well as offering editing services under Shooter’s auspices. Distribution is also tough, as booksellers take a chunk of the retail price, so I still mainly sell the magazine direct to subscribers and at literary events. Its presence at bookstores like Foyles in London and Shakespeare & Co. in Paris is more for prestige than sales, really. Handling all of that on top of actually making the magazine is very time-consuming.
2000, PGCE
How did you get into the business sector? Given the aforementioned challenge of riches, I’m not sure ‘business’ is the primary driver for this type of entrepreneurship. For me, it turned out to be a natural confluence of my literary interests and journalism experience. I think anyone engaged in creative or artistic entrepreneurship has to develop multiple, interrelated sources of revenue to create a sustainable enterprise. Who or what inspired you during your time at Oriel? My involvement with Cherwell, the student newspaper, was one of the most worthwhile things I did while at Oriel. It probably inspired me to deviate from a more conventional career in something like law. I also wrote an essay on Emily Dickinson’s poem ‘My Life had stood — a Loaded Gun’, about exercising creative power, which inspired Shooter’s name. I couldn’t actually go for Loaded because that already bears an unfortunate association in the magazine world! What has been your greatest personal/professional triumph? Having my daughter, Alicia, at the age of 40 was the ultimate triumph. Do you have any unusual hobbies? I love riding and, although that isn’t unusual in the UK, while living in Wyoming I learned a Western sport called team penning and took part in the rodeo there. I also used to play poker in bar backrooms. You might say my entire stint in Wyoming amounted to one big unusual hobby. Do you do any voluntary work? I used to walk shelter dogs — at Battersea Dogs’ Home and in Jackson – until rescuing my own dog, Robbie, from Spain. Since adopting him five years ago he’s monopolised my walking, but I support A New Day Spain, a dog rescue in Andalucia, in his honour. What is the one piece of ‘life’ advice you would give to a current student? Get involved in as much as possible. Often the only thing stopping you from doing what you really want to do is yourself! What advice would you give for a student wishing to join your industry? There’s still a fairly traditional career path in publishing but journalism in the digital age is very much a matter of just doing it. Focus on what you love, find a gap in the market and build something there. What advice would you give to students aspiring to set up and run their own businesses? In a creative arena, it helps to develop something that can yield multiple, interrelated revenue strands — one endeavour alone isn’t usually enough to sustain a business with an artistic focus.
Current entrepreneurial role: Founder and CEO of Sports Development Marketing (SDM), which is based in Geneva, Switzerland and has developed the International Sports Convention, International Sports Chamber of Commerce, and International Sports Awards brands. Where has life taken you since you left Oriel? On to understand my strengths and passion. I was the first person globally to complete two sports-business degrees in Football. I gained a MSc (Business of Football) from Birkbeck College, University of London, in 2003, and an MBA (Football Industries) from the University of Liverpool in 2004. I then worked for FIFA in Zurich from 2005-2010, followed by becoming Founder and CEO of SDM in 2010. What do you most enjoy about being an entrepreneur? I’m in control. If you do something it matters; if you do nothing — it matters too. I enjoy making many decisions daily, and the opportunity to put an idea into reality. What motivates you? Self-motivation — this is the inner drive. Also the opportunity for success, and the fear of failure. What is one of the greatest challenges in your job? Scaling up at the right time; and not having the resources. This is a constant challenge; and so is finding the best people who understand small business culture. How did you get into the business sector? I started my first business at undergraduate level at Loughborough and continued with that through all my studies (including at Oriel). It was a business focussing on providing soccer camps to children throughout the country during holiday periods. Who or what inspired you during your time at Oriel? People and the teachers who were passionate and cared about what they were doing. If you are not going to care and be passionate, you are not going to succeed, whatever the task.
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What has been your greatest triumph? My greatest professional triumph was delivering The International Sports Convention in Geneva, Switzerland — the sports business event — The ‘Davos’ of Sports.
over the world — we’re based in London but such is the demand for high quality UK education that we have offshoots in Hong Kong and Singapore.
My greatest personal triumph is seeing my children grow and develop each day.
What do you most enjoy about being an entrepreneur? Growing a business — growing anything, really — is strangely but deeply and intrinsically rewarding.
Do you do any voluntary work or work in the community? Through our business we work closely with UNICEF and UNHCR, and hope to accelerate this partnership.
