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Aaron Sonenfeld is enjoying life in New York as he forges an international career in management consultancy.

Aaron (OE 2000–2007) was School Captain in 2006-2007 – one of three former School Captains to feature in this issue of Alumni News (with Nathanael Jackson and James Slessor).

While at the School, he was a major figure in rugby, playing for the First XV for a number of years. He has since maintained a passion for sports, and especially rugby, having played for the Cambridge University U21 side while reading Social and Political Sciences at St John’s College.

On graduating in 2010, he began work as an analyst in Operations at Goldman Sachs, where he had been an intern the previous year. He worked there until mid-2012 and then spent two months exploring Central America.

Aaron returned to the School in 2011 for the 46th Elizabethan Union Dinner debate in 2011, where he spoke for the Old Elizabethans in favour of the motion This house believes universities have become too expensive, which was carried.

In October 2012, he took up a post as a senior consultant, specialising in financial services, at management consultancy Oliver Wyman. Founded in New York in 1984, Oliver Wyman now has offices in more than 50 cities across 26 countries.

“Over the past three years, I have worked on projects with a number of financial institutions in London, Zurich, Madrid, and Toronto,” says Aaron.

In January this year, he was promoted to associate at Oliver Wyman and he moved to New York in March. He has set himself the target of visiting all 50 states in the US.

James Slessor (OE 1988–1995) has fulfilled the promise he showed at School, rising to an international senior management role with one of the world’s leading professional services companies.

James became School Captain at QE, having been singled out for his all-round contribution to School life as well as his ability as a public speaker.

He went on to Bristol University, where he achieved a first-class degree in Geography.

Employed by Accenture, for 15 years he has led a range of programmes involving public safety and operational policing.

Today he is Managing Director for Accenture Police Services. “This covers the work we do in policing, justice, borders, intelligence, prisons and rehabilitation,” he says.

He is currently Accenture’s Client Director on the Police Scotland i6 Programme, which will see more than 120 IT and paper-based local and regional systems replaced by a single, new national operational policing system.

He advises on Accenture’s policing engagements across Europe, the Middle East, South Africa, Singapore, Australia, and the U.S.

In addition, James leads Accenture’s virtual Policing Center of Excellence, which draws together the latest international insight to build new processes, technology solutions and drive innovation within policing.

James has written extensively in leading industry publications on a range of policing topics, including social media and police information management.

James Cartlidge wasted no time before putting his expertise in housing to good use after being elected as South Suffolk Conservative MP. Within three months of the May 2015 General Election, he was appointed chairman of a new All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Housing and Planning.

James (OE 1985–1992) is the founder and director of Share to Buy, a social housing business that was launched in 2004. He also previously volunteered as a small-business advisor to the homelessness charity, St Mungo’s Broadway, which involved sitting on a panel to decide which of St Mungo’s clients would receive grants to start a small venture.

On his appointment as chairman, James said: “Having spent my working life in the shared-ownership housing sector, I am acutely aware of the challenges facing first-time buyers, particularly in London. Equally, as a rural MP, I recognise the need for development to be sustainable.

“Ultimately, there are a whole raft of complex issues in housing and planning today but I hope that our APPG can make a real contribution to the debate.”

After leaving QE, James read Economics at Manchester University, gaining a first-class degree. He joined Conservative campaign headquarters as a researcher, then became a freelance journalist, writing leaders for the Daily Telegraph and opinion pieces for the Guardian and The Spectator.

After that, he set up Share to Buy, which is described as a ‘one-stop shop’ for affordable housing and first-time buyers. The business includes a shared-ownership property portal and a mortgage broker, and it hosts the London Home Show. The portal lists all the properties available from the Mayor of London’s FIRST STEPS scheme, providing the platform at no cost to the taxpayer.

James lives in Assington, near Sudbury, with his wife Emily and four children. She is the daughter of Sir Gerald Howarth, Aldershot’s Conservative MP. The couple survived the Asian tsunami whilst on honeymoon in Sri Lanka in 2004 because their hotel was the only one in their resort left standing.

Until becoming an MP, James was a councillor for Babergh District Council in South Suffolk. He first stood for Parliament in 2005, in Lewisham Deptford, where he finished third.

