Thursday 13 November 7:30pm - 8:45pm Careers Seminar Autumn 2025
Careers Seminar 2025
Thursday 13 November 7:30pm - 8:45pm
6:00pm - 7:15pm: Speaker Supper - Big School
7:15pm - 7:30pm: Speakers shown to classrooms for set up
7:30pm - 8:05pm: Session 1
8:05pm - 8:10pm: Break and changeover time
8:10pm - 8:45pm: Session 2
We are delighted to offer you the opportunity to gain an insight into two different professions at our annual Careers Seminar on Thursday 13 November. This is a compulsory event , held in School, for all LV, UV and LVI pupils. It is optional for UVI pupils to attend but you are strongly encouraged to do so. Talks will be in various classrooms throughout School.
Speakers represent a wide range of industry sectors and employers. Each speaker will present for around 15 - 20 minutes, allowing a further 15 minutes for your questions. The first talk will start at 7:30pm and the second talk will be finished by 8:45pm.
So that we can allocate you to two talks, please look through this Speaker Booklet and indicate your preferences via this Form (set as an Assignment in your year group Teams). Please choose up to five options but be aware that you may not get your first choice speaker if that talk is oversubscribed. Our advice is that you select a couple of options in which you have a definite interest and a couple of options which are a bit different. Try to be open-minded; this is a wonderful opportunity to hear from a variety of people working in many different professions. We are delighted to be welcoming a mixture of Seniors, parents and local professionals to speak to you. All of the speakers will have different perspectives and a wealth of wisdom to share.
Please complete the survey by Thursday 6 November 9:00am at the latest. As you can imagine, allocating two talks to nearly 300 girls is quite a challenge so please help us by keeping to this deadline. If you do not share your choices with us by this deadline, you will be allocated talks to attend.
A list of talks and classroom locations will be sent out to you in good time. If you have any questions please contact the Careers Centre.
Mrs Manning Mrs Scott Head of Careers Careers Administrator
Speaker Biographies: The Arts
Katie Foreman
Sound Engineer and Music Producer
Katie is a Sound Engineer and Music Producer, currently working at RAK Studios and Strongroom Studios in London as an Assistant Engineer. She began her professional journey by studying at Abbey Road Institute, after which she started as a runner at Strongroom Studios, gaining valuable hands-on experience in a fastpaced studio environment. Alongside this role, she worked in a Dolby Atmos studio, and as a technical engineer, helping to repair music equipment. In addition to her studio roles, she also works freelance—engineering and producing a range of music projects with bands and solo artists, as well as recording and editing podcasts.
Indira Verdding
Social Strategy and Documentary Maker
Indira is a media strategist and documentary maker. Having worked for Sky, Mob Kitchen and ITV she has a fierce interest in content and the creativity behind productions. She graduated from UCL with an English degree, having set up her own IGTV student TV production during covid. At Sky she started the company’s own TikTok page and encouraged them to grow digitally online. She then left to pursue a Masters in television journalism - alongside which she worked at ITV in their documentary department. After her degree she then worked for Mob kitchen as their Social Video Editor (creating the company’s 5th most liked video in their history) and is now at London on the Inside - focusing on growing the magazine and rolling out new documentary content.
In the past 3 months at London On The Inside she has created 5 viral videos, grown the Instagram by 10k in one month and is excited to see what is next.
Speaker Biographies: The Arts
Dr Natascha A. Domeisen
Global Specialist in Medieval Manuscripts, Sotheby’s
Natascha is Sotheby’s global Specialist in Medieval Illuminated Manuscripts. As part of her role, she studies and describes medieval manuscripts for auction, researching their historical, cultural, and artistic significance. She is responsible for international business ‘getting’ and supports new and seasoned clients in curating, managing, and extending their collections. Natascha holds degrees from Heidelberg and Oxford University.
