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With the recent media furore over Facebook and Cambridge Analytica, the topic of this year’s Elizabethan Union Dinner Debate held particular resonance.

The Old Elizabethans secured a decisive, although not totally one-sided, victory, as they and a pair of sixth-formers debated the motion: This House believes that in the digital age we should not expect our online activities to remain private.

Pupils Akshat Sharma and Tej Mehta put forward the motion for the 53rd annual debate, which was held on the day of the 445th anniversary of the founding of the School. It was opposed by Jonathan Hollingsworth, who opened, with support from Pravin Swamy (both OEs 2006-2013).

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “The debate itself was a typically lively and good-humoured affair. The whole event serves to help prepare boys for handling similar such formal, but social, occasions as they progress through university, their careers and life more broadly.”

Captain of the School Aashish Khimasia proposed the customary toasts to Her Majesty, the Queen, and The Pious Memory of Queen Elizabeth I, whilst Ross Lima (OE 1995-2002) proposed the toast to The Elizabethan Union.

Ross read Law at Sheffield and now works for Shell as Lead Legal Counsel for the sale of catalysts across large areas of the globe. In his speech, he reminisced about his first day at QE and meeting friends Laurence Burrows and Panicos Petrou, both of whom attended the dinner debate as his guests, along with Ross’s wife, Sarah. He remembered how the then-Headmaster, Eamonn Harris, told them to look around at the prefects: “He told us we were wearing the same blazers, but we hadn’t earned ours yet.” Looking at his Dinner Debate audience, Ross said: “You are now in the same position as those very boys that I looked up to on that day, and through your achievements at this School you have earned the right to wear that blazer.”

He spoke of the challenges the boys have already faced in their School careers and encouraged them to continue to seek out new challenges and opportunities, and to learn to overcome their fears.

The indicative vote at the outset indicated that the floor was leaning against the motion.

The debate began with Akshat putting forward the proposal. He and seconder Tej set out their case that it was, in fact, a reality that our online activities are not private – using state surveillance, as an example. They also argued the importance of being aware of how others use the data they hold, via social media or online gaming. They put forward the view that if people agree to the terms of surveys and ‘apps’ they use, then companies like Cambridge Analytica had, in law, not necessarily done anything wrong.

They also expounded the case for the positives of monitoring online activities, for the purposes of detecting and preventing crime and acts of terror.

The opposition countered these arguments, claiming the price of giving up our online privacy would be to give up part of our humanity, including our freedom of speech. Facebook came in for criticism, and the alumni said that even Mark Zuckerberg has now opined that such companies need regulating. They argued that people would not expect more traditional forms of communication – the Royal Mail or faxes, for example – to be open to others to view, so why should the internet be any different?

They also questioned whether the good citizens represented on the floor should be subjected to privacy breaches by the state in the name of security, advocating a higher threshold. They proposed a series of policy interventions to ensure better data protection online.

The floor debate saw enthusiastic contributions from Year 12 speakers and guests. These ranged from the question of how to monitor and deal with the terrorist threat, through to the different expectations there should be users in terms of the sharing of social media posts and messages between, on the one hand celebrities (and those who court social media attention) and, on the other, ordinary users. They also raised the already-strict financial and criminal penalties that exist for those who breach data laws.

The three-course meal started with leek and potato soup. There was a choice of main course between vegetarian tart and salmon, which was served with crushed new potatoes, green beans and tomato and basil sauce. Dessert was lemon and lime tart.

Boys enjoyed an opportunity to hear about careers in less traditional sectors when two Old Elizabethans visited the School.

Max Hassell and Aaron Levitt (both 2002–2009) are a football agent and music entrepreneur respectively. Both spoke of the challenges and rewards of choosing the road less travelled.

Max was a keen sportsman at QE, representing the School in the First XV at rugby, as well as playing for the county at U16 and U18 levels. After reading History at Bristol, he turned his back on an opportunity at Big Four accountancy firm Deloitte – where he had completed a successful gap year – in order to pursue his dream.

“My parents were in favour of my pursuing a career in The City,” said Max. “But you have to do what you love. Football and sport are my passion; I get up every day and feel excited about what the day will bring.”

Max completed a three-month unpaid internship as a football consultant, before being offered a full-time role as an FA Registered Intermediary with Sidekick Management Ltd. “It was very hard to break into,” said Max. “I had no contacts and little industry experience. In the beginning, I was constantly being asked which footballers I already had on the books, which was tough when I didn’t know any personally.” But he successfully signed two players to the agency within his first three months and, in doing so, forged sustainable relationships with a number of academy directors, coaches and a chief executive.

