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When Veli Aghdiran graduated from Cambridge in the depths of the 2008 crash, he wasn’t sure exactly what he did want to do, but he was at least clear about one thing: “I didn’t see myself staying in the UK.”

A decade later, as global vice-president of professional development for high-flying media agency Essence, he has found a career he loves – and, true to his original wish, he is based some 7,000 miles from London.

“I’ve spent the last two-and-a-half years living in Singapore, travelling between our nine Asia-Pacific offices, working with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds…I truly believe that if you can get or create the opportunity to work outside of your ‘home’ environment, you give yourself the chance to supercharge your learning and growth as a worker and as a human.”

Interviewed for the media and marketing news website, Mumbrella Asia, Veli (OE 1996–2003) reflects with great honesty on his time at QE: “The first three years were all about being top of the class. I was not one of the cool kids who did their homework on the bus on the way into school. The next three years were all about minimising the amount of time I had to spend doing work so that I could spend more time awkwardly trying to be cool and annoying my parents.

“North London is an ethnically diverse community and my school truly reflected its diversity. I appreciate the fact that I grew up in an environment where, by and large, diversity was celebrated and embraced. That may be part of what drew me to the study of languages – growing up speaking Turkish, English and a tiny bit of Greek, then learning French and Russian at school.” [Veli is pictured here as a child.]

“I had the opportunity to go to Russia on a School trip in the late 1990s. A group of 20 of us headed to Moscow and St Petersburg. My mind was opened up to the reality that the way life and society worked in my corner of North London was not necessarily the way it worked everywhere else. I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to understand that at a young age.”

His love for languages and literature took him to Cambridge, where, from 2004–2008, he read Modern and Mediaeval Languages (Russian and French). The picture shows him on graduation day with his grandfather.

“After I graduated, the clear and defined path that I had been on through education suddenly came to an end. I wasn’t so much at a fork in the road as at a rake. I remember that feeling of not being entirely sure what a good next step would be, and also feeling like whatever path I took would define everything that happened thereafter. It’s interesting that we trap ourselves in these situations where we’re desperate to take action and move forward, and simultaneously frozen in the fear of the consequences – even if the impact of the decision is nowhere near as monumental as we make it feel in our heads and hearts.”

Eventually, he opted to start an online business with a close friend and, with the support of his parents, spent two years building it up. Then, as it suddenly dawned on the pair how much they would need to invest in marketing in order to generate significant revenue from the fledgling business, they realised that they both needed security and a proper salary.

He duly applied for a job with KidStart (the online shopping club that allows parents to save for their children as they shop), which was at that time a relatively new start-up. “Luckily I managed to convey some of that enthusiasm in my interviews, and I spent two great years at KidStart in a role that grew and expanded in lots of different directions, as did my confidence.”

Then came the break that would lead him eventually to his current position: “One of the founders at KidStart used to get invited to Shuffle, an event put on by what was then a small independent agency called Essence. He couldn’t make it one year and offered me his ticket.”

As the audience, who included many Essence staff, gathered at the upmarket venue — a Mayfair hotel – Veli says he remembers thinking that he would love to be part of this company. Six months later, following a “tough recruitment process” he was offered a job and, on starting with Essence in February 2013, he quickly found that his initial impression more than matched up to the reality: “In that first year, the agency I joined doubled in size around me and the excitement of being part of a growing, and successful, business was infectious.”

Towards the end of his first year, he was offered a role applying his industry knowledge and client experience in supporting the company. Although not without some hesitation – “there was, after all, growth for me on the client-facing side of things,” – he decided to take the plunge.

“Five years on, to say that I’m glad to have had the opportunity to move into ‘learning and development’ is an understatement. I’m proud of the work we do as a team and the impact we have on the business, and I’m excited about how we can do, and be, even better. The intellectual challenge of trying to build meaningful and effective learning experiences off and on the job is one that continues to motivate me, and is pertinent for every organisation.”

