OxfordSpeaks - Trinity Term 2025: TermCard

THE COPRESIDENTS’ WELCOME Dear All, First and foremost, welcome back for Trinity Term 2025. We wish the best of luck to everyone taking exams this term, whether Prelims or Finals. To all those with a Trinifree, make the most of it!

We are beyond proud of the work that our ever-expanding committee has put in over the vacation. The result of their dedication is a term card that reflects OxfordSpeaks’ founding values. We strive to create an open and intellectual space in which speakers and students alike can inform rather than affirm, challenge rather than concede. The principles of intellectual freedom and free speech have been increasingly under attack in our current day and age—and yet these principles serve as the cornerstones of OxfordSpeaks’ ethos. By hosting speakers of different persuasions and beliefs, we hope to empower students to be catalysts of knowledge, progress, and positive change.

Armed with diversity of thought and honest conversation, we truly believe that OxfordSpeaks plays a uniquely important role in our student community.

As ever, we look forward to counting on your continued support in our mission— without it, this term card would not have come into fruition. In particular, we look forward to our conversations and Q&As with: Alastair Campbell, perhaps the most influential communications strategist of our time; an array of experts on US foreign policy, from ambassadors to academics; musicians and actors, such as awardwinning Broadway director Laurence Connor; and so many more.

To our committee, thank you again—not only for producing such an extraordinary term card, but for the time, sanity, and WhatsApp inbox space you have sacrificed.

We look forward to seeing you all at an event very soon.

Best wishes for TT25,

Ed Ledgard.

Levana Harris Co-Presidents of OxfordSpeaks 2024-25

THE OXFORDSPEAKS STORY OxfordSpeaks was founded in Michaelmas Term of 2023 by our co-Founders Sam Zia and Sophia Lee, along with a handful of other committee members. Astonishingly, within a year of creation the society has grown into the large and active society which is now presenting its Trinity Term 2025 Term Card.

OxfordSpeaks, run entirely by Undergraduate and Graduate students, now has 2k+ members within the University, has hosted 50+ events and has had the honour to interview and facilitate discussion with a wide range of speakers, including: Nancy Pelosi (former Speaker of the US House of Representatives Ai WeiWei (Artist and Human rights activist) Juan Manuel Santos (former President of Columbia (2010-2018) and Novel Prize Winner) Ehud Olmert (former Prime Minister of Israel (2006-2009)) Alastair Campbell (former Official Spokesman for the PM (1997-2000)) Baroness Hale of Richmond (former President of the UK Supreme Court (2017-2020)) Lord Michael Heseltine (former Deputy PM of the UK) Shirin Ebadi (Iranian human rights activist and Nobel Prize Winner) Now, nearing two years into being active, OxfordSpeaks has a committee dedicated to organising events which 150-500 students attend, sponsorships and reaching out to speakers. Working hard over the Vacation, they are now happy to present the Trinity Term 2025 Termcard, and hope that more people will join to help create the 2025-2026 Termcards.

08

May

Alastair Campbell Interview, Discussion and Q&A

4:30PM-6PM

13

May

David Murrin Polymath, Political Macroeconomist In Collaboration with OUFS

5PM-6PM

14

May

5PM-6:30PM

In Conversation with Dr Leslie Vinjamuri Director of the US and Americas programme at Chatham House In collaboration with IRSoc

Week 2-3

20

May

22

Sir Peter Westmacott Former British Ambassador to Turkey, France and the USA In collaboration with Oxford Diplomatic Society

Laurence Connor

May

West End and Broadway Director of School of Rock, Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables

6PM-7:30PM

In collaboration with OUDS

23

Luke Harding

May

British journalist, Foreign Correspondent for The Guardian In collaboration with Media Society

Week 3-4

Jane Street is a quantitative trading firm with offices worldwide. We hire smart, humble people who love to solve problems, build systems, and test theories.

You’ll learn something new every day in our office— whether it’s connecting with a colleague to share perspectives, or participating in a talk, class, or game night. Our success is driven by our people and we never stop improving.

For all these reasons, OxfordSpeaks is excited to announce that Jane Street Capital will be sponsoring us this year. We couldn't be more happy to have the backing of one the world's largest market makers, and look forward to being able to create even more opportunities for our members with their backing.

27

May

28

May

29

May

Chris Snowden Academic, Chairman of the ERA Foundation In collaboration with OULA

Dr Ally Louks English literary academic - PhD on the Politics of Smell descriptions in Literature

Daniel Hannan, Baron Hannan of Kingsclere Founding President of Initiative for Free Trade, Former MEP In collaboration with OULA

Week 5-6

11

Sam Freedman

Jun

Commenator, and Author of ‘Failed State: Why Nothing Works & How We Will Fix It’

06:30 PM

In collaboration with Media Society

11

Patrick Roux

Jun

12

Jun

05:00 PM

CEO of SkyTeam - second largest airline alliance - and former Executive at Air France

Peter Beinart American liberal columnist, journalist and political commentator

Week 7

13

Jun

17

Jun

Thangham Debbonaire Former MP for Bristol West and Former Shadow Secretary of State

Life in Public Service Panel In collaboration with OxfordWomen*InGovenment

Week 7-8

Getting involved with

OxfordSpeaks OUR WEBSITE This term, OxfordSpeaks are happy to announce we are launching a new website, which can be found here: www.oxford-speaks.com

JOINING COMMITTEE Interested in joining committee?

We are always happy to recieve and consider your applications, but also keep an eye out for our fixed application seasons at the end of each term.

GET IN TOUCH info@oxford-speaks.com

Co-President’s emails: levana.harris@chch.ox.ac.uk edward.ledgard@new.ox.ac.uk

SOCIAL MEDIA @oxfordspeaks

Trinity Term 2025 - Executive Committee

Levana Harris

Ed Ledgard

Co-President Christ Church

Co-President New College

Sam Zia Co-Founder Jesus College

Sophia Lee Co-Founder Jesus College

Luca Moretto Secretary Lincoln College

Joanna To Treasurer Jesus College

Hari Reilly-Singh Vice-President New College

Trinity Term 2025 - General Committee

Chelsea Cresswell Outreach Director New College

Elena Harley Outreach Officer Jesus College

Evgenia Starkova Outreach Officer Pembroke College & SIAD Business School

Aditi Kapadia Outreach Officer Harris Manchester

Ayala Gate Outreach Officer New College

Amelia Blunden Outreach & Sponsorship Officer Pembroke

Hassan Akram Outreach Officer Christ Church

Oscar Brant Outreach Officer Somerville

Vidushi Chungh Outreach & Sponsorship Officer St Cross College

Trinity Term 2025 - General Committee

Flavia Portaro Head of Research Trinity College

Thomas Napier Research Lead Jesus College

Esomchi Iruloh Research Officer University College

Mei Mei Wa Research Officer New College

Selvi Nicholls Research Officer Christ Church

Ben Snowden Logistics Lead Jesus College

Oscar Scott Logistics Lead Brasenose College

Eve Alexander Logistics Lead New College

Rameen Power Sponsorship Officer Keble

Hussain Jeddy Sponsorship Officer St Anne’s

Isobel Valondin Sponsorship Officer Mansfield College

16

Week

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

1

2

3

David Murrin

4

Peter Westmacott

5

Chris Snowden

6

7

Sam Freedman Patrick Roux

8

Life in Public Service Panel

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Week

1

Alastair Campbell

2

Dr Leslie Vinjamuri

3

Laurence Connor

Dr Ally Louks

Luke Harding

4

5

Daniel Hannan

6

Peter Beinart

Thangham Debbonaire

7

8

Artist credit: @grufffyddd