At Sidekick he finds the company “perfectly positioned” to provide excellent advice on career management. “We have been involved in many multi-million-pound transfer deals and contract negotiations with the biggest clubs in world football and international players of high repute.”

He stressed that it isn’t all glamour. “You get the days when you travel to Accrington Stanley to try to talk to a player who doesn’t want to talk to you!” He also pointed out that the very high amounts of money flooding into the top tier of football becomes a trickle down in the lower divisions.

Aaron Levitt has pursued a career in the creative industries, setting up Stamp the Wax (an online music platform) as well as having worked in radio. Increasingly, he is bringing together brands to work with the music scene.

“I am an experienced music curator and influencer across all levels of the industry, including radio, festivals, labels and online publishing. As co-founder of www.stampthewax.com, I have grown the online music platform to become one of the key UK influencers in underground music. As an original member of [disc jockey and record label owner] Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide FM, I played a key role in the development of an award-winning online radio station.”

Aaron also spoke of the importance of bringing value to organisations, in his case through effective marketing and communications strategies. “My productive relationships with brands, PR companies, booking agents, labels, DJs and musicians have been significant in this.”

Both Aaron and Max agreed that hard work is key, whether at School or at work. “Trust QE’s processes,” Aaron told the boys. “The School will really set you up well for university and life beyond.”

Max said: “Don’t be afraid to go your own way. Pursue what you love, what you are interested in. Friends in more ‘traditional’ roles in the City might earn considerably more at this point in their careers, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they are happy in what they are doing.”

“‘You don’t have to have everything planned out,” advised Aaron. “I don’t necessarily know what the next six months hold. What is important is that I am able to adapt to changes in the industry. In music, a growth area is the way in which music is coming together with brands to deliver very creative and curated campaigns, and this is something I am getting more and more into from a freelance perspective.”

The talk was open to boys from all age groups and was organised by Mike Feven, Head of Year 12. “This was a good opportunity for boys to hear about some less conventional career paths, in areas in which many young people hold strong interest,” he said. “We appreciate Max and Aaron giving up their time to talk to the boys. They posed the interesting conundrum as to whether you should try to make your passion your work or pursue a different career and keep your passion as a hobby. That can be difficult to weigh up, but clearly Max and Aaron are both making it work for them.”

They added to the considerable number of Old Elizabethans who have been back to the school to give talks this year. They said they enjoyed catching up with the Headmaster, Neil Enright, and long-standing teachers, including Assistant Head David Ryan and Head of Art Stephen Buckeridge.

Jin-Min Juan is now working as a doctor at Northwick Park Hospital after graduating from Cambridge this summer.

Jin, who left QE with four straight A* grades at A-level in 2011, excelled in his university research work into the mind, winning one of the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ valuable Pathfinder Fellowship and presenting his work at several international conferences.

He says: “Nothing quite prepares you for the jump between secondary school and university, but, notwithstanding some very intense periods of pressure, it was all well worth it in the end.

“I had a great six years at Cambridge, and particularly enjoyed the company of the tight-knit community at Robinson College. I met a fantastic range of people, and made some very good friends in both the college and later at the clinical school. I am particularly thankful to my pre-clinical Director of Studies, Dr Andrew Sharkey, for his belief in me and also his unwavering support.”

Jin joined Northwick Park in August as the most junior (‘Foundation Year 1’) doctor in his team. “Working as a doctor has itself been another steep jump from university. I have had some very good moments with patients and members of the team, tempered by moments of acute stress and uncertainty. But overall it has been a great and humbling experience, packed (perhaps surprisingly) with lots of laughter and hilarity. After six years in Cambridge, it is nice to be back in London!”

Reflecting on his life and career to date, Jin acknowledges the huge influence of his past experience, not least his “fond memories of my time at QE”. In the summer of 2011, The Times featured a large photograph of Jin and his twin brother, Jin-Xi, together with another set of QE twins, Anup and Amit Desai, to illustrate an article about the School’s excellent A-level results.

He remains “extremely grateful” to his QE teachers and recently contacted his old form tutor, Mathematics teacher Victor Vigneswaran, to update him on his career.

“I am still in touch with friends from QE, and had a fabulous reunion recently at Zuhayr Sheikh’s wedding,” he adds.