His personal and professional development has been incremental, although he recalls one “real growth spurt” when he and a colleague found themselves on the stage of a theatre facilitating a session on Essence’s new organisational operating model to the company’s entire New York office: “I was so far out of my comfort zone and went with it, appreciative of the fact that [she] and I got to do this crazy thing together.”

He has similar feelings about his time in Singapore: “Moving here with my wife, exploring a continent together… leading a team of smart and diverse people, learning from and working with a wide array of seasoned leaders have been all ‘the right kinds of challenging’.”

Among the lessons he has learned himself, he highlights:

• The importance as a leader of getting out of his team’s way. “When you’re surrounded by brilliant and smart people, you can waste a lot of time trying to show them that you’re even more brilliant and smart.”
• Finding good listeners who will resist the urge to fix your problems and will allow you to articulate your own thoughts, and thus to learn and to grow.
• Remembering in moments of self-doubt that you have felt like this before and “when you do, it usually means you’re on the verge of something amazing”.
• Stating your intentions, rather than hoping other people will guess what you mean.
• “If you’re unhappy with something or someone, no matter how sure you are that it’s all their fault, ask yourself on what level you might be creating this situation, and what you could do differently instead.”

Old Elizabethan Professor P J Rhodes, a leading ancient historian, highlights a QE connection in a new academic tribute to one of the world’s foremost experts on Greek art.

Peter John Rhodes (OE 1951–1959), who is usually cited as P J Rhodes, has penned a chapter entitled Buildings and History in a festschrift published this spring, Greek Art in Motion: Studies in honour of Sir John Boardman on the occasion of his 90th birthday.

In the chapter, Professor Rhodes, who is Honorary Professor and Emeritus Professor of Ancient History at the University of Durham, mentions that one of Sir John’s contemporaries at Chigwell School was J W Finnett. John Finnett went on to become a popular Classics master at QE, teaching Professor Rhodes when he was in the Sixth Form.

“In my 14th year of retirement, I remain reasonably compos et mentis et corporis,” says Professor Rhodes. “I am still academically active — reading, writing, participating in conferences, still doing a little teaching and higher-degree examining; an academically focused tour of Iran in 2000 gave me a taste for travelling to exotic places (all too often visiting them shortly before trouble strikes — but my reputation hasn’t yet led to my being denied entry to any country).”

He has also been inspired recently to look further into the history of Classics teaching at QE. In an article for the Old Elizabethans Association’s magazine, the Elizabethan, he charts the fluctuating fortunes of Latin and Greek at the School across the centuries, as well as recording his own memories of his teachers in these subjects.

He was at QE during the last of E H Jenkins’ three decades as Headmaster and was in the last year of two-form entry (60 boys) before the post-war expansion. The senior Latin master in that era was Percival Timson, who had been at the school since 1935. John Finnett joined QE in 1951, aged 23.

“Timson and Finnett were of different generations and different styles, but they made an effective pair,” Professor Rhodes recalls in the Elizabethan article. “Timson hated music: on one of the few occasions when he unbent, he explained that at Oxford he had done little work in his first year so needed to do a lot before taking Mods in his second, and at that stage found any sounds that might distract him intolerable. Finnett was keen on music, but regarded Mozart as the greatest composer of all time and everybody more recent as inferior to him.”

A particular inspiration was “rumbustious” Rex M Wingfield, who was his first-form master and first Latin teacher: “…I think he bears much of the responsibility for my having become a Classicist.”

Another Classics teacher was Lynton E Whiteley, from Cambridge. “…On arrival in 1953 he projected a fierce image, and though I think he mellowed I was always somewhat afraid of him.”

Professor Rhodes is the eldest of three brothers, of whom the youngest, John Andrew, also went to QE and later became a modern historian at Wadham College, Oxford (to which Prof Rhodes went as an undergraduate).

“At School I was in Underne House (under John Pearce); I was successful in the classroom but not on the games field (honour was eventually satisfied when I acted as scorer for cricket teams: the Second XI for two years and then the First XI for three); I was involved in music (as a pianist), in the Elizabethan Union and with the school’s printing press.”