Her DPhil from Oxford University was awarded for the doctoral thesis: ‘Heidin and Mörin–Materiality, Visuality, and Mediality of Courtly Texts in the late Middle Ages’. After her DPhil at Jesus College, Oxford, Natascha worked as a cataloguer for Oriel College, Oxford, where she handled over 17,800 books and manuscripts, discovering rare and unrecognised bibliographic treasures. Following this engagement, Natascha worked for the international manuscript dealership Dr. Jörn Günther Rare Books in Basel, Switzerland. Her latest and collaborative publication, ‘Unprinted. Publishing beyond Print’ was published with Cambridge University Press in Spring 2025.
independent galleries to established international spaces. After studying Chinese Studies and History of Art at SOAS, University of London, she began working at Janet Rady Fine Art, an art advisory and online gallery, where she helped curate exhibitions of Middle Eastern and African contemporary artists in London and Milan. She later joined Blue Shop Gallery, a vibrant community-focused gallery supporting young emerging artists, while freelancing at Sloane Street Auctions, a boutique London-based auction house specializing in fine art, antiques, and luxury collectibles. Alongside this work, Luli completed an MA in Curatorial Practice in Florence in 2024, and assisted on curatorial projects at Palazzo Strozzi and across the city for Black History Month Florence. Luli now works at Dirimart, a leading contemporary Turkish gallery that represents an international roster of contemporary artists. Luli’s experience thus far has engaged with diverse sectors of the art world - reflecting her multifaceted interest in contemporary art across cultures.
Speaker Biographies: Civil Service/Entrepreneur
Chloe Davis
Policy Advisor
HM Treasury
After leaving Wycombe Abbey in 2022, Chloe went on to read Philosophy and Theology at Pembroke College, Oxford. During her penultimate-year summer, she was selected for the UK Civil Service Fast Stream internship where she worked in public spending at HM Treasury and in the Chancellor’s Private Office. Following her internship, she received a ‘fast pass’ which accelerated her to a full-time position as a Policy Advisor at HM Treasury. Chloe currently works on developing the UK’s tax strategy, contributing to the design of policies ahead of the Chancellor’s 2025 Budget. She is also interested in the growing intersection between government and AI, and recently spoke with Microsoft’s Chief Digital Officer regarding the applications of CoPilot and Microsoft 365 across departments.
Tanya Patel CEO and Founder Chapter London
Tanya Patel is an award-winning retail leader and entrepreneur, best known for her commitment to ethical manufacturing and purpose-driven fashion. As the Founder and CEO of Chapter London and Lily & Ribbon, Tanya has established two influential brands featured in Independent and Evening Standard that blend creativity, responsibility, and commercial success. With over 14 years of experience at Marks & Spencer, Tanya has been recognised with the 2015 Asian Women of Achievement Award for her outstanding leadership and innovation in the retail industry.
Throughout her career, she has collaborated with leading retailers including driving innovation in sustainable product development and responsible supply chains. From humble beginnings, Tanya has built a career defined by resilience, leadership, and integrity. Passionate about empowering future generations, she actively supports Women of the Future and Inspiring the Future Network, and has delivered keynote talks on entrepreneurship and leadership at Oxford University, the American Embassy, Ernst & Young, Aviva, and The Duchess of Edinburgh’s Inspire the Future events.
Speaker Biographies: Law
Alice Jarratt Criminal Barrister
Alice works as a Barrister at Crown Office Chambers in London. She studied Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures and Linguistics at Edinburgh before going on to complete her Graduate Diploma in Law.
Anna Winter Solicitor/Associate
Anna currently works as a corporate associate at Slaughter and May. She left Wycombe in 2016 and went on to study History at Cambridge (which she loved). In the summer after her second year, she did some vacation schemes at law firms, following which she accepted a Training Contract at Slaughter and May. Anna completed the law conversion course after university and what was then called the LPC (now the SQE) –and then started as a trainee! Her two years as a trainee were a bit of a whirlwind, but a lot of fun – including a six-month secondment to New York, a particular highlight. She has now been a corporate associate for over two years, doing a broad range of work, including public takeovers, private acquisitions and disposals, equity financings and corporate advisory work.
Speaker Biographies: Medicine
Dr Tutu Adewole
GP
Dr Tutu Adewole is a General Practitioner, medical educator, entrepreneur, and author.
As a portfolio GP, she combines her clinical work with her passion for teaching, mentoring, and inspiring the next generation of doctors. She serves as a Medical Examiner at Queen Mary University of London, assessing medical students during their clinical examinations and supporting physician associates in training.