After becoming interested in the mind, Jin did his Part II (intercalated degree) in Experimental Psychology. “In my final year, I worked with Professor John O’Brien and Dr Annabel Price on a novel research project using anonymised electronic case records to identify differences between the survival of patients with two different types of dementia: dementia with Lewy bodies and Alzheimer’s dementia. I was selected for an oral presentation of this research at the International Congress of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and the research paper has just been accepted for publication in the BMJ Open journal.

Last year’s award of one of just ten national Pathfinder Fellowships, worth up to £5,000 over three years, was in recognition of his research and academic work. “This has helped immensely in furthering my academic pursuits,” he says.

“Whilst exploring my clinical interests I have found psychiatry and geriatric medicine alluring, and my research in dementia has combined the two. In the future, I hope to pursue a career in a medical specialty that closely involves both mental and physical health.”

Jin is pictured here, at his graduation in Cambridge, presenting research at a conference and on his first day as a doctor.

Old Elizabethan George ‘the Poet’ Mpanga was among the commentators turned to by the BBC for an insider’s perspective following the announcement of the royal engagement.

George is an ambassador for Sentebale, one of Prince Harry’s charitable foundations, which supports the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people affected by HIV in Lesotho and Botswana. Having observed the prince’s work there at first hand, he was interviewed for a primetime BBC1 documentary about the engagement, fronted by Kirsty Young.

“I have seen the kids react when Harry is around – they really take to him. Harry seems to have a way with the kids, man!” said George, who stated that the importance of the charity lies in the fact that there is still a stigma surrounding HIV.

Prince Harry’s motivation for being involved was clear, George added. “He cares. It bothers him that some people are just dealt a raw hand, and it’s important for people to know that someone in his position has that empathy.”

George (OE 2002–2009) has a growing national profile as a poet commenting on major issues of the day. Earlier this year, he released a video showing himself reading a poem on hate crime. The video was produced in collaboration with the Equality and Human Rights Commission to coincide with the anniversary of the murder of MP Jo Cox. He also performed in front of the Queen and Prime Minister Theresa May at the Service of Celebration for Commonwealth Day in Westminster Abbey.

During the documentary, George spoke out about the fact that the ethnic background of Meghan Markle has attracted comment in some quarters: “Why should it be controversial that someone is mixed-race? What’s the issue?”

He even had his own tongue-in-cheek assessment of the prince’s fiancée: “I perceive Meghan to be an amazing talent – you know, she’s a catch!”

George was a well-received guest speaker at QE’s Year 12 formal Luncheon, as well as leading a poetry workshop for the whole of Year 9.

Alex Gilbert combines his work in international finance with a busy family life – and still finds time to keep up with his old QE friends.

Alex (OE 1990–1995), who has a background in “cleantech” venture capital and low-carbon development, is an Investment Manager at Amber Green, the sustainable investment brand of the global Amber Infrastructure Group.

With a first-class degree in Economics and a Masters in Advanced Energy and Environmental Studies (Distinction) from the Centre for Alternative Technology in Powys, mid-Wales, Alex has worked in the arenas of energy and low-carbon for 16 years across investment, sales and consultancy. He joined Amber in 2011, where he was given responsibility for sourcing new investment opportunities.

He has primarily focused on Amber’s successfully deployed JESSICA Funds (funds for Joint European Support for Sustainable Investment in City Areas, an initiative of the European Commission developed with the European Investment Bank and the Council of Europe Development Bank), which include the London Energy Efficiency Fund (LEEF) and the Scottish Partnership for Regeneration in Urban Centres (SPRUCE). “Amber is the Fund Manager for £200m of capital across three of these sustainable investment vehicles, which match government money with private-sector capital to deliver public infrastructure, regeneration and green energy projects across the UK.”

His work involves investment opportunity origination, transaction execution and compliance reporting. Alex is responsible for project management, pipeline development and asset management. He is also in regular communication with London’s developers and sponsors of district heating, energy efficiency and renewables schemes.

Married with a daughter aged seven and a four-year-old son, Alex enjoys sport and travel. He has run and captained two football club and twice represented Great Britain in the European Maccabi Games – the largest Jewish sports event in the continent. He is also a regular and competitive cyclist and triathlete, as well as being a fully qualified nutritionist, with an Advanced Diploma in Nutrition.

He regularly speaks at national and international industry seminars on energy and has given his time and expertise to assess opportunities for the Social Enterprise Investment Fund of Big Issue Invest, the social investment arm connected to The Big Issue street newspaper.