He took Latin, Greek, Ancient History and History A-levels at QE. “I sailed through A Level and S Level, but it then took me two years in the Seventh Form to catch up with the kind of competitors who had started Latin at seven and Greek at nine and had spent their school time on little else.” [S Level, involving extra papers, was for those applying for state scholarships for university, before the later introduction of a universal grant system.] “Perseverance, and my parents’ patience, were rewarded, and I did in the end in 1959 achieve the Holy Grail of an Oxford Scholarship in Classics.”

At Oxford, he was a prize-winning undergraduate at Wadham. “As it happens, Finnett later went to Wadham too…as a visiting Schoolmaster Fellow. Sadly, in 1971 he died of cancer, aged only 43.”

Professor Rhodes was awarded a double first-class degree from Oxford. “I continued as a [cricket] scorer in my first year but not thereafter, did not pursue a career in the Union Society, but was involved in music (singing tenor, and, in the absence of better players, acting as a not very good organist).”

He went to Durham as a young lecturer in Classics in 1965 and rose to become, firstly, a senior lecturer, and then, in 1983, Professor of Ancient History there. He retired in 2005 and still lives in Durham.

During his career, he has published extensively on the Classical Greek world; his works span the decades, from The Athenian Boule, published in 1972, to a forthcoming edition of Herodotus, Histories, V.

He has held a number of visiting fellowships; Wolfson College, Oxford (1984), University of New England, Australia (1988), Corpus Christi College, Oxford (1993), and All Souls College, Oxford (1998). He served as President of the Classical Association from 2014 to 2015. In 1987, he was elected a Fellow of the British Academy and in 2005 was made a Foreign Member of the Royal Danish Academy.

“In Durham I continued with choral singing for many years, and again in the occasional absence of better players, as a not very good organist, and for a few years I was involved with a printing press; I have also been an active member (including two stints as secretary) of the Senior Common Room of University College.”

In the mid-2000s, soon after his retirement, the then-Headmaster, Dr John Marincowitz, told him on a visit to the School that he hoped to reintroduce Latin soon. Professor Rhodes has been heartened to learn not only that this was subsequently done – it is now a curriculum subject – but that Greek is today also available as an extra-curricular subject.

The annual staging of a School Play in recent years marks not the beginning of Drama as a major facet of life at QE, but its renaissance. Work recently undertaken on the archives has brought to the fore photos and documentation from large-scale productions throughout the 1950s.

These plays included Shakespeare (Henry IV, Part I, 1953; Julius Caesar, 1959) and perennial favourites, such as George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion (1951), as well as The Would-be Gentleman (1952, adapted from Molière’s Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme) and the now little-performed comedy by James Bridie, Mr Bolfry (1954).

The performances were reported in the Elizabethan magazine of the day and attracted proper, critical reviews from the Barnet Press – and even, on occasion, in the national papers. In 1958, an unnamed critic for the Times Educational Supplement reviewed Nightmare Abbey, Thomas Love Peacock’s 1818 gothic satire: “Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet, is blessed with a healthy and ambitious dramatic tradition, and cursed with a constricting stage.” The reviewer went on to praise the cast for “playing their extraordinary characters as if they believed in them, never allowing them to degenerate into burlesque”, while offering a couple of suggestions to the producer.

For most, if not all, of these plays, that post was filled by English teacher Jack Covington. A glance through the programmes reveals some other familiar names, too, including Captain Absolute in the 1950 production of Sheridan’s The Rivals played by one K R Cooper – current Governor Ken Cooper.

After training as a solicitor with Allen & Overy, one of the ‘magic circle’ of top London law firms, Samir Manek is now pursuing his interest in the regulation of markets in his powerful role with the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority.

“I supervise a global investment bank to ensure adherence with the letter and spirit of the rules and assist with investigations into, and prosecution of, white-collar crime at investment banks,” says Samir (OE 2001–2008).