What is one of the greatest challenges in your job? Keeping focused on the essentials and not being distracted by trivia, fun though those distractions may be.
What is the one piece of ‘life’ advice you would give to a current student? Get as much experience, internships and real-life work during your studies and summer holidays. This will help build your CV, and make you understand what you would like to do or not. Spend more time on this than in the library.
Who or what inspired you during your time at Oriel? Drs Beddard, Catto, Skinner, and Whittow were a constant source of inspiration. Their advice was rarely pragmatic (Dr Catto’s career advice is unprintable!) but they showed us a vision of the good life, they underlined what matters in life (friendship, books, ideas, drinks, jokes, etc) and taught us to trust our instincts — good guidance for budding entrepreneurs. Of course, every Formal Hall (dare I say, every evening in the Oriel Bar) was in some sense an inspiration too.
What specific advice would you give to students wishing to set-up and run their own businesses? My advice would be to ensure that it is a business. Has someone purchased the product or service? Has someone said they will purchase the product or service? How large is the market and the opportunity? But, more importantly, ensure this decision is not a lifestyle choice; or that you aren’t setting up a business because it sounds interesting and something different to do. It is tough work. Also, before you start the business, have a business plan on paper: this will be your initial guide. Have your exit plan as core to your business plan, because if you don’t know what is your end and personal goal then there is no point starting. Finally, remember that it always takes longer to get where you want to be, so factor that into your plans. Be ambitious, but also realistic: the best entrepreneurs are risk-averse.
Josh Pull and Will Orr-Ewing 2003, Modern History
What has been your greatest triumph? It was fun to celebrate our 10-year anniversary last year: perhaps that can be seen as a triumph, given how few businesses make it past their first year. We’re more focused on the decades to come, though. Do you have any unusual hobbies? If you call pilgrimaging with old Orielenses (London to Oxford and London to Canterbury, with more planned) unusual, then yes. Do you do any voluntary work? Our unique model of tutoring (employing full-time tutors) allows us to do significantly more pro-bono tutoring than most of our competitors — which we think is important, and which our tutors greatly appreciate. What is the one piece of ‘life’ advice you would give to a current student? Go to more lectures (including those from other subjects); read more great books; listen to more great music; watch more great films; discuss more great ideas — all become harder on leaving Oriel! What advice would you give for a student wishing to join your industry? Many Oxbridge graduates like the fact they can combine tutoring with other projects or vocations in their lives, such as writing a novel or keeping up their academic research. Feel free to give us a call if you want to discuss tutoring more. What advice would you give to students aspiring to set-up and run their own businesses? If you can bear it, it’s probably wise to get a few years’ experience of working under your belt before you do: it’s useful to be in a hierarchical system under people who can give you proper feedback on what good work looks like, what you need to do to improve, etc. But once you’ve learnt enough, get out and go for it!
Current entrepreneurial role: Founders and Directors of Keystone Tutors Where has life taken you since you left Oriel? Will started Keystone pretty much upon leaving Oriel; Josh worked for two years in M&A at Lazard before joining. We’ve run Keystone for over 10 years and grown it to be one of the UK’s leading tutoring organisations, employing almost 40 full-time staff and a few hundred freelancers. The company has taken us all
The Next Industry Focus – Technology Our next industry focus will look at the technology sector. Whether you are a software engineer, work in IT, or work on the cutting edge of technology in some other capacity, and would like to be considered for inclusion then please contact verity.armstrong@oriel.ox.ac.uk.
ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2018 | 27
SCR Spotlight – Professor Lyndal Roper In 2016 I published a biography of the 16th century German reformer Martin Luther. I had started in 2003 when I naively thought that it would take me about five years; I certainly hadn’t planned on producing it for the 500 year celebrations of the posting of the 95 Theses on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg. But it took me well over a decade, and I nearly didn’t finish in time. I wasn’t expecting what happened next. The Luther celebrations were simply massive. In Germany, Luther was headline news: he got his own supplement of Die Zeit and he even made it to the cover of the Spiegel. Everyone, it seemed, had a view about the reformer. And everywhere was holding an event: I’ve travelled to the US, Australia, Switzerland, Austria, Israel, Denmark, Ireland and many more. I’ve spoken in dozens of places in Germany and have come to know the country in a new way. I’ve been able to address audiences that a historian like me doesn’t normally get to meet; I’ve lost count of the interviews I’ve given; and I’ve met some of the most remarkable people I’ve ever come across. Most amazing of all, I got to speak from Luther’s pulpit. A woman from the Wittenberg church invited me; but she wasn’t able to be there herself in the end, so I arrived at St Mary’s Church on a Sunday morning to meet the pastor, who was in full black and white starched regalia. With him was a woman who would do the readings. I had spoken to other people who had had the chance to preach from Luther’s pulpit, so I knew that it would be an emotional experience, but I wasn’t prepared for how I would feel. I expected to be thinking of my father, who was briefly a minister in the Presbyterian church of Australia, who loved Germany, and who had died a few months before; and he was very present in my mind. But I also found myself thinking about the outside of the church, which has a medieval anti-Semitic statue high up on its walls. It shows a sow suckling three Jews, while a rabbi looks into the backside of the pig. It is disgustingly anti-Semitic, and Luther wrote a treatise in praise of it, the worst writing of his that I know. After the service the pastor explained that we would now move to the nearby hall where the congregation would ask me questions for 45 minutes – not something I was expecting! He asked the first: ‘Why had I said that Luther was anti-Semitic? He was anti-Judaic, not antiSemitic’. I was stumbling out some sort of reply in halting German when a man in the congregation put up his hand and spoke: he gave a brilliantly supported, long and articulate explanation of why Lutherans must accept that Luther was anti-Semitic, why they must deal with it openly and move on. Who was this man? It turned out that he was Friedrich Schorlemmer, a pastor who is a major theologian and was an opponent of the former East German regime. And the woman who had done the readings in the church looked familiar: it turned out that I had seen her face before. I had spent time in the substantial studios of the 16th century artist Lucas Cranach, which are located on the main square in Wittenberg, and have been restored. Cranach’s images were vitally important to the Reformation’s success: he made Luther internationally recognisable; indeed, without Cranach, the Reformation would probably not have succeeded as it did. But under the East German regime, the studios had been basically left to rot. A group of citizens in Wittenberg were determined to preserve them, and the week before the Wende in 1989, they smashed the lock and went in. There is a photo of them all standing in the ruins. The woman who did the readings is there, in a hard hat: she now runs the Foundation, which is still a Citizens’ Initiative and which invites non-artists from all over the world to spend time in the studios making art together. These people’s stories are of civil courage and huge creativity; they are people I never
would have met otherwise and they have changed the way I think about Germany and German history. Now the Luther Year is over, and the post-mortems have begun. Church leaders are disappointed; the longed-for evangelical renewal did not happen, the Lutheran church is in decline, and in East Germany, so they fear, it may soon be extinct. But then, pastors have been complaining about superstition and popular indifference since the 16th century, starting with Luther himself. What struck me about the religious celebrations in Wittenberg was their anarchic, energetic mix, from the Bavarian Luther beer tent to the gigantic manureheap, sprouting fantastic flowers – the best monument to Luther’s taste for scatology I ever saw. It seems generally agreed that the secular celebrations of Luther, which cast him as the first ‘modern man’, or the inventor of the German language, were pretty much a failure. The hoped-for numbers of visitors didn’t arrive, the exhibitions were not as popular as expected. But I think this is actually a success. Luther cannot and should not be a unifying figure. He cannot wipe out the differences between the former East and West Germany. In a society which has always been divided between Catholics and Protestants, and which now has growing numbers of Jews and Muslims, Luther cannot draw people together. Right-wing nationalists were unable to co-opt Luther, and he simply is not credible as a hero anymore: indeed, the publication of Thomas Kaufmann’s wonderful book on Luther and the Jews finally meant that Luther’s anti-Semitism was publicly discussed. What impressed me was the willingness to be critical of Luther, to engage with him as a figure whose flaws have much to teach us about intolerance - and even to see the funny side. From the Luther socks (which say ‘Here I stand’) to the Luther Playmobil figure (over one million sold), the greatest success of the Luther commemorations has been Luther kitsch. The 19th century monumental Luther has given way to an ocean of Luther tat – and, while recognising how much this remarkable, courageous individual changed our world - what could be healthier, or a better tribute to Luther, than to have a good laugh?
28 | ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2018
Alumni News
If you have any news of new appointments, books, adventures, new arrivals, or marriages then please email verity.armstrong@oriel.ox.ac.uk
Orielenses Receive Knighthoods
Action for Education
Many congratulations to The Very Reverend Professor Iain Torrance (1974, DPhil Theology) who was awarded a knighthood for services to Higher Education and Theology in the Queen’s 2018 New Year’s Honours. Professor Torrance is a minister of the Church of Scotland, Pro-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen, President Emeritus of Princeton Theological Seminary, and a former Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.
