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Oil industry solicitor Ross Lima routinely handles multi-million pound contracts and deals with contacts across large parts of the globe.

Since 2013, Ross (OE 1995-2002) has worked for Shell, where he is Lead Legal Counsel for the sale of catalysts across the EMEAR countries (Europe, Middle East, Africa and Russia). Before that he worked for clients ranging from the BBC and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society to Avocet Mining and BP.

During his School years, he took part in extra-curricular activities, including rugby, athletics and debating. After A-levels he went to Sheffield University to read Law and was elected to the university’s Law Society. He also threw himself into organising events including Christmas and summer balls.

Ross was elected to the university's Commercial Services Board, which is in charge of holding the spending of the student union to account. On completing his LLB degree in 2005, Ross took a gap year and went travelling in South East Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Singapore) as well as Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

“During this period I applied for and got a job as a trainee solicitor at Field Fisher Waterhouse LLP (FFW), a multi-national law firm headquartered in the City of London, and in 2006-2007, I attended BPP Law School in London, where I completed my legal practice course,” he says.

Ross qualified as a solicitor in 2009, specialising in Mergers and Acquisitions. “While at FFW I acted for Avocet Mining plc on its US$200m sale of its South East Asian mining assets – a deal which took over a year to complete and required the meeting of local regulations across SE Asian countries.”

He also went on various secondments which, he says, give him valuable experience of different environments in very diverse sectors.

“I was seconded to The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain as part of a two-person legal team with the object of splitting the RPSGB into the General Pharmaceutical Council (the regulator for all pharmacists in Great Britain) and retaining the RPSGB as the professional body for pharmacists in Great Britain.”

He then went on to act for BBC Worldwide on the sale of 85% of BBC Audiobooks. And he had his first experience of working for an oil-industry employer when he was seconded to BP plc. He worked in its Castrol division on contracts that tested the way Castrol worked in various engines, seeking to improve the brand’s offering to the market.

At Shell, he has worked across both on the sale of catalysts and the provision of technical services on downstream sites. (In the oil and gas industry, ‘downstream’ commonly refers to the refining and processing of crude oil and raw natural gas, as well as the marketing and distribution of the final products).

“The breadth of work at Shell was wider than I initially could have imagined before taking the role. Alongside the legal work itself, I speak every day to clients and customers across the EMEAR region.”

The sales in which he is involved concern the catalyst that is used in the refineries of Shell and other oil & gas companies’ refineries across the world.

“Catalysts are tiny particles that speed up chemical reactions without being consumed themselves. They can accelerate production, increase yield of product and save energy,” explains Ross. “They are used to produce cleaner fuels, such as ultra-low sulphur diesel, and also have a large impact on successfully transforming natural gas into valuable synthetic oil products such as detergents and plastics. The catalyst business focuses on producing the most highly active and stable catalysts that function reliably.”  

Alongside his increasing success as a published and performance poet, Anthony Anaxagorou is also committed to education.

Anthony (OE 1994-99) started writing poetry in his teens and at 17, he won the prestigious Mayor of London's Poetry Slam with his poem, Anthropos. He was initially inclined towards a career in music and studied Music Production at the University of Westminster. After realising that this was not for him – and after a short period supporting himself with odd jobs including warehouse work – he committed himself to working full-time as a poet.

In 2009 he published his first book, Card Not Accepted – a collection of essays, short stories and poetry, all reflecting moments from his life and providing a commentary on western living. In May of that year the MOBO award-winning hip hop artist Akala chose Anthony’s short poem Himself, from the Card Not Accepted collection, to be read out on the BBC Newsnight programme by the actor Damian Lewis:
A man stands inside the noise of the world,
But all he hears is peace,
A man stands inside the stillness of a virgin field,
But all he hears is noise,
All a man ever hears is himself

Anthony’s work frequently looks at the spiritual search for inner peace. It also encompasses themes that deal with politics, racism, history and philosophy. His work has attracted increasing admiration and attention and drawn testimonials such as this from The Sunday Times: “Look out for Anthony Anaxagorou … a near-spiritual experience.” and The Evening Standard: “One of the most powerful stage performances I’ve seen.”

He has a number of poetry and short story collections in print and his poetry has appeared on BBC Youth Nation, BBC Newsnight, the British Urban Film Awards, BBC 6 Music and has been performed by Cirque du Soleil. His work has been studied in universities across the USA, the UK and Australia and has been translated into Spanish, Japanese and French.

