On Thursday 9 October, Shiplake College hosted the third event in the Business Lunch series. Part of the Shiplake CONNECTED careers and mentoring programme, this new initiative aims to bring members of the Shiplake community together for a panel-style discussion focussing on a specific industry or career path. This Business Lunch focussed on Sport.  

Held in the lecture theatre and livestreamed for those who could not make it in person, the lunchtime event consisted of a panel discussion led by Headmaster, Mr Tyrone Howe. The panel featured four members of the Shiplake community, all with varying careers in Sport. Panelists included Old Viking, Sports Coach and ex-Head of College - James Burgess (21W), Broadcaster, Personality and Parent Chris Hollins, Old Viking, Journalist and Head of Communications for the British and Irish Lions Jonny Fordham (03W) and Parent Nastaysia Uramova who coached the Ukranian National Climbing Team to the Olympics in 2020.

Having a mixture of Old Vikings and current parents with a range of experience in the Sports world, gave our audience a well-rounded insight into the diverse pathways to building a successful career in Sport. Read more about our panelists here.

A wide range of students from across all age groups, staff, Old Vikings and parents made up the audience and were able to hear about each panelists journey in sport - how they have got to where they are today and the highlights and challenges throughout their careers. The event also featured a Q&A session, where in-person and online attendees were able to ask panelists specific questions. 

If you missed the event, you are able to access the livestream of the discussion here.

We are delighted with the continued success of our Business Lunch series - details about the next event will be released very soon so keep an eye out!

A huge thank you to everyone who attended and, of course, to our fantastic panelists for making it such an interesting and engaging discussion.