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Ben Swart has spent the past 12 years working for the UK’s leading children’s charity and, after several promotions, is now its Head of New Corporate Partnerships.

But successful as he has been at the NSPCC, for Ben (OE 1994–2001), his motivation is about much more than merely pursuing a career.

“I joined the NSPCC after a couple of years at Barclays,” he says. “While at the bank, I started volunteering with a small charity called Get Connected (now The Mix). I became a trustee and quickly realised just how much support was lacking for children and young people in the UK. I decided I wanted my career to focus on changing that fact.”

So, a month after becoming a volunteer, he left the bank and joined the NSPCC’s finance team on just a one-week contract. It happened to be the same week that Childline merged with the NSPCC.

“To announce the partnership, we were called to the conference room. I’ll never forget that moment. A month earlier, I had sat in Barclay’s annual reviews focused on sales targets, and yet that day I heard Esther Rantzen say this wasn’t two organisations coming together: it was us making sure every child, wherever they were, would always know they had somewhere to turn. I was desperate to turn that week’s contract into a career!”

Ben quickly moved to fundraising, talking to supporters of the charity. Them he became a proposal writer in the philanthropists team, which involved building relationships with multi-millionaires to ask for support in the form of five, six or seven-figure gifts.

“I moved again to become head of fundraising training – coaching and training the 300-plus team at the NSPCC – then again to become a leader in the corporate partnership team, where my job is to lead a department to find, build, negotiate and grow partnerships with the biggest companies in the UK.”

At the same time, over the past decade he has worked with the Institute of Fundraising and with the International Fundraising Congress, teaching charities across the globe and sharing his expertise with them.

“I am of no doubt that QE gave me fundamental skills that got me here – public speaking, writing, confidence, determination. I look back and while I may not have realised it at the time, many lessons were being learnt that would shape my future,” he says.

He recalls a host of teachers who were key to his development, mentioning Mr Clift and Mr Dourmiex in particular.

“Today I have a lovely family, a three-year-old daughter and am still very close to a couple of friends from QE. Marcus Waters was best man at my wedding, and Jon Hart was the DJ!”

• • Ben is pictured at 10 Downing Street, where he was invited to celebrate Childline’s 30th birthday, two days before the Brexit referendum. It was to be David and Samantha Cameron’s last dinner before he resigned as Prime Minister following the vote.

After one brief false start following university, Sam Colman’s career is now firmly on track with a national sales role for a European company.

Sam (OE 1998-2005), who graduated from the University of Manchester in 2008, says: “I was unsure what the best career for me would be, but was lucky to get an internship for three months at UK ad agency Engine. I hated it.”

A keen sportsman who was prominent in water-polo while at QE, he then took a year out to teach climbing and quad biking at PGL.

“I left PGL to take a position at British Sugar, working in the agricultural team, before becoming Co-Products Sales Manager (selling stuff that wasn’t sugar!) in 2012.”

In April 2017, he started work as Commercial Manager UK (Brewing) for Boortmalt, a Belgian company with ten factories across Europe, selling malted barley to both breweries and distilleries. His role, which is based in Suffolk, involves negotiating all UK brewing sales.

Sam read Geography at Manchester. He was among the first at QE to be taught the subject by the current Headmaster, who arrived at the School in September 2002. Mr Enright says he well remembers Sam for his “great wit”.

For all seven years of his Geography lessons at Queen’s Road, Sam sat next to Robert Mills. In 2016, he was best man at Robert’s wedding.

He continued playing water-polo as an undergraduate and, although out of action through injury in his first year, he then went on to considerable success with the university team. “In years 2 and 3, we reached the national finals, winning silver and bronze.” He was awarded half-colours twice.

“I continued to play regularly until 2011, when I moved to Suffolk. I now play occasionally for either Enfield or Hertford.”

Sam was among the Old Elizabethans who returned to the School in the autumn to speak to Year 11 boys and their parents at QE’s Careers Convention.

Saturday, 24th March, was significant for Queen Elizabeth’s School for two reasons. First, it marked the 445th anniversary of the founding of the School in 1573. And second, it was the date of our annual Elizabethan Union Dinner Debate, a formal occasion now in its 53rd year that brings together the School’s present with its past through the involvement of current Year 12 pupils alongside Old Elizabethans.