“I am still very much in contact with my school-mates,” says Alex. In fact, he has met fellow OEs several times during the autumn, adding: “We have our next ‘QE Exiles’ quarterly drinks on December 22nd.”

Alex has recently re-established contact with the School, visiting Headmaster Neil Enright and coming to this term’s Year 11 Careers Convention as one of the OEs giving careers advice to boys and their parents.

Two Old Elizabethan friends returned to their alma mater to recount an inspirational story of success in the face of extreme adversity.

Johan Byran, who is a successful London GP, has from the age of 18 struggled with the painful and debilitating condition of rheumatoid arthritis, yet this year he completed one of the toughest endurance challenges of them all – the Marathon Des Sables, a 156-mile ultra-marathon across the Sahara Desert.

He was filmed throughout the race by his QE contemporary, Johnny Ho (1997–2004), a professional film-maker who has recently secured investment to complete a documentary about the adventure, to be entitled Grit.

They came to the School to deliver a lecture to senior boys in assembly. The pair addressed themes of taking on challenges, of being resilient – a quality that comes from the experience of testing yourself in uncomfortable environments – and of needing to draw intelligently on the support of a team around you.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “Johan and Johnny’s account was truly inspiring: I trust our boys will have taken to heart the message that if they have the belief, the persistence and the determination, they, too, can achieve extraordinary things.”

Johan works in a conglomerate of doctors’ practices in Enfield, which is innovating by taking healthcare into the community in places such as gyms. Having been a photographer, Johnny now makes videos, with a portfolio that includes music videos and corporate work for major firms.

Although he continued with his studies and eventually qualified as a doctor, Johan’s condition, which first developed in the summer holidays after he left QE, quickly left him unable to accomplish basic tasks such as getting dressed, nor would he shake people’s hands because it hurt too much. Moreover, the condition took a mental and emotional, as well as a physical, toll. In response, Johan wanted to prove that he could still conquer big challenges.

“I initially had a failure mind-set, but moved to a growth mind-set, where I saw failures as challenges. I decided to do things that I found hard and compete against myself, not others.”

So he took up long-distance cycling, scuba-diving and marathon-running. And while he did not see himself as competing with fellow participants, he did draw inspiration from them, such as his companion on a bike ride from London to Barcelona – a man who had cystic fibrosis and was on the lung transplant register.

He progressed from multiple marathons to Iron Man events, to running 100km to Brighton for his stag celebrations, and ultimately to the Marathon Des Sables. “It was absolutely awful… really hard… and then, for the documentary, after ten hours on the go, Johnny would ask ‘Can we do that last bit again?’ No! But it was part of the process. I had to follow a routine each day, including the filming. It provided structure.

“A lot of the time you were on your own in the desert with a map and some markers, and you have to draw on everything you have.” He likened it to the feeling of isolation around examinations when your classmates are no longer there and you have got to do it yourself.

A huge physical challenge for Johan, the event was also tough for Johnny. He had never actually made a documentary before, so had to learn the specific skills involved, as well as coping with 50-degree-plus heat and the challenges posed by sand, including occasional sand storms, which caused problems with the camera equipment. This required plenty of problem-solving along the way.

He, too, drew inspiration from what he saw: “As humans we like things that are comfortable, but these guys are in a place where no one would feel comfortable. But to learn and be successful you have to put yourself in these positions.”

Johnny showed a trailer of the film to the boys and made clear how appropriate its title, Grit, is, given the way Johan had overcome his difficulties.

He also spoke about not needing to know what you want to do when at school and the merits of taking a different path from the norm. Johnny took Photography at A-level at QE, taught by Alison Lefteri, who is still in the School’s Art department. “Trust in your own beliefs and what you are interested in – it doesn’t matter if it’s not like what others are doing. Opportunities will arise,” he told the boys. He found a passion for photography, developing his skills and discovering an interest in documentary-style photography at university. Eventually, however, he moved into film and found he loved that even more.

Johan reinforced Johnny’s advice, saying: “Never look to the side of you, as you’ll only end up keeping up [with others] – you should look ahead of you.” He added that “arbitrary markers of grades or salary are not important for life satisfaction”. Nor was natural aptitude necessarily essential for achieving fulfilment, he said, claiming not to be a great marathon-runner: “I tended only to run when on camera!” Instead, what was important was self-belief – without it, he simply would not be able to run marathons.