Alumni news We are always delighted to hear from members of our alumni community – whether it be career news, personal milestones or professional achievements. Here are just a few highlights from 2020/21.
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ob Porrer B Modern Languages, 1963
Following early retirement from his post as Director of Student Services at the University of Edinburgh, Bob was active as a consultant on university careers services (including 18 months in New Zealand with a brief to set up a world-class careers service at the University of Auckland). He was Chair of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) in Scotland, also serving as a Fellowship Councillor and subsequently Chair of the RSA’s Fellowship Council, which represents the RSA’s 30,000 Fellows worldwide. Following a move from Edinburgh to Cambridge he has been involved as a member of the local governing board of the North Cambridge Academy, a state secondary school with the highest proportion of disadvantaged pupils in Cambridgeshire. He also leads on a local RSA initiative on inequality in education and the transition to employment. More recently Bob has taken on chairing ‘My Cambridge’, the Local Cultural Education Partnership. This brings together museums, arts and cultural organisations and the City and County Councils to spread the benefit of cultural activities, especially to disadvantaged young people – in a city found to have the widest inequality gap in Britain. 2
Christian Fischer MSc Water Science, Policy & Management, 2017
provoking analyses to form their own opinions about the biggest challenges the world faces today. Christian adds: ‘Founded in May 2020 by a graduate cohort of the University of Oxford’s School of Geography and the Environment, WSP now comprises over 100 volunteers from more than 25 different countries. We are a powerful and thriving example of how passion, tenacity and technology can unite like-minded people across continents and time zones.’ Find out more at: https://watersciencepolicy.com/ 3
D aniel Tarry Geography, 2011 Matthew Bradbury MEng Materials, Economics & Management, 2011
In September 2021, Dan and Matthew completed the Deloitte Ride Across Britain (Land’s End to John O’Groats) challenge, in support of The Prince’s Trust. Collectively they raised over £4000 for this great cause. 4
D avid Parry Modern History, 1965
In 2021 David received a Civic Award from the London Borough of Barnet, north London, ‘in recognition of his outstanding service to the community’.
Christian is Chair of Water Science Policy (WSP), a global, multilingual platform for water journalism, thought leadership, engagement, and climate solutions.
The Award acknowledged David’s 12 years as founding Chairman of a local charity responsible for the purchase and £1.2m redevelopment of a derelict Victorian primary school in Barnet.
Its goal is to ensure that water-curious readers – regardless of their financial or technical resources – can access thought-
The Open Door Centre is now a thriving community hub offering a special welcome to older members of the neighbourhood. In
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the three years from its formal opening in May 2017 to its Covid-enforced closure in March 2020, there were some 40,000 visits to the Centre. During the various Covid lockdowns of 2020, volunteers from the Centre prepared and delivered some 2500 two-course lunches to older, vulnerable members of the community. And during December 2020, the Centre hosted a socially distanced, free Christmas market providing tinned and fresh food, fresh meat, bread and cheese, cakes and chocolates, Christmas dinners and brand-new Christmas presents donated by members of the community to around 100 adults and children facing severe financial hardship. 5
D hruti Shah English, 2000
This year, Dhruti’s debut book, Bear Markets & Beyond: A Bestiary of Business Terms, was shortlisted in the 2021 Business Book Awards in the ‘Short Business Book’ category. In August, Dhruti appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Word of Mouth with children’s author and poet, Michael Rosen, to discuss why personal names are so often mispronounced or misspelled, in conversation and online. This programme was made available on BBC Sounds, here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/ programmes/b006qtnz 6
E mma Pell PPE, 1998
Emma, who is Director of Arts Heritage and Tourism in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, for services to Heritage and the Arts during Covid-19.