In addition to his poetry career, Anthony has run creative-writing workshops in schools for the First Story educational trust. The organisation focuses on schools in which more than 50% of pupils are considered deprived, according to the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index. Over the course of an academic year, each writer-in-residence leads weekly after-school workshops for a group of up to 21 pupils. The pupils’ writing is then published in a professionally produced anthology for each school; the schools host book launch events at which the students read their stories to their peers, friends, families and teachers.

In 2014 Anthony was welcomed back to QE where he spoke to a number of Year 10 classes about his work as both a writer and teacher.

He also undertook a tour of Australia, which took in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra. The tour featured a number of sell-out workshops and in the course of his travels he was interviewed by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

One of the UK’s best-known PR men, Lord Bell (OE 1953-1959), still remembers his School days with affection.

Baron Bell of Belgravia , who is Chairman of Bell Pottinger public relations, has worked with some of the greatest names of modern politics, business and media.

He won particular renown as Margaret Thatcher’s PR adviser and is famous for the successful general election campaigns he developed for the Conservative Party in 1979, 1983 and 1987, each of which put Margaret Thatcher into Downing Street. In many senses, he was the original ‘spin doctor’ and his Labour Isn’t Working poster in 1979 has earned its place in UK political history.

Born in 1941 in wartime Britain into a middle-class family living in Southgate, he grew up with his mother and sisters after his father walked out when he was only five. He passed the 11-plus examination at Osidge Junior School and won a place at QE. In his memoir, Tim Bell, Right or Wrong, published in 2014, he remembers his time with fondness: “It was a traditional, well-run and disciplined place, but I enjoyed it: there was camaraderie, it was good fun, and I don’t have any tales about being bullied or riddled with angst.”

He was good at cricket and adds: “I could play rugby to a decent standard, and was in the School’s First XV – but wasn’t really interested.”

Music, and particularly modern jazz, was a greater love – and for a brief spell he made a living of sorts as a professional trumpeter. He is, however, characteristically honest about his motivation: “I didn’t want to be …cannon fodder. I wanted success – although I wasn’t yet sure what ‘success’ meant, and possibly I’m still not. But I did, even then, measure it by visibility and success. That, I suppose, was a presage of my subsequent career.”

In fact, many facets of his later life emerged during his years at QE. “My early taste of leadership was in running the smokers’ club behind the sheds”. He remains, famously, a keen smoker to this day. “I wasn’t an outright rebel as such, but, for example, the school uniform rules annoyed me (as I liked quite flashy clothes, and I was the first person I knew to get an Italian suit) so I would try to get round them. And I hated to be told by the teachers that they disapproved of my hairstyle…Yet I respect rank and title and order and authority, and I respect wisdom and experience. And I see no inconsistency in holding these two positions, because I’m not anti-establishment so much as anti-authoritarian. Maybe that’s not surprising, being the child of an Australian mother and Northern Irish father.”

Several significant figures in the School’s history stick in his memory. Of the Headmaster, Ernest Jenkins, he remembers especially his hatred of anything modern, including television and cinema. “He would openly criticise all parents for their awful, useless, idle boys. Can you imagine a teacher doing that now?”

PE teacher Eric Shearly “always seemed to like the boys who were not only good at sport but also the most noisy and obnoxious”. As both pupil and teacher, Eric Shearly (1920-2005) devoted 76 years of his life to QE: the modern Shearly Hall is named in his honour.

But his warmest sentiments are reserved for his Latin teacher, John Finnett. “I admired [him] because he was such an unusual man. He actually spoke in Latin. He was a very sensitive, modern, switched-on guy who understood adolescent boys, and if you had a problem, you went to see him and he would talk to you in proper human-being language. But then he’d revert back to speaking Latin for most normal occasions.” John Finnett died in 1971, aged just 43.

Given the family’s straitened financial circumstances, university was not an option for Tim – a fact which never bothered him. “I don’t think anybody sat me in a room and told me, but I just understood that I’d had a good grammar-school education, and now the moment had come to go out and get a job.” (And when he turned 18, his mother made it clear that, regardless of his earnings from music up to that point, this should be a ‘proper’ job.)

So he joined ABC Television as a ‘chart boy’, putting labels on a board to say who had booked each commercial. “I was the lowest of the low, but I didn’t care, because I felt that I was at the centre of a vibrant new world, and had no doubts at all that I was on the road to somewhere modern, glamorous and exciting.”

He later thrived in the burgeoning West End advertising industry and in 1970 became a co-founder of the Saatchi & Saatchi agency.