Alongside her medical career, Dr Adewole is passionate about helping children and teenagers grow in confidence and self-belief. She is the founder of Positively Me Kids Life Coaching Studio, where she creates science-based, practical resources that help young people build resilience and develop a growth mindset.
She believes medicine is more than a career — it’s a calling that offers the privilege to touch lives, bring hope, and make a lasting difference every single day.
Dr Harpreet Hyare
Consultant Neuroradiologist
UCLH NHS Foundation Trust
Dr Harpreet Hyare is a Consultant Neuroradiologist at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) NHS Trust and Honorary Clinical Associate Professor at University College London (UCL). She is the Lead Neuroradiologist for the Children and Young People (CYP) Service and the Lead Neuroradiologist for Proton Beam Radiotherapy. She also holds an Honorary Consultant position at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) NHS Trust. Her specialist interest and expertise is in CYP Cancer imaging with her research interest in the translation of novel imaging and machine learning techniques in CYP cancer.
She holds several National and International Leadership positions including: Honorary Secretary for the British Neuro-Oncological Society (BNOS), Deputy Chair of the Academic Subcommittee for British Society of Neuroradiologists (BSNR) and Annual Programming Committee, International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM).
Dr Jane Hood Consultant Paediatric Neuropsychologist/Educational Psychologist
Dr Jane Hood is a consultant paediatric neuropsychologist and educational psychologist. She spent most of her professional career in paediatric neurosciences at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital working with children with acquired brain injuries (e.g. following car accidents), neurological disorders (e.g. epilepsy, tumours, strokes) and neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g. autism, ADHD). She then moved into expert witness work to provide reports for the court to help assess the needs of children with mainly catastrophic brain injuries following personal injury or clinical negligence. She has always been enthusiastic in training and supporting the next generation of psychologists to do what I do better! She now runs a business supporting and training other expert witnesses. In her spare time she is a First Responder for the ambulance service and a member of her county Search & Rescue team.
Dr Olivia Knowles
Hospital Doctor/Trainee GP
Dr Olivia Knowles left Wycombe Abbey in 2013 (a proud Butler girl!) with a place to study Medicine at Barts and The London School of Medicine (QMUL). They allowed her to defer for a gap year — and they even gave her some money for it! Six fun years later, she graduated in 2020 right at the start of the Covid pandemic, with both her medical degree and an intercalated BSc degree in Experimental Pathology.
She was immediately redeployed to Covid ICU at Barts before completing her 2 foundation years in the Buckinghamshire deanery — full circle, her very first job was at Wycombe Hospital. She then applied to do internal medicine training (hospital medicine), and did this for 3 years before having a rethink and deciding general practice might be a better long-term fit. Olivia is now a GP trainee in Berkshire, living and working in Henley-onThames.
Speaker Biographies: Professional Services
Laura Bottega
Managing Director, Investment Management, MSIM
Laura is the COO and Head of Client Experience for the International Equity team. She joined Morgan Stanley in 2006 and has 26 years of industry experience. She is a member of the Investment Management Operating Committee. Prior to joining MS, Laura was an Executive Director at Goldman Sachs Asset Management in active equity product management. Before that, she worked as an equity research analyst for the European strategy and luxury goods at Salomon Smith Barney. She holds a B.A. (Hons.) in Political Studies from the University of Cape Town. Laura was named Investment Manager of the Year in Professional Pensions’ Women in Pensions 2018 awards.
*Our Morgan Stanley session has been so popular that we have an additional guest joining us to speak about his career there. His name is Gurpreet Kandola and he is an Executive Director at Morgan Stanley.*
Katharina Kort
Managing Director, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Head of GSIFG EMEA: Asset Finance
Katharina Kort is Managing Director for the Global Infrastructure and Sustainable Finance Group within Asset Finance at Bank of America, where she leads the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) strategy. In this role, she oversees the deployment of capital to support infrastructure development through project finance and structured transactions, advancing sustainable growth across the region.
Prior to her current position, Katharina served as Managing Director in the Special Situations team at Bank of America Merrill Lynch in London. There, she specialized in the analysis and pricing of corporate loans, facilitating market liquidity for banks, asset managers, and hedge funds. Her work included leading complex restructuring negotiations and making strategic investment decisions for the companies involved. Katharina began her career in private equity and project finance before joining Bank of America in 2005, prior to its merger with Merrill Lynch. She holds an MBA from INSEAD, Fontainebleau.