“Understanding the reasons for the 2008 financial crisis and the regulatory response to it has been the thread that has run through my academic and professional career. Working at the FCA gives me a unique insight into this area, with the opportunity to shape the regulatory landscape.”

Samir, who attended the most recent Old Elizabethans Association dinner in the autumn, remembers his years at the School with gratitude. “QE instilled a strong sense of discipline and drive in me. I have the School’s ethos and all my teachers to thank for this – in particular, Ms Maule [now Assistant Head of English, Victoria Maule] for her enthusiasm and encouragement.

“I graduated with a first-class degree in Law from the University of Warwick, my brother and I being the first generation of my family to go to university.”

During his course, Samir became President of the Warwick European Law Society and was involved in the university debating team. He also spent a year abroad at Utrecht University.

After gaining his Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice, Samir joined Allen & Overy. He took up his post with the FCA in April 2017.

Santino Boffa has followed a varied career path on his way to becoming the top global recruiter for a fast-expanding technology company.

After reading Law at Sheffield, Santino (OE 1996–2003) first became a professional football coach and then took a number of different posts in recruitment. A secondment in 2014 saw him helping to launch a global banking programme – Santander’s My Rewards – to over 3 million account holders.

Then in March 2016, he began working for Qubit, a Software as a Service (SaaS) start-up company specialising in personalisation, where he is now Global Talent Acquisition Manager. Qubit, which has received more than $76m in venture capital funding, helps more than 300 of the world’s top consumer brands to understand and influence how people interact with them across multiple digital channels, including web, mobile and email. Customers include John Lewis, TOPSHOP and Hilton Hotels.

His London-based job involves recruiting engineers globally, with a specific focus on software engineers and product managers. He is also responsible for shaping and executing global recruitment strategies and building world-class teams.

In July 2017, Santino visited the School to help out as part of a careers event. "It was great being back at QE. The School Hall seems a lot smaller these days - and I was really impressed with the new facilities," he said.

"My memories of the School include early-morning games lessons in the old swimming pool in the middle of winter, with the roof leaking. The students today don't know how good they have it!"

He said: "I like to spend my time outside work travelling to new countries and watching my beloved Arsenal home and away."

In July 2016, Santino married Carmela Vitale, who works in advertising.

Yusuf Sherwani is combining his love of technology with his expertise as a medical doctor to help people give up smoking.

Yusuf (OE 2003–2010) has produced Quit Genius, an app which aims to make therapy for people trying to stop smoking more cost-effective and scalable.

"Quit Genius became a passion during medical school after I saw how difficult it was for clinicians to prescribe effective behavioural therapy that could help people change their habits to help prevent disease,” he said. In an interview with the American technology magazine, Wired, he explained that the problem with the face-to-face support often used to help patients stop smoking is that it is simply not financially sustainable. "We're replacing the patient/therapist relationship with the patient and an app."

Quit Genius is among a number of start-ups seeking to demonstrate that "supportive… treatment can be as effective as reaching for your phone”, the article explained.

The app was developed by Yusuf's company, Digital Therapeutics, of which he is CEO, and backed by a partnership, Velocity Health, set up by two large players in the fields of technology and healthcare, namely Wayra UK (which is, in turn, part of Telefónica) and Merck Sharp & Dohme UK (MSD). Velocity Health is an ‘accelerator’ for innovative healthcare solutions. In addition to the backing from Velocity Health, Quit Genius attracted support from angel investors.

Imran Hamid, chief commercial discovery for MSD, told Wired: "We're witnessing the birth of digital therapeutics as a class of medicine in its own right."

In 2017, Yusuf graduated as a doctor from Imperial College School of Medicine, but opted to pause his clinical training to focus on Quit Genius.

"I probably discovered my entrepreneurial streak during my time at QE," he recalls. I started my first online start-up whilst in Year 9, creating a network of online bulletin boards which quickly amassed millions of monthly visitors, before selling the business in Year 11."

In the Sixth Form, Yusuf asked to study Computing, which the School had not previously offered as an A-level. "I'll always admire the fact that QE agreed to create a class for just three of us who wanted to study the subject!