As South Suffolk MP, he supports various campaigns relevant to his constituency, with causes ranging from rail and road improvements to a bid to secure Unesco World Heritage Site status for the historic village of Lavenham. At Westminster, in November 2015 he became a member of the Public Accounts Commission.

In his spare time, James is drummer for a local band, Tequila Mockingbird, and also enjoys cycling around South Suffolk.

A permanent poppy memorial to all alumni who died in the First World War was formally dedicated as part of this term’s Old Elizabethans’ Association Dinner.

The evening also saw the return to the School of a group from the 2006 leavers and an entertaining speech from special guest, Dr Kamran Baig (OE 1984–1991).

Proceedings started as usual with a sherry reception at 7.15pm, but before the dinner at 8 o’clock, the dedication ceremony took place. Forty-nine ceramic poppies from the art installation last year at the Tower of London were bought for QE by the Trustees to the Foundation of the Schools of Queen Elizabeth using funds from a bequest from the late Dennis Nelms (OE 1934-1941) and his wife, Muriel. The number represents one flower for every OE who died in 1914-18, together with one in memory of Mr Nelm’s brother, Gordon (OE 1927-1932), who died in the Second World War.

The poppies have been specially fixed and illuminated high in the School’s entrance hall, so the dedication party gathered there, while other guests assembled in the corridor nearby. The party comprised: the Headmaster; one of the Nelms’ executors, Mrs Alison Mihail; OE Association Chairman and Foundation Trustee Martyn Bradish, and Clerk to the Foundation Neil Kobish.

Martyn began with a few words setting out how the memorial came about. He then invited Neil Kobish, a former teacher at the School, to read out the names of all those whose sacrifice is commemorated by the poppies.

At the end of the roll call, the Headmaster recited the famous verse from the poem For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

In his speech, the Headmaster paid tribute to Mr and Mrs Nelms for their generosity: “We are, of course, immensely grateful to them, and I would like to thank their dear friends and executors, Alison Mihail, Julia Ladds and Pat Sharpe, who are represented here tonight by Alison – herself the daughter of a notable Old Elizabethan, Ron Orton, who attended many of these dinners and was Chairman of the Foundation’s Trustees.”

Mr Enright revealed that when Dennis Nelms left the School in 1941, Headmaster Jenkins wrote of him: “….bordering first class, deserves a very good recommendation, had a good sense of style in his English, History and modern Languages; efficient and business-like as full Prefect and an excellent editor of the Elizabethan Magazine; admirable public spirit and good leadership qualities; Manners, appearance and character – very good.  A fair rugger forward, scrum leader and captain and a bit of a wicket-keeper. Would make a good journalist or schoolmaster.”

And Mr Enright added: “Dennis did in fact have a successful career in teaching, becoming headmaster of Littlegrove Primary School in East Barnet. He retained strong links with QE and became Chairman of the Foundation Trustees in succession to Alison’s father.”

The Headmaster welcomed back the leavers from 2005–2006 and also honoured Kamran Baig, “a distinguished surgeon, having performed more than 2,000 heart operations, published 30 papers and delivered numerous international presentations, as well as lecturing at some of the world’s leading medical schools”. During his time at QE, Kamran was a cross-country champion, representing Barnet in the All London Championships, and was Chess Captain, as well as representing the School at cricket.

Aaron (OE 2000–2007) was School Captain in 2006-2007. While at the School, he was a major figure in rugby, playing for the First XV for a number of years. He has since maintained a passion for sports, and especially rugby, having played for the Cambridge University U21 side while reading Political Science and Government at St John’s College.

On graduating in 2010, he began work as an analyst in Operations at Goldman Sachs, where he had been an intern the previous year. He worked there until mid-2012 and then spent two months exploring Central America.

Aaron returned to the School in 2011 for the 46th Elizabethan Union Dinner debate in 2011, where he spoke for the Old Elizabethans in favour of the motion This house believes universities have become too expensive, which was carried.

In October 2012, he took up a post as a Senior Consultant, specialising in financial services, at management consultancy Oliver Wyman. Founded in New York in 1984, Oliver Wyman now has offices in more than 50 cities across 26 countries. Aaron has worked on projects with a number of financial institutions in London, Zurich, Madrid, and Toronto.

In January 2015, he was promoted to Associate at Oliver Wyman and he moved to New York in March. He has set himself the target of visiting all 50 states in the US.