Speaker Biographies: Professional Services
Alvina Schlotterbeck
Marketing Director
Premium and Luxury industries
Alvina is an accomplished Marketing leader with over 20 years of experience working with luxury and premium brands - from established Maisons like De Beers, Chanel, Hermès and Christian Dior to smaller brands like Rituals and Molton Brown.
She has also built her expertise at leading FMCG (Fast-Moving Consumer Goods) companies, including Lindt, Reckitt, and Johnson & Johnson.
Throughout her career, Alvina has held a diverse range of roles, with both global (strategy, innovation, international marketing) and local (brand management, Profit & Loss responsibility) remits, covering Business to Consumer and Business to Business marketing.
She will share insights into her journey and explain how marketing is an exciting discipline at the crossroads of art and science. At its heart, success in marketing is about understanding consumers, engaging audiences, creating value, and driving meaningful results.
Sarah Cartledge
Editorial Director, Healthcare
World
Sarah Cartledge attended Wycombe Abbey before reading Modern History at St Hilda’s College Oxford. She was a founding editorial member of Hello! Magazine, spending more than 15 years conducting high profile interviews including presidents, politicians and celebrities. She has also worked in television and communications, including a role as PR Director for Oracle Cancer Trust based at the Royal Marsden Hospital. Currently she is Editorial Director for Healthcare World, an international healthcare publication focusing on global updates in the healthcare sector, as well as Communications Officer for Sturgeon Ventures in the financial sector.
Speaker Biographies: STEM
Berkley Homes
Berkley Homes is a Property Developer working locally. We will be joined by a team of professionals from the company, who will give a joint session covering all sorts of different aspects of work within the the construction industry. If you are a budding engineeer, architect or interested in how new homes are planned, developed and built then this session will be of interest to you.
Jasraj Chadda
Graduate Development Engineer
Jasraj studied at Cardiff University and has recently started his position as a graduate development engineer at Berkley Homes.
He completed a year in industry during his studies during which he worked for another house builder as an undergraduate engineer. He was interested in the social and environmental benefit developers create for local communities and was eager to join the industry again after graduation. His current responsibilities include supporting the design, delivery and handover of critical infrastructure related to housing development, such as civil (roads & drainage) and structural (foundations, retaining structures) packages.
Toby Teeder Technical Apprentice
Toby works as a Technical Apprentice at Berkeley Homes. He joined the company in January 2024 on the apprenteship scheme and has since been completing his qualifications while gaining valuable experience in the industry. This role has given him first-hand experience in the role of a technical coordinator, allowing him to assist in the overseeing of our Horlicks Quarter site in Slough. Prior to joining he completed 2 years of a Civil Engineering degree at Loughborough, before having to stop the course due to illness. Toby can provide insights into both university and apprenticeship routes.
Ella Ashworth
Technical Coordinator
Ella works as a Technical Coordinator at Berkeley Homes. She recently completed her Masters at the London School of Architecture, where her thesis explored the regeneration of underutilised land in Hackney to create new homes for older people, while also unlocking under-occupied existing homes.
During her studies, Ella worked at an architecture practice in London, contributing to the adaptive reuse of a heritage building on Oxford Street with particular emphasis on the technical design of the external envelope.
Speaker Biographies: STEM
Chris Joly
Non-Executive Board Chairman at New Motion Labs Limited
Chris studied Civil Engineering and worked as an engineer for 37 years in technical, commercial and executive management roles with a number of international energy companies, including Shell and BP. During that time, he lived in six different countries in Europe and SE Asia, and travelled to around the world on business.
Since 2016, Chris has been investing and working in start-up companies involved in the fight against climate change. For 4 years until October 2022, he was a director of the Green Angel Syndicate with responsibility for managing the syndicate’s portfolio of 35 investee companies involved in renewable energy, energy efficiency, the circular economy, urban transport and ecosystem management. Chris has been a STEM Ambassador for 9 years talking about his career and lecturing in schools on a variety of STEM subjects including Space and Astronomy, Archaeology, Engineering, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and the Fight Against Climate Change. He also mentors young entrepreneurs.