"During that time, I also founded a consumer electronics e-commerce platform which relied on importing high-end audio equipment from China with a friend and contemporary at QE, Zainul Dhalla, which I carried on working on during my gap year.

"The project was actually very successful for a number of years, helping us pay our way through university. However, eventually, we found it too gruelling an experience to juggle Medicine and Law respectively with a growing business and took the joint decision to wind it down. Several other start-ups have subsequently copied the same model and have been successfully operating for a number of years."

Reflecting on his life so far, Yusuf adds this: "I'll simply say that there's light at the end of the tunnel for those who don't make prefect!"

Sixth-former Eddy Burchett gained a global perspective on work experience with a charity striving to alleviate international poverty at grassroots level.

The Jewish charity, Tzedek, gave Eddy and three fellow students a challenge: they had to select a good cause and then create and deliver a fundraising campaign, bringing in as much money as possible.

“By the end of the week, we had raised over £380 for a programme in Ghana which aims to improve education and reduce class sizes, ensuring children are receiving the best possible education.”

This, he explained, was in line with Tzedek’s philosophy of providing facilities for self-betterment, rather than simply handing over large sums of money. The charity runs a number of projects in Africa and India.

“Our fundraising activity involved visiting as many educational sights throughout central London as we could within a space of two-and-a-half hours. We shortlisted 15 locations, and were dropped in a random location, so we could not plan the route in advance.”

With the boys pitted against a girls’ team, the challenge took on a highly competitive character.  “In the end, the boys visited 11 out of the 15 locations, running 11km, whereas the girls only visited six.” 

Afterwards, Eddy found time to reflect on what he had learned through the whole experience: “The main lesson was to not take for granted the education we receive in developed countries: although I had not been to some of the locations I visited, such as the Natural History Museum, for years, they were all available to me, whilst in Ghana students struggle to have any sort of education.

“I would strongly advise work experience for a charity; it shows that you are willing to do good for the community, rather than simply looking for ways to make money,” Eddy concluded.

This month’s OE Association Dinner was a great success, writes Headmaster Neil Enright. No fewer than 91 old boys and staff past and present – an increase on previous years – turned out for an evening which delivered both an excellent meal and some terrific speeches. The address from our guest of honour, Robert “Judge” Rinder (1989–1994), was characteristically entertaining but also rather profound.

Rob reflected at The Old Elizabethans Association’s dinner on what he has taken from the School, while thanking QE for the “gift” it had bequeathed to him. He especially thanked his Headmaster Eamonn Harris, who was in attendance, together with my immediate predecessor, John Marincowitz.

He praised QE’s burgeoning alumni network, urging that it should be nurtured and utilised: all old boys should get involved to help pay back the “debt” that each owed to the School, he said. QE had, after all, provided them with a “public school education” for free!

Some recalled that when Rob appeared on BBC TV’s Room 101, the pet hate he had consigned to the basement torture chamber as the worst thing in the world was “school reunions”.  I trust that his experience at the dinner – his first-ever reunion event at our School – went some way to changing his mind about this.

It was excellent to see so many of our ten-year leavers (those who started their final year in 2007) back for the occasion. They helped make it a truly memorable evening.

Formed in 1886 as an informal dining club, the association took on its present form in the 1920s. Its current President is Ken Cooper (OE 1942-50).

In my speech, I took considerable pleasure in highlighting the fact that the academic year thus far has been notable for the large number of alumni reconnecting with the School, many coming to visit us for the first time since leaving. They have offered support to the boys by volunteering advice, interview practice, work experience placements or sponsorship. This upsurge has, in part, been a result of our first foray into social media: if any old boys have not yet connected with me on LinkedIn, please feel free to do so.

It has been wonderful to see the enthusiasm and engagement of our old boys; it is something we hope will only continue to grow as we pursue our aim of building a strong and active network of alumni, focused on supporting each other and, crucially, the boys currently at the School.

