Careers Carousel: Let’s Talk Futures

After reaching out to Hurst Foundation, we were thrilled to invite two of our OJs and a former parent  to speak about their career journeys, current role, and top tips for career success with our current Vth Form. All of the speakers currently work in very different industries—Business, Engineering, Finance, Renewable Energy, and Law—meaning that the evening provided a great overview of these various sectors for the year group.

Two of the professionals—Robert Lunn (Star - 1996) and Deanna Greenhalgh Fleur-de-Lys - 2012)—are Hurst OJs, and it was a pleasure to welcome them back to the College as guest speakers. Robert is now Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, specialising in Asset Management, and Deanna is now Director of Development for EDF Renewables UK & Ireland. Both shared fantastic tips on how to begin thinking about future career options, with one particular message from Robert standing out: ‘don’t get siloed early on, the only person in control of your career is yourself’. William Saunders, a former Hurst parent, then shared his insights into the world of being a criminal barrister at 3TG Chambers. Whilst he described his work as incredibly ‘gritty’ and insufficiently renumerated, he wished for all the students present to one day find their careers as rewarding as he has found his own.

The final two speakers were multi-award winning PR marketer and GB power-lifter Aneela Rose, and James Howard, Global Engineering Leader at Flowserve. Aneela is Founder and Managing Director of Rose Media Group, and she encouraged our pupils to think about one day taking the career leap that she has done: to set up their own business. Aneela outlined the benefits of working for yourself, and how rewarding it can be to turn your business idea into a reality. James, who joined Flowserve as an intern and now has a global-facing role, encouraged our students to work as hard as they can for their school exams, but also to realise that there are always many career options out there if things do not go exactly to plan.

Thank you to all of the speakers, who gave their time to share such insightful advice with our Vth Form. We look forward to welcoming more speakers at our future careers events!