“Since graduating from Oriel College in 2016, I've been coordinating a refugee education project on Europe’s border with Turkey. Comprising a ‘High School’ and ‘Youth Centre’ for refugee children fleeing war and persecution, we set up our non-profit to build spaces of safety and learning. We’re looking for partnerships and financial support to continue our work with vulnerable communities into 2019. Email me directly at jacob@actionforeducation.co.uk or visit www.actionforeducation.co.uk.”
Also, congratulations to Professor Paul Preston (1965, DPhil History) who was awarded a knighthood for services to UK-Spanish relations in the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours list. He holds the Príncipe de Asturias Chair of Contemporary Spanish History at LSE.
Jacob Warn (2013, Classics & English)
New Appointment and Book After 15 years at the University of Vermont, Orielensis Bob Macauley (1988, Theology) has been appointed Cambia Health Foundation Endowed Chair in Pediatric Palliative Care at Oregon Health and Science University. His book, Ethics in Palliative Care: A Complete Guide was recently published by OUP. He and his wife have four children aged between 7 and 15, and they now live in Portland, Oregon.
Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes of Apollo Orielensis Peter Kennedy (1988, Modern Languages) recently became a film producer. Peter is associate producer of the documentary film Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes of Apollo, which includes interviews with many of the NASA flight controllers and some of the astronauts from the moon landing era. The film is currently available on media outlets such as Netflix, Amazon and Itunes. You can see the trailer on https://youtu.be/GVDTSfyFTTY
Wedding bells! American Philosophical Society Congratulations to Dr Eric Foner (1963, Modern History) who has recently been elected as a member of the American Philosophical Society. The Society, the oldest society in the United States, was founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin for the purpose of ‘promoting useful knowledge’. Eric is the DeWitt Clinton Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia University.
Congratulations to Caroline 'Beanie' Espey (2000, Modern Languages) who wed her Dutch husband Gawein Geraedts on Saturday, 30th September at a ceremony for 200 guests at the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, with the service conducted by the Revd Dr Will Lamb. After the service, Beanie and Gawein had some photos taken in First Quad together with several fellow Orielenses.
ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2018 | 29
Book Corner The Stairway to Happiness Vernon Sankey (1968, Modern Languages) has just published his book The Stairway to Happiness. It is a combination of philosophy, cognitive psychology and spirituality, and represents many years of leading, coaching and mentoring people in all walks of life. It is available to purchase on Amazon.
Artificial Intelligence and the Two Singularities Calum Chace (1978, PPE) has just released his third non-fiction book on AI, Artificial Intelligence and the Two Singularities, which explores current developments in AI and the future of AI; and presents the economic and technological singularity in depth.
Forbidden Hill (Singapore Saga) John Greenwood (1976, DPhil Philosophy) has just had his new historical novel Forbidden Hill (Singapore Saga Vol. 1) published by Monsoon Books. It is available from Amazon, Book Depository, Waterstones, and other retailers.
Portraits of Resilience Daniel Jackson (1981, Physics) has been making waves with the release of his book Portraits of Resilience, which is a powerful, photographic ‘outing’ of mental health problems at MIT, where he is Professor of Computer Science.
The Arrow of Apollo
Einstein Papers
Philip Womack (2000, Classics & English) has written a novel entitled The Arrow of Apollo, based on Greek and Roman myths, to help raise the profile of Classics in schools. He is crowd-funding for this book on Unbound: www.unbound.com.
Dr Dennis Lehmkuhl (2005, Philosophy) and his colleagues at the Einstein Papers Project have recently published a new volume of the Collected Papers of Albert Einstein; see http://www.einstein.caltech.edu.
New Arrivals Pippa (2007, Law) and Daniel Mannion (2007, DPhil Biochemistry) are delighted to announce the arrival of Clara Sophie Mannion, who was born at home on Christmas Day 2017 weighing 8lbs 12oz. Everyone is doing well and the parents have realised there are things in life that cause less sleep than Finals!
Melanie White (1995, English) had a daughter, Alicia Lowell Tyson White on 11th July 2017. Her first child in addition to her canine baby!