Many Old Elizabethans were, in fact, instrumental in ensuring that the School’s 2017 Careers Convention – held the night before the dinner – was our best ever.  This major event in the QE calendar is for Year 11 boys and their parents; it seeks to provide expert help and guidance in choosing and planning career paths.

The evening had begun with an opportunity for the OEs and other guests to meet each other for wine and canapés in the School’s Café 1573 prior to the arrival of the boys and their parents.

More than two-thirds of the 50 or so guests who so generously gave up their time to converse and answer questions were OEs. The range of careers represented included the Law, medicine, the creative arts, engineering, banking & finance and the public sector. I thank all those old boys who were involved.

Ramesh Paripooranananthan is forging a successful career as a London architect – interspersed with globe-trotting trips to attend the weddings of Old Elizabethans in the Far East!

Ramesh, who uses the surname Pari professionally, works with BB Partnership – a London practice specialising in mid to high-end residential projects. He was recently lead project architect on a £250m-plus mixed-use development in Brent, the largest in the firm’s 25-year history.

He is currently overseeing the construction of two largely subterranean houses in the capital. It is a solution that is being used increasingly in London, especially where space is at a particular premium. The design includes lightwells and courtyards cut into the ground to let light pass down into the spaces underground.

The project is, however, not without its challenges, as Ramesh explained: “This is a much more expensive method of construction; we only investigate this when we have situations where planners will not let us build up. Both houses have already made the architectural press due to the controversy over the application, and I am sure they will also make it again once they are completed.

He adds: “Digging into the ground in central London is always a tricky business as you never know what you will find. I worked on a job a couple of years ago where we found a World War II bunker underneath the offices we were refurbishing!”

Ramesh (OE 1997–2004), who was in Underne House, studied at Central St Martins and then at Nottingham University, where he qualified as a Chartered Architect after eight years’ working and studying. He credits QE for the resilience and perseverance necessary for that period.

He previously featured in Alumni News in 2015 when 12 OEs attended his wedding to Millie, whom he had met at Nottingham. (“There are still just the two of us, but starting a family in the near future is on the agenda, he says. “In the meantime, my hobbies – photography and running – and my nephews – four boys – keep me very busy!”)

Recently, it has been Ramesh’s turn to return the compliment: in November, he travelled with several old boys to Hong Kong for the wedding of his QE contemporary, Dennis Yiu, and then journeyed on to Thailand for the nuptials of Bimal Sualy, from the year below. Both grooms were in Stapylton. “I spoke to Bimal for the first time when we both attended the University of Nottingham and now I am one of his groomsmen – small world!” says Ramesh.

Ramesh is pictured above on the far left with other old boys from his year, left-right, as follows: Bhavin Shah (Stapylton); Paraag Gudka (Pearce); the groom, Dennis; Johan Byran (Stapylton) and Kunal Shah (Stapylton).

Ramesh’s contemporaries, Sandeep Dasgupta (Stapylton) and Rahul Patel (Stapylton) also attended along with: Warren Balakrishnan (Underne); Rachita Lokubalasuriya (Leicester); Chivaar Gami (Leicester); Ashish Gohil (Leicester) and Dhanish Mahmood (Leicester) from the class of 2005.

Ramesh was among the alumni taking part in this year’s Careers Convention for Year 11 boys and their parents. “I try and give back to the School however I can.”

During the autumn, QE pupils came to his office for mock university interviews. “I was very proud last year to see that the three boys I worked with went on to study architecture at brilliant universities. I think it is fantastic the School is building this network for the students, as this wasn’t in place when I was there. This will only help the student body.”

After the glory of a glittering sporting career at QE and the trials of a period when he had to take over the family business during his father’s terminal illness, Asif Ahmed has gone on to build up a thriving firm of accountants. He is now so well-regarded for his entrepreneurial expertise that he advises the Government on start-ups.

Asif (OE 1997–2004) co-founded London and Essex-based Richmond Gatehouse LLP in 2012. Five short years later, it provides professional services to a raft of industries – property, construction, healthcare and leisure – including a number of household names. Asif himself specialises in advising early-stage technology businesses, a sector in which the practice has developed a strong foothold.