His career eventually took him to the corridors of power and the world of international big business. In his book, as the dust cover puts it, “Bell applies his acerbic wit and resolutely right-wing sensibility” to his dealings with Ronald Reagan, F W de Klerk, the Saatchi brothers and his late friend, David Frost, and to key political events such as the miners’ strike, the Cold War, the poll tax riots and the end of Apartheid.

Tim was knighted in 1990 after nomination by Margaret Thatcher and made a Life Peer after nomination by Tony Blair in 1998.

He remained close to Baroness Thatcher after she left office. When she died in April 2013, it was he who made the official announcement.

The visit of the US Ambassador, Matthew Barzun, to Queen Elizabeth’s School on the first day of term ensured that we enjoyed a truly memorable start to 2015. His talk proved both informative and thought-provoking in equal part.

Mr Barzun’s visit [pictured] was followed by the publication of the Government’s league tables of school performance, which placed QE in first position nationally among both state and independent schools for its GCSE results. The School also ranked among the very best performers across the country at A-level. Whilst individual journalists selected different measures to interpret the data, the overall picture was clear: QE was among the very highest performers nationally at both Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5.

Even within this context of strong academic results across the board, there are, of course, pupils who excel and shine among their peers. Our recent Senior Awards ceremony purposely rewards such boys, but as a School we do not focus narrowly on examination results, nor even solely on performance within academic subject disciplines: the prizes bestowed on boys during Senior Awards encompass areas such as chess, public-speaking and commitment & service, to name just three. In my speech, I highlighted a famous quotation attributed to Hillel the Elder, a Jewish religious leader born around 110 BC: “If not me, who? If not now, when?” His was a life characterised by gentleness, patience and service. Voluntary service is very much a part of the fabric of our School community. A very large proportion of Year 11 now sign up each year to The Challenge, part of the National Citizen Service, which runs a programme during the summer holidays. Social action is an important component. Our thriving Combined Cadet Force constitutes another activity in which boys devote themselves to a cause greater than themselves. I am always impressed and gratified that so many of our parents set their sons an example by selflessly giving their own time to the Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s. I know that FQE’s preparations are now in full swing for the Founder’s Day Fete on Saturday 20th June, to which Old Elizabethans are, of course, cordially invited.

An illustrious visitor this term was Professor Sir Nigel Thrift, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Warwick, who was our Guest of Honour at Senior Awards. His university is second only to Cambridge as a destination for our Year 13 leavers. I was therefore particularly interested to read the findings of a recent commission led by Warwick examining the value of culture in society. The commission called for evidence of ‘excellent cultural and creative education’ to be made a prerequisite for an ‘outstanding’ rating from an Ofsted inspection. Such a requirement would, I believe, hold no fears for QE. I greatly enjoyed this year’s major drama production, Oliver Twist, and music performances including the Food, Glorious Food! concert – evidence aplenty, I suggest, of excellence in the creative sphere.

Moreover, the growing prominence of our old boys in the arts suggests that our efforts to inculcate creativity and original thinking are bearing fruit well beyond our pupils’ School years. Poet and performer Anthony Anaxagorou (OE 1994-1999) featured in the last Alumni News, while in this issue, we report on the remarkable success currently being enjoyed by his fellow poet, George Mpanga (2002-2009).

Also in the previous Alumni News, we appealed to Old Elizabethans to donate books to the new Queen’s Library through Amazon’s ‘wishlists’ facility. I am pleased to report that this proved successful, with books worth some £1,500 donated in the space of a few weeks across a range of subjects. I am most grateful for the generosity of so many of our former pupils.

My best wishes to all old boys of the School and their families for a pleasant Easter break.

Neil Enright

Distinguished international surgeon Kamran Baig returned to QE to give a speech at the Sixth Form Luncheon – and explained that it was his way of saying ‘thank you’.

Kamran (OE 1984–1991) has performed more than 2,000 heart operations, published 30 papers and delivered numerous international presentations, as well as lecturing at some of the world’s leading medical schools.

Yet, as he explained when he wrote to the School after the event, it had long been an ambition of his to return to QE – an ambition that had previously been thwarted only by his busy work schedule. “As I alluded to in my talk, gratitude is an essential quality and this was my way of expressing gratitude to QE for providing me with a platform on which to go on to greater heights.”

“It was an absolute pleasure and privilege to come back and share my experiences and reflections with the boys and staff.”

Now a consultant cardiac surgeon at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, Kamran lives in Barnet with his wife and four children.