We will be reporting back to you in due course on the events of that evening and of this term’s QE Rugby Sevens. The continuity provided by the annual running of such events not only celebrates the School’s rich heritage, but also points to its future, as the Sixth Form debaters of today become the alumni of tomorrow and they, in turn, interact with their successors at the School.

Within our history, we have a long record of excellence. We continue our regular celebrations of commitment and achievement in School, such as our recent Senior Awards Ceremony. The excellence achieved at QE is, in its many forms, in part a result of the high standards and aspirations maintained by the School, the parents and the boys themselves. But, of course, there can be a tension between striving for excellence and falling into the trap of perfectionism. For their own wellbeing, it is most important that boys retain a sense of perspective and that they are supported at School and at home to ensure this.

We place considerable emphasis on the characteristics – specifically the skills and habits – required for successful learning. This year, staff are reviewing and fine-tuning the School’s own assessment strategies to provide a foundation for the development, assessment and rewarding of these skills and habits (as well as the identification of strategies to support those students who are not effective at developing them). I have been suggesting to parents that they can play their part by encouraging their sons to participate in our very wide range of enrichment activities – including sports, the arts and volunteering – to ensure boys at QE are well-rounded and broadly accomplished, thus reducing the risk of their becoming narrow or obsessive.

We now very regularly invite expert speakers, many of them alumni, to speak to the boys through our lecture programmes and on other occasions. Their often-sage advice is another invaluable help in combatting perfectionism. It is striking how frequently highly accomplished speakers refer to the setbacks they have suffered, or describe situations in which a failure became serendipitous for a future success. Entrepreneurs are always talking about the importance of failing as a means of learning. And one recent Old Elizabethan speaker, Jake Green (1992–1997) explained that he was rejected by a particular law firm after university, but has since become a partner there, following experience elsewhere.

Other OE visitors to the School this term have included 2017 leaver Ché Applewhaite – who took a break from his first year at Harvard to speak to Year 12 boys interested in applying to Ivy League universities – and entrepreneur Akshay Ruparelia (2009-2016), reportedly the country’s youngest self-made millionaire at 19 through the success of his online estate agency, Doorsteps.co.uk.

A new development in the Sixth Form this year has been the QE-USP enrichment option, a modular course designed to allow Year 12 pupils to enhance their skills in putting together the best possible university application – which means one in which the laudable quality of academic ambition is nonetheless tempered by realism and pitched according to each boy’s abilities. (The ‘USP’ aspect stands both for University admissions Support Programme and for Unique Selling Point.) Then there is the continuing development of QE Connect, our initiative that matches current pupils with alumni who can provide them with specific help in setting and then pursuing their university and career aspirations.

Excellence abounds at this School. I am pleased to be able to state that this year, our sixth-formers have received 28 Oxbridge offers, including 12 from Oxford, which is now closing in on Cambridge, for which there are 16 offers. The Oxford figure is a record, certainly in recent years, and a feat that was happily timed for the visit of Professor Louise Richardson, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford, as Guest of Honour at our 2018 Senior Awards. Other examples of excellence this term include our success in the Mathematics and Physics Olympiads, our robotics teams qualifying for the World Championship in the US and those boys who delighted audiences in this term’s Music performances and in the School Play, The 39 Steps.

My warmest wishes go to all Old Elizabethans.

Neil Enright

Jamie Binstock has established a successful career in real estate with highlights that include working on the sale of London’s famous ‘Gherkin’. Now he is establishing a network of OEs interested or involved in real estate and is appealing for alumni to get in touch.

After initially publicising the nascent network through LinkedIn, he gained a list of some 40-50 names, but would like to hear from more QE old boys ahead of the network’s first meeting.

“The purpose is twofold,” says Jamie, (OE 1993–2000). “Firstly, it’s just putting people in touch with each other and doing some business. But it’s also getting people to give something back to the School by visiting and explaining to the boys what real estate is all about – for example, that it’s more about who you know than what you know.”