“The firm has really been built with our bare hands and we have grown from one room with one employee to three offices with a strong team of professionals. We’ve even been fortunate enough to provide work experience to some QE boys.”

Drawing on his experience as both entrepreneur and professional advisor, Asif enjoys helping companies that will influence “how the next generation work and play. It is exciting to be able to shape their growth in some small way.”

Earlier this month, Asif returned to QE to share his reflections on his career and life with current pupils.

Many of his memories of the School centre around sport. Asif was the only member of his year to have triple full colours. He played cricket for the First XI and for Middlesex CCC, rugby for the First XV and for Hertfordshire RFU, and he was in the Eton Fives First Pair.

“As a distinctly average academic student (relative to my peers!), sport helped me find my place to build all my core skills and confidence. I must credit Mr [David] Maughan and Mr [Tim] Bennett for being mentors and providing a superb infrastructure of discipline, with a focus on encouragement.”

He remembers long Saturday-morning drives to rugby matches in the minibuses, which were dubbed Q or M after their registration plates. “Our First XV commanded a lot of respect amongst our competitor schools: at the time I started playing for the First XV, I think we had four or five international players!” Another sporting memory is “going for cross-country runs in Barnet’s very own Bermuda triangle – the ‘elephant dip’.”

While Asif’s first-form tutor, Victoria Maule, started at QE on the same day he did (she is now the Assistant Head of English), Headmaster Eamonn Harris was coming towards the end of his 15 years at the helm.

“As one of the last year groups to enter the School under Mr Harris’s tenure, I remember there being a particularly strong focus on discipline, from the shine on your shoes to the quiff on your head. You used to think twice about how you were going to walk through the corridor, to ensure you looked the part. It is amazing, however, that to this day there isn’t a Sunday night when I won’t polish my shoes.

“I remember learning that, by mid-morning, kids will queue at a hole in the wall (the tuck shop) for absurd lengths of time to buy what can only be described as a pizza on half a baguette. I also learned that putting literally anything on chips in the Refectory could constitute lunch.

“I was a School Lieutenant, which I thought was great, until my brother went on to be School Captain.” Omair Ahmed (OE 2001–2008) was School Captain in 2007; he attended this term’s Old Elizabethans Association dinner as one of the group of ten-year leavers.

After A-levels, Asif went on to read Management Studies at Nottingham University. He secured a second-year summer internship with PricewaterhouseCoopers and a conditional offer to join the Big Four firm after graduation.

“I joined their mergers & acquisitions team in London and later worked in Jersey, Channel Islands, for a brief stint, before my father’s terminal illness forced me to unexpectedly resign and join his small accountancy practice.”

He completed his ACA (Associate Chartered Accountant, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales’ chartered accountancy qualification) and began stabilising the business. (It was closed on his father’s passing.)

“This provided the foundation to go on and establish Richmond Gatehouse LLP with my co-founder, Mubasher Ali, whom I met through a mutual acquaintance. We resonated over our like-mindedness, ultimately deciding to join forces and name the firm after the area we were sat in when we made the decision.

“Because of this experience, I was asked to serve on the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills’ Entrepreneurs’ Forum and, latterly, also on the Office of Tax Simplification’s Consultative Committee within the Treasury, advising on taxation matters affecting start-ups. It is particularly gratifying to see matters you have provided input on make their way to legislation.”

Married to Najah, a doctor within the NHS, Asif is a devoted family man, with a five-year-old daughter and baby son, aged two. He pays tribute both to his wife, for her “unwavering support during the particularly uncertain early years of my career”, and to the tenacity his mother evinced from his early childhood in providing both practical and emotional support to him and his brother in all their academic and extra-curricular interests.  “She was unfalteringly supportive, providing us with the confidence to pursue all of our ambitions and ultimately become the individuals we are today. As a parent, this is a lesson I hope to take forward with my children, as it is clear to me that a good school can only build on the foundations being set for you at home.”