Kamran’s speech covered many areas, but one of his observations was that he has learnt the importance of family and that he recognises the debt he owes this country for educating him and enabling him to qualify. As a result, he has turned down a number of opportunities including some very well-paid jobs in the US.

Around 150 Year 12 boys and staff attended the luncheon, during which he gave an entertaining and inspiring speech about his career.

When Kamran was at QE, the School was a very different place, with few boys progressing to degree-level disciplines such as medicine. He was a cross-country champion, representing Barnet in the All London Championships, and was Chess Captain, as well as representing the School at cricket.

After leaving QE, he obtained a first in Cardiovascular Science at King’s College London. He also excelled in cricket – his passion – captaining the King’s Cricket team.

After qualifying in 1997, he began his medical career as House Physician at Northwick Park Hospital, followed by the Professorial House Surgeon post at King’s College Hospital. After trying his hand at neurosurgery in Cambridge, he opted instead for cardiothoracic surgery in Southampton. He completed his Basic Surgical Training at University College & The Middlesex Hospitals and was awarded his Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons in 2000 (when he became Mr Baig again, instead of Dr Baig).

He then embarked upon a research scholarship at the leading surgical research institution in the United States, Duke University in North Carolina. He won the Bayer Fellowship Prize in 2002 – one of only two awarded in the United States – and was the first British recipient. He conducted pioneering basic science and translational research on cardiac surgery, which formed the basis of his Doctorate of Medicine, awarded by Imperial College London. He completed his higher surgical training across London at King’s, Royal Brompton & Harefield, Barts and Hammersmith Hospitals.

He has lectured and tutored students at the following medical schools: Oxford & Cambridge, Duke, Imperial, UCL & Bart’s and King’s.

In 2010 he co-founded the London Core Review Course in Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons London, attended by surgeons from around the globe. His latest initiative is a bespoke course for mentoring students for medical school applications and interviews.

After his visit, he offered to help boys individually who are seeking advice and to return to talk to the boys in the future on science and medicine-related topics.

Five QE old boys have teamed up to run the Paris Marathon for charity next month – the first time any of them have competed at such a distance.

Adeel Haque, Alister Heywood, Simon Nikolov, Jake Sittampalam and Jonathan Bradshaw, who were all at QE from 2005–2012, hope to raise £4,000 for The Children’s Trust, the UK’s leading charity for children with brain injury.

“As keen sportsmen who continued to remain active and play sport after leaving QE, we decided in September last year that we might like to complete a marathon at some point, despite our collective shortage of long-distance running history,” said Adeel.  “We were inspired by The Children’s Trust, a cause close to Simon’s heart in particular.” After an exchange of emails, the aspiration very quickly became a reality, with the charity offering the QE contingent, plus another friend, Parisian Clément Chenut, six places in the marathon on Sunday 12th April.

“Training has been hard through the winter months but is going pretty well and we are all quietly confident of finishing in at least respectable times. However, there does remain some trepidation for all of us as this is the first-ever marathon that any of us have attempted,” adds Adeel. Jonathan, Jake and Adeel went on a pre-season tour with the University of Warwick Men’s Cricket Club in Barbados and so were able to continue their training in warmer climates.

“Having known each other for almost ten years now (since September 2005 when we joined QE), our friendship goes back a long way. Simon, Alister, Jonny and I became friends whilst playing rugby together for the School, and Jake, Jonny and I all represented the School at cricket. We were, of course, also in many of the same classes together.”

“Despite the challenge ahead of us, we remain motivated by knowing that we are raising money for an excellent cause. We hope to reach our £4,000 fundraising target before long and so any donations from fellow QE alumni would be greatly appreciated!”

The group’s fundraising page is http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/QEParisMarathon

Adeel also provided an update on each of the QE runners. All are in their final year at university, with four of them at the University of Warwick and the fifth, Alister Heywood, at York.

• Adeel Haque and Simon Nikolov are both studying History. Adeel is due to commence his training contract with multinational law firm Baker & McKenzie in September 2017 after the completion of legal qualification courses at the University of Law, Moorgate. Simon aspires to become a commercial lawyer upon completion of his degree.
• Alister Heywood and Jake Sittampalam are both reading English Literature. Alister plans to go into marketing/PR.
• Jonathan Bradshaw is an Economics undergraduate and upon the completion of his degree, he will take up a position with FTI Consulting.

Pictured left to right are four of the group: Alister, Jake, Adeel and Jonathan.