Get connected The GDST Alumnae Network For all former students and staff of GDST schools
Get involved If you went to a GDST school, or are a former member of staff, then you belong to the GDST Alumnae Network! There is no charge or fee, and you belong to the Network for life.
Get more To find out more, visit www.gdstalumnae.net If you are not sure if you are already part of the Network, call us on 020 7393 6606.
Get connected Once you’re in the Network, you can enjoy a range of communications, events and more: Verve Our magazine, featuring stories on alumnae, news from the schools, special offers and event listings. The ezine E-bulletins with the latest news, upcoming reunions, competitions and events. Events Whether it’s behind the scenes at the Royal Opera House, or a foodie workshop, we host a great range of affordable social events throughout the year.
To sign up to the Network and start receiving news and events listings, go to the website and register. Follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/GDSTalumnae
verve The magazine of the
GDST Alumnae Network
| Issue 10/11
In the pipinnk g up Shazia’s sha
s of
Celebrating 100 year
’s Day
International Women work The SocialnaeNet connect Helping alum
Networking We’re expanding our range of professional networking events and are looking to new ways of helping alumnae share expertise, get careers advice and make new contacts. Get involved Are you able to offer careers advice or work experience? Help current students learn more about careers and university choices through your first hand experience.
“The Alumnae Network really is a unique and wonderful service offered to us GDST girls.” Tamsin, ex-South Hampstead High School
About the Network The GDST Alumnae Network is a vibrant community of around 50,000 former students and staff of the 24 schools and two academies of the GDST. The size and scale of the GDST offers a unique opportunity for alumnae to benefit from links not just to their school, but also to thousands of likeminded women from similar backgrounds. The Network brings together alumnae based in the UK and overseas; facilitating connections, sharing news from alumnae and schools, careers expertise, hosting social and professional events, and helping alums link to old and new friends alike.
The Network is underpinned by the ‘common bond’ shared between those who went to a GDST school – so many of our alums tell us they can ‘spot an ex-GDST girl a mile off’. However, there is no such thing as a ‘typical’ GDST alumna; the Network is made up of women who represent hundreds of different paths in life, from the top city bankers, to the stay at home mums, to charity workers, to entrepreneurs, and so many more. This diversity and the size of community are what help make the Network special.
“GDST Alumnae share a set of values that means you can make an instant bond with one another, even if your lives have taken very different paths.” Helen, ex-Oxford High School
Notable alumnae This is just a small sample of our wonderful alumnae, reflecting their many interesting paths and achievements: Academic and Education • Professor Mary Beard (Shrewsbury) Professor of Classics at Cambridge, and Fellow of Newnham College • Professor Dame Louise Napier Johnson (Wimbledon) Professor of Molecular Biophysics at Oxford and awarded DBE for services to biophysical science • Dame Marilyn Strathern (Bromley) Former Professor of Social Anthropology at Cambridge, Mistress of Girton College Arts • AS Byatt (Sheffield) Author – winner of the Man Booker Prize • Sandy Powell (Sydenham) Costume designer – won Oscars for Shakespeare in Love, The Aviator, and The Young Victoria • Fay Weldon (South Hampstead) Author and Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University • June Whitfield (Streatham & Clapham) Actress – best known for roles in Terry and June and Absolutely Fabulous
Business • Emma Bridgewater (Oxford) Pottery Designer – renowned designer of pottery ware and accessories • Mary Chapman (Sutton) Former Director General of the Chartered Management Institute; member of the GDST Council • Karen Easton (Sutton) Co-founder of Café Rouge restaurant chain • Penny Hughes (Birkenhead) Former Head of Coca Cola UK; Trustee of the British Museum; President of the Advertising Association Law • Judge Frances Kirkham (Heathfield) Senior Circuit Judge; founder member of the UK Association of Women Judges • Cathryn McGahey (Howell’s) Barrister, the Junior Counsel for the Bloody Sunday Enquiry • Sandie Okoro (Putney) Global General Counsel, Barings Bank
Media Mary Berry (Royal High, Bath) Celebrity chef – judge on BBC series ‘The Great British Bake Off’, writer and journalist
Politics and Civil Service • Margaret Bryan (Croydon) British Diplomat – first ambassador to Panama and GDST Associate
• Pippa Harris (Oxford) Film Producer, Neal Street Productions – production credits include Starter for Ten, Jarhead, and Revolutionary Road
• Baroness Manningham-Buller (Northampton) Former Director General of MI5 and life-peer
• Bettany Hughes (Notting Hill & Ealing) Historian and broadcaster, well known television series on The Spartans and Helen of Troy • Becky Mantin (Norwich) ITV Weather Reporter • Miriam Stoppard OBE (Central Newcastle) Doctor, author of the Children’s Medical Handbook, television presenter and agony aunt Non-profit and charity • Dr Mary Baker MBE (Bromley) Former CEO of Parkinsons Disease Society and President of European Federation of Neurological Associations • Claire Hicks MBE (Brighton & Hove) Director of Impact Foundation, awarded MBE for services to International Development • Dame Mary Marsh (Birkenhead) Former CEO of NSPCC, independent nonexecutive Director of HSBC Bank plc
• Esther McVey (Belvedere) Conservative MP for Wirral West, former TV Presenter; GDST Associate • Dame Stella Rimington (Nottingham) Former Director General of MI5, and first female DG of MI5. Author of several spy fiction novels Sport • Sam Davies (Portsmouth) World-class yachtswoman (4th in 2009 Vendee Globe) • Sam Eve (Ipswich) Member of the first all female team to complete the polar challenge; GDST Associate • Karen Pickering MBE (Brighton & Hove) Swimmer – Olympic Gold medallist Swimmer; GDST Associate
Get in touch For general alumnae enquiries info@gdstalumnae.net Call us on 020 7393 6606 Alumnae Relations Manager Jennifer Grafton j.grafton@gdstalumnae.net Database Manager Dorothy Aladenika d.aladenika@wes.gdst.net
www.gdstalumnae.net
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