New QE Futures talks give boys a taste for success

Thanks to the richly varied careers being pursued by our alumni, the School was able to serve up an inspiring new series of talks as part of our QE Futures programme.

The speakers were drawn from people who attended QE during each of the previous four decades who have distinguished themselves in fields including sports entertainment, design & architecture, music and finance. The line-up even included an illustrious former QE mum, who serves on the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee.

Among those welcome by the Futures team – Assistant Head (Pupil Destinations) James Kane and QE Futures Co-ordinator Nathan Lawson – were:

Nathan Kosky (OE 1984–1990). Nathan works in sports and entertainment and is creator & producer of cricket podcast Middle Please, Umpire hosted by England’s World Cup-winning bowler Mark Wood and comedian Miles Jupp. After his visit, Nathan reflected on his reception from the boys: “The brilliant questions they fired at me showed just how incredibly switched on they are, and going back to a place which set me up for my own journey was a real pleasure.”

Liz Oakes, mother of OE James Oakes (2010–2017). An External Member of the Bank of England’s Financial Policy Committee, she was previously Executive Vice President for Mastercard and is a sought-after financial expert, holding several company directorships.

Alex Gilbert (OE 1990–1995). A committed environmentalist, Alex is Head of Energy and Electrification for Transport for London and is also Chair of the Advisory Group at the University of Sussex Centre on Innovation and Energy Demand (CIED). Alex also took part in the Year 11 Careers Convention and is pictured with some of the boys in QE Connect.

Gabriel Gendler (OE 2007–2014). Gabriel is a mathematician and rabbi, who has studied and taught at the Fuchsberg Center in Jerusalem and Yeshivat Hadar in New York. Gabriel represented the UK in the International Mathematical Olympiad while at School and was an accomplished musician.

Hemang Hirani (OE 2008–2015). He works for Barclays Investment Bank, entering the finance sector after gaining his first-class degree in Geography and Economics at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Ramesh Pari (Paripooranananthan) (OE 1997–2004) is an architect who is now Head of Design & BIM Engineering at Ocado. After speaking to Year 12s in a special assembly, Ramesh wrote: “What was my message? That life is full of weird and wonderful opportunities we can’t always plan for—but we can prepare. That careers are ‘squiggly’, and we should embrace the pivot, prioritising interest over rigid plans.”