30 | ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2018
Fellows’ News Leverhulme Research Fellowship Dr Teresa Bejan (Associate Professor of Political Theory and Tutorial Fellow in Politics), has received a Leverhulme Research Fellowship for work on a new book on Early Modern ideas and practices of equality.
Research Grant Awarded for New High-Pressure Furnace
Honours from the Royal Geographical Society Professor Yadvinder Malhi (Jackson Senior Research Fellow in Biodiversity and Conservation) has been awarded the Royal Geographical Society's 2018 Patron's Medal for his worldleading studies on the impact of climate change on tropical ecosystems. The Patron's Medal is one of two Royal Medals approved by Her Majesty the Queen, which are among the highest honours of their kind in the world.
Professor Andrew Boothroyd (Tutorial Fellow and Professor of Physics) has been awarded a research grant worth around £1.2m to purchase a new design of furnace. The furnace, which will be the first of its type in the UK, uses a focussed beam of light as the heating source to achieve temperatures up to 2900˚C, and incorporates a growth chamber which supports gas pressures up to 300 times atmospheric pressure. The equipment will be used to grow single crystals for fundamental research on electronic quantum phenomena, as well as studies aimed at exploring advanced materials which feature technologically desirable characteristics, such as enhanced electrical, magnetic and superconducting characteristics. Professor Boothroyd said, “Single crystals are important because they enable researchers to discover what endows materials with their special properties. The new furnace will enable us to prepare single crystals which cannot be grown at present and which embody major emerging themes in materials physics.”
Two Awards Professor Michael Devereux (Fellow and Professor of Business Taxation) has received two prestigious awards. He was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the Chartered Institute of Taxation in January —Professor Devereux was only the 20th recipient of an Honorary Fellowship in the 90 year history of the Institute — and was also awarded the Richard Musgrave Visiting Professorship at CESifo by the International Institute of Public Finance and CESifo, which honours an outstanding scholar in the area of Public Finance.
Picture credit: ScIDre, GmbH
ORIEL NEWS | Summer 2018 | 31
Fellow Awarded British Heart Foundation Intermediate Fellowship
International Prize for Historians We are delighted to announce that Regius Professor Emeritus of Modern History and Honorary Fellow Sir John Elliott was recently chosen as the first recipient of a new international prize for historians, the Premio Órdenes Españolas. The Spanish Orders of Chivalry of Santiago, Calatrava, Alcántara, and Montesa honoured Sir John for his outstanding achievements in the field of Hispanic history and culture.
Dr Lisa Heather, the Isobel Laing Fellow in Medicine, has been awarded a British Heart Foundation Intermediate Fellowship, to investigate the heart in Type 2 diabetes. Around nine out of ten diabetics have Type 2 diabetes. People who have diabetes have a much higher risk of developing heart disease than people who don’t have diabetes. Dr Heather and her team believe that, in Type 2 diabetes, having higher levels of fat in the heart may upset the normal, healthy balance of signals that the heart requires to pump properly. She will explore this over the next five years to answer three key research questions: how does the heart make energy? How does the heart break down fats? How does the heart cope with stress? If Dr Heather can understand how fats negatively affect the heart, she hopes to go on prevent this happening using drugs to reverse the effects. This essential research will help pave the way for a future therapy to prevent death from heart disease in people with diabetes.
The Hon. Sir Francis Ferris We are sad to announce the death of Sir Francis Ferris on 26th March 2018. Sir Francis was a High Court Judge and had been an Honorary Fellow of the College since 2000. The College flag was flown at half-mast on the day of Sir Francis' funeral on 19th April, at which Sir Michael Wright (Honorary Fellow and Orielensis, 1953) represented the College.
Philosophical Foundation of Children’s and Family Law Lucinda Ferguson (Tutorial Fellow in Law) and Elizabeth Brake (Philosophy, Arizona State University) have published an edited collection together with OUP, Philosophical Foundations of Children’s and Family Law. It is the first volume to integrate legal and philosophical analysis of children's and family law.