Olivia Keatley
Mechanical Engineer
Olivia is a Project Engineer at Skelly & Couch, specialising in MEP design and building energy modelling. Before joining Skelly & Couch, she worked at Arcadis as a Mechanical Engineer, designing HVAC, water, and drainage systems for offices, residential buildings, and educational facilities. Earlier in her career, Olivia gained valuable experience in the rail sector, leading systems engineering on major projects such as Curzon Street Station and Elephant & Castle Underground Station, with additional expertise in cyber security and systems safety.
A graduate of Imperial College London with an MEng in Mechanical Engineering, Olivia has also worked internationally, contributing to projects in Germany, Switzerland, and the U.S. Passionate about sustainable design and engineering innovation, she enjoys sharing insights on how engineering shapes a more efficient and sustainable future.”
Speaker Biographies: STEM
Dr Anna Need
Principal Product Manager
Dr Anna Need really did not like science at school and wasn’t very good at it. But she loved genetics so she forced herself to do chemistry, biology and maths for A level. She subsequently got a first class degree in genetics from Liverpool and a PhD in neuroscience from UCL, studying the genetics of learning and memory in mice. She then went on to investigate (in humans) the genetics of schizophrenia, antipsychotic response, healthy cognition and other brain related things at Duke University, becoming an assistant professor. She returned to set up a research group at Imperial College London, looking at the genetic diagnosis of schizophrenia in children, and the genetics of personality disorder at Broadmoor. She currently works at Genomics England building tech products to support research into whole genome sequencing in newborn babies. She also does some teaching on the Genomic medicine masters degree at Imperial.
Alanah Swift
Technology Consultant, EY
Alanah is a Technology Consultant at EY, helping organisations adopt Artificial Intelligence responsibly and strengthen their cybersecurity. She advises a wide range of organisations - from hospitals and energy companies to ambitious start-ups - on how to build trusted, resilient systems through effective AI and cybersecurity strategies underpinned by strong risk management. After studying Business Economics at the University of Exeter, Alanah didn’t expect to end up in tech, but her “say yes” mindset led her to an internship where she experimented with building chat-bots and got hands-on with virtual reality technology – sparking a passion for how technology can make work smarter and safer.
Today, Alanah leads workshops on AI planning, ethics, workforce transformation, and responsible innovation, helping small businesses turn ideas into impact. She enjoys being at the forefront of digital transformation, with projects ranging from using AI to help achieve Net Zero to protecting the NHS from cyberattacks.
Speaker Biographies: STEM
Muse Praditbatuga
Architect
Muse currently works as an architect at Foster + Partners. She graduated from Wycombe Abbey School in 2017, and went on to study Engineering and Architectural Design at The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL. During her time at The Bartlett, she worked to gain a multidisciplinary understanding of the built environment, and explored various opportunities in structural and environmental engineering, from steel frame design at BSA Engineering Consultants to HVAC system evaluation at Model Environments. These experiences shaped her thinking during the Master of Architecture programme, and informed her approach to design as a holistic, multifaceted practice – aesthetics become a dialogue that embraces not only beauty, but also stability, sustainability, and comfort. She received the IDA Gold Prize in 2025 for her work on generative design and adaptive façades, and is now continuing her professional development at Foster + Partners, contributing to projects such as the One Beverly Hills masterplan and Two World Trade Center.
Remember to prepare questions to ask your speaker during the session. You will have plenty of time for this and it is a great opportunity to pick people’s brains and ask them all your burning questions!
Ideas could include:
• How would you explain your job title to someone unfamiliar with your industry?
• Which tasks take up most of your time?
• What are the most common challenges you face in your job?
• What was your most significant career change, and what inspired it?
• Do you think your career path has been linear or nonlinear?
• What kind of company culture does your organisation have?
• What’s the most rewarding experience you’ve had in your job and why was it so fulfilling?
• Can you share a specific accomplishment or project that made you feel especially proud?
• What aspects of your job do you enjoy the most?
• How do you see your industry evolving in the next 5-10 years?
• What projects or challenges are you excited to tackle in the near future?