Could you share a little about your journey since school, what lessons you have learned, and what motivated you to take on this presidentship of the OB Club?
After studying Classics at Cambridge, I joined the Diplomatic Service, and spent 35 years working in the Middle East, Italy and North America, as well as in London. My last diplomatic post was as Ambassador to Libya before and during the Arab Spring. I then took early retirement from the Civil Service and became a consultant for ten years, helping companies to pursue business opportunities in the Middle East and Africa. Since retiring two years ago, I have focussed on voluntary activities (and tennis). For example, I have run the British-Italian Society, a cultural charity, as Chairman since 2015. So, I have experience of leadership and governance in senior management roles across the public, private and voluntary sectors. I now concentrate on areas where I have a strong personal interest and where I think I can make a worthwhile contribution to help others. Education, and helping the next generation fulfil their potential, is one of those areas. So, I jumped at the chance to help the OB Club achieve its objectives in this area.
Can you tell us what you most enjoyed about your time here at the school or any particular memories?
I am now based in Southwest London and have spent many years overseas; but Bedford remains my home – or one of my homes! I grew up in North Bedfordshire, and my roots – and many of my family – are still here. Like many OBs, I lost touch with the school for years after leaving, and only returned more recently. The school certainly gave me a good all-round education and start in life; and some of my closest friends now are friends that I made at school. But I left Bedford with mixed feelings. In the 1960s and early 70s the school ethos felt quite old-fashioned, and I found some aspects of school life harsh and restrictive. Quite a contrast to life for boys at Bedford today. The school is a much kinder and more forward-looking institution now, with a broader curriculum, hugely improved facilities, and a healthy emphasis on encouraging wider personal development, responsibility to the community and preparation for life after school.
I have always enjoyed meeting Old Bedfordians, wherever I have encountered them. We OBs do, I think, have something in common beyond our shared alma mater that I really value. That quality, a decency or sense of values which is difficult to define, is a tribute to the school and to life at Bedford.
As the new OB president, what are your primary goals or initiatives for the club in the upcoming year. What steps do you plan to take to increase members’ engagement and involvement in club activities and events?
I will be presiding over a club that already functions well. I am lucky to follow in the footsteps of several inspirational Presidents, who have left the Club in great shape. In addition, the Chairman, the Executive Committee and the Director and his team, who all handle day to day administration of the Club, do an excellent job. We also have very clear Mission and Vision statements, which set out our purpose and priorities. They will be my guide.
Our programme of social, sporting, networking and cultural events and activities is already impressive. Nonetheless, we face challenges. One of my priorities will be to help ensure that the Club’s finances are sustainable in the face of rising costs. We need to convince more members to support us as Eagle Supporters – for a mere £25 a year – and to persuade them to become actively involved in the Club. To achieve that, of course, we must ensure that the Club continues to offer what members want from it. These challenges will be top of my agenda.
How do you envision strengthening the bond between the OBs and the school during your tenure as president?
Building a close bond between our members and the school remains one of the Club’s key objectives, indeed part of its core Mission. I strongly support that. OBs provide vital support to the school, including as parents, governors and donors; and the OB club in turn relies heavily on generous support from the school and the Head Master. I am very glad that the OB Club office is now located in the main school building. That helps us to remain in close step. The school itself is currently embarking on an exciting and ambitious development programme in a challenging economic climate. OBs, and the Club itself, will have an important role to play in helping to make the Burnaby Road vision a reality.
Mentorship and career support for our OBs is a vital aspect of the club. How do you intend to facilitate networking and professional development opportunities for our members? Members often have unique expertise and experiences to share with current students. How do you feel we can encourage members to give back to the school and students through mentorship or guest speaking opportunities?
This is a high priority in our current Strategic Plan. We want to deliver the sort of advice and support that will help OBs throughout their lives, but particularly in the early years after leaving school. We currently do this mainly through our software platform Eagle Connect, where many members have been able to connect with OBs who can offer them career advice or support, including mentoring. Our annual Careers Convention – which was bigger than ever this year – offers boys at the school (and pupils at other schools in Bedford) an opportunity to hear about potential careers and put questions to OBs in a wide range of sectors. Many OBs also kindly give their time to come back to the school and share their knowledge and experience with the students. Others take part in our regular London Business Networking events. All these initiatives work, but we are looking at ways in which we can improve or build on them for the future. There may well, for example, be scope for getting more OBs back to the school to speak or run workshops for students.
Inclusivity is a crucial value for the school. How do feel we can ensure that the OB club remains welcoming and supportive to all, regardless of their geographic, ethnic, or economic backgrounds?
This is a real priority for me, and a key value for the Club. We must ensure that all Old Bedfordians (and their families) feel welcome in the Club, and at our events, regardless of their personal backgrounds and circumstances, their geographical location or origins and their experiences of life at the school. Institutions, like the school and the OB Club, should genuinely reflect the broader societies in which they exist and should move with the times. The school has set a good example. It now engages more actively with the wider local community, offers bursaries to disadvantaged students and has opened the annual Careers Convention to students at schools throughout Bedford.
As our new President, what message would you like to convey about the future of the OB club – and how can members reach out to you with their ideas, suggestions, volunteering or feedback during your presidency?
The club is active and wants to engage with its members. I certainly plan to take every opportunity to meet as many of you as I can at our events over the next year or two. I am keen to hear your views on what we should be doing and on how you can contribute to helping make that happen. There is undoubtedly more that the Club could be doing; but our resources are limited. We welcome ideas and suggestions, but we also need your help (particularly time and organising skills) to make worthwhile new initiatives happen.
The Club is a forum for OBs of all ages and backgrounds (and their families) to reconnect with the school, to offer help and support to other OBs in their lives and careers and to pursue sporting, cultural or other interests. But it also provides an opportunity to reconnect with old friends, and to make new friends, in relaxed and enjoyable settings. So, the OB Club has a serious and important function; but it should also be fun!