Jamie works for global real estate giant Savills, where he is an Associate Director – Central London & International Investment. “I buy and sell office buildings in London for clients,” he says.

After leaving QE, he graduated in Commerce from the University of Birmingham. He then took an MA in Property Valuation & Law from Cass Business School, before becoming a Qualified Chartered Surveyor with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in 2006.

After two posts as a real estate investment analyst, he joined Deloitte in 2009, working initially on distressed real estate for a number of banking and principal clients.

In June 2014, he became Assistant Director: Central London Investment for Deloitte and it was while in this post that he was involved in the deal to sell the ‘Gherkin’ – or 30 St Mary Axe, as it is officially known. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

He joined Savills in 2016.

Jamie, who is married with two sons, aged five and one, keeps up-to-date with events at QE, where his father, Tony Binstock, is a Governor. And he adds: “My best friends are still those I made at School and they are all very successful.” They include his contemporaries, Simon Walton, Daniel Travers and Adam Sprei.

Jamie would welcome contact from OEs interested in the new network via LinkedIn.

At our recent Dinner Debate, guest speaker and old boy Kane Evans rightly reminded us of the importance of friendship – and especially of friendships forged at this School.

With some 180 attending, including Kane (OE 2003–2010) and many other OEs from across the generations, it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening at which several old friendships were rekindled – a formal occasion, yes, but one on which we don’t take ourselves too seriously. There were many laughs and the debate was certainly lively: at one point, the chairman became so excited that he dropped his gavel!

An invitation

Founder’s Day presents an even bigger opportunity than the Dinner Debate to catch up with old friends in a relaxed atmosphere. I see the Founder’s Day Fête as a chance to bring the whole QE community together to celebrate and support the School – and Old Elizabethans are a key part of that.

The afternoon begins with a buffet lunch open to all Old Elizabethans at approximately 1pm, immediately after the reading of the Chronicle. Since its re-launch a few years ago, our Founder’s Day Past XI v Present XI match (the Stanley Busby Memorial Cricket Match) on the Third Field has proved quite a draw for the many cricket fans among our alumni. And there are countless other attractions at the Fete on Stapylton Field. It will be possible to seat a small number of Old Elizabethans at the Founder’s Day service, which begins in St John the Baptist Church at 11am.

If there are any old boys who would like to make contact with particular members of staff, both current and former, at Founder’s Day, do please email my office and we will do our best to make it happen. In fact, it would be helpful to us in planning our welcome if any former pupils who expect to be at Founder’s Day could let me know by email in advance, especially if you would like to attend the service or lunch.

Dinner Debate report

This year’s event was the 52nd Elizabethan Union Annual Dinner Debate, which is attended by all Year 12 boys. Kane was the special guest, who proposed the toast to the Queen, to our Founder and to the Elizabethan Union, the School’s debating society.

Year 12 pupils Rahul Kanwar and Ravi Karia proposed the motion: ‘This house believes that experts are overrated’. Two OEs, Adam Hilsenrath and Alex Chinweze (both 2008–15), opposed the motion.

In his after-dinner address (which was not part of the debate), Kane, who now works as a Senior Commercial Analyst at Manchester United FC, acknowledged the importance of expertise: some boys present were likely to become genuine experts in their field, whether as doctors, lawyers or engineers, for example. But he spoke of its limitations, too, and highlighted the important role that friendship has to play in life: “Being an expert doesn’t make you a good friend, it doesn’t make you a loving boyfriend, husband, father. As I looked around the table at an OE’s stag-do I was on last weekend, it dawned on me that many of these friendships were now over 14 years old, forged in this very room, on Stapylton Field or the back of Mr Enright’s Geography class.

“These relationships give me as much personal fulfilment and pride as any professional or academic achievement, and are as important to me as any future objective or aspiration.”

Appropriately enough, Kane was joined on the evening by his friend and QE contemporary, Nik Ward (OE 2003–2010).

Kane urged a certain humility on the boys: “Don’t neglect or underestimate your craft and the choices that lie before you – but don’t congratulate yourself too much either if the end result is bigger and better than your neighbour’s: remember that it was only partly your doing.”