Partners for Livable Communities Robert McNulty is a member of the Senior Common Room and a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Population Ageing within the Martin School at Oxford. He is also the founder and President of Partners for Livable Communities, which is a non-profit organisation in the United States working worldwide, now in its 43rd year. Its major focus in the last several years has been working with healthcare institutions, particularly the non-profit hospitals that are frequent in the United States, and with the banking industry (which has an obligation to support community needs in low and moderate income communities). Recently Partners for Livable Communities has been working to put together a partnership between hospitals, their ‘health impact assessments’ reviews, and banks which support community reinvestment. The hospital reviews look at issues such as ‘what are the causes of poor health?’ and they are generally finding that most of the causes are not health-related, but are related to condition: poor employment, lack of adequate healthy foods, and poor education for instance. As a result, Partners of Livable Communities are organising a conference in Italy with the Rockefeller Foundation’s European Conference Center in September at which both these health and banking institutions have agreed to meet to look at ways forward. This conference will focus on how these two resources can fund collaboratively in communities; and look at new ‘anchor institutions’ that can affect the causes of poor health and advance opportunity for wellness and for economic and social uplift. Previous conferences have brought parties from around the world to look at aging and the demographic ‘age wave’ of the older population and how it relates to pension finance.
Diary for 2018/2019
Forthcoming Events 2018/2019
Development Office Team
TERMS
SEPTEMBER ‘18
Sean Power Fellow & Director of Development
Michaelmas Term 2018
14-15 Oriel Alumni Weekend 15 Gaudy 2002-2004
01865 276964 sean.power@oriel.ox.ac.uk
Sunday, 7 October – Saturday, 1 December
Hilary Term 2019 Sunday, 13 January – Saturday, 9 March
Trinity Term 2019
OCTOBER ‘18 10 17 26
1326 Guest Night Raleigh Society Dinner Champagne Concert
Responsible for the work of the Development Office, which covers both fundraising and alumni relations for the College. Verity Armstrong Alumni Communications Officer
Sunday, 28 April – Saturday, 22 June
January ‘19
01865 613528 verity.armstrong@armstrong.ox.ac.uk
GAUDIES
16
FEBRUARY ‘19
Editor of Oriel News magazine and other brochures, e-newsletters and social media for alumni.
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Rob Buckett Development Assistant
Matriculation Years 2002-2004 Saturday, 15 September 2018
Matriculation Years 2008-2009
1326 Guest Night
Returners' Dinner Manchester Dinner
Friday, 15 March 2019
MARCH ‘19
Matriculation Years 1972-1975
15 16
Gaudy 2008-2009 Adam de Brome Lunch & Lecture
Saturday, 21 September 2019 Invitations will be sent to those eligible to attend. There may be limited spaces available to join an upcoming Gaudy for those who have missed out on their last Gaudy (with priority given to adjacent years).
May ‘19 22 25 25
JUNE ‘19 29
Cover photo: Oriel Commemoration Ball 2018, Ludibrium, Helter-Skelter by Verity Armstrong Development Office, Oriel College Oxford, OX1 4EW Tel: 01865 286541 Email: development.office@oriel.ox.ac.uk Website: www.oriel.ox.ac.uk Registered Charity Number: 1141976
www.facebook.com/orielenses https://twitter.com/OrielAlumni
1326 Guest Night Oriel Garden Party Raleigh Society Garden Party
Gaudy 1972-1975
01865 286541 robert.buckett@oriel.ox.ac.uk Rob administers gifts from donors and helps with event organisation and alumni queries. Louisa Chandler Researcher/PA to the Director of Development 01865 276596 louisa.chandler@oriel.ox.ac.uk Researcher for the Development Office and the Director of Development’s PA. Bobby Higson Alumni Relations Officer
SEPTEMBER ‘19
01865 276585 bobby.higson@oriel.ox.ac.uk
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Organises our alumni events and looks after alumni needs.
Oriel Alumni Dinner Gaudy 2010-2011
For any queries on events please visit http://alumni.oriel.ox.ac.uk/events/ or email events@oriel.ox.ac.uk.
Please note that for all events in College, we have an induction hearing loop permanently installed in Hall. For further information regarding any of the above events, please contact Bobby Higston, Alumni Relations Officer. Tel: 01865 276585; email: events@oriel.ox.ac.uk. You can book online at www.oriel.ox.ac.uk.
Harvey Rudden Development Officer (Regular Giving & Legacies) 01865 276599 harvey.rudden@oriel.ox.ac.uk Responsible for the annual telephone campaign and regular giving and legacies. We said goodbye to Rachel Graves, who is now heading up a Development Office at an Oxfordshire school; and welcomed Verity Armstrong back from maternity leave, and our new Development Assistant, Rob Buckett. We have also just wished Susan Simons a very happy time as she goes on maternity leave.