They should study what they want and not follow anyone else’s preconceived ideas, he said, adding in conclusion: “Don’t be afraid to take the road less travelled, and when you do, don’t forget to take your friends with you on the journey.”

Kane’s professional role involves looking at where Manchester United’s next deals should be. He expressed his enjoyment at working for the globally recognised club and brand – despite secretly being a Chelsea fan!

Nik will soon qualify as an architect. He is coming into the School in the summer to help with Enrichment Week.

The many other OEs in attendance included Ross Lima (1995–2002), who has worked hard over the years to provide opportunities for current pupils. Ross, who works for Shell, encouraged the School to enter a Shell competition, in which the boys were regional winners, and he also provides a Sixth Form work placement annually – several boys have drawn on their experience in shadowing him in the company’s legal department in their law applications to Oxbridge.

According to the final tally of votes, the OE team, Adam and Alex (a former School Captain and Senior Vice-Captain respectively), won the debate convincingly. They turned a slender majority against the motion in the indicative vote at the outset into an overwhelming one.

The pair were ably supported by numerous contributions from boys and guest in the floor debate, including one from my predecessor as Headmaster, Dr John Marincowitz, who reminded all of his oratorical powers with a typically wise and convincing contribution. The event was also attended by Eamonn Harris (former Headmaster) and Eric Houston (former Second Master), as well as present staff and governors.

Aspects touched upon during the debate included:

• The definition of experts and the distinction with advisers;
• Whether experts have merely been misused, including in essentially emotional arguments, such as over Brexit;
• The failures of those with past experience and success to predict future performance.

Perhaps most contentious of all was the question of whether Michael Owen should be considered an expert pundit and, if so, whether this helped the proposition or the opposition case!

I was pleased to see how readily and intelligently the current Year 12s engaged with the debate – although whether the enormous slice of chocolate cake they had for dessert or the supply of wine had anything to do with that, I could not possibly comment. The School Shop’s bottom-line certainly saw a boost – with half of Year 12 having beat a path to shop’s door on the preceding Friday afternoon to buy their bow ties.

After such a memorable evening, I look forward to meeting more OEs at other such occasions in the future. In the meantime, I welcome contact from all Old Elizabethans via my LinkedIn profile.

Neil Enright

Aaron Tan trains people in public speaking – and he traces his success squarely back to QE.

Aaron (OE 1996–2003) has followed a varied path since university and is currently enjoying a portfolio career which includes running two businesses as well as lecturing at Greenwich University.

But it is in passing on his own abilities in public speaking that he has found the greatest satisfaction. “Having worked in companies of all sizes and also been self-employed, I discovered that what I really found rewarding was helping others,” he says. “After finding out that public speaking is the number one fear amongst adults, I knew that if I could tackle this, I would be helping the highest number of people possible.”

Aaron has learned from world-class speakers who have shared the stage with the likes of Lord Alan Sugar, James Caan and Sir Richard Branson, and has himself spoken to audiences of up to 200 both in this country and abroad. And, he says: “It all started by taking public speaking classes during my time at QE, which took place after School hours.”

Aaron, who lives in Dollis Hill, went from QE to UMIST (now part of the University of Manchester), where he read Management with a Marketing Specialism.

He has since worked for diverse businesses including a company specialising in reinstating roads after work has been done, and an aerospace & defence company. In 2013, he took over management duties at his father’s restaurant in Clacton-on-Sea and has since doubled its revenue.

In his business as a speaker trainer, which he launched in October 2016 on returning from a public-speaking trip to Vietnam, he focuses on both technical and mental processes. “I help people overcome their fears and deliver presentations at the highest level, through webinars, workshops and seminars.

Public speaking is, he points out, a useful skill for “anyone who deals with people on a daily basis”, from those in the corporate world to people in education: he has already worked with clients including YouTube personalities, sales people and personal development coaches.

Since the start of 2017, Aaron has also been a Visiting Lecturer at the University of Greenwich, where he teaches both undergraduates and postgraduates from different countries. He draws on his experience of working in companies of different sizes to teach the students about business concepts, offering a practical perspective on the theories taught in textbooks.