As part of our careers and mentoring programme, we are excited to launch a new initiative, the Business Lunch, on Wednesday 12 March, 12:00-1:00pm. These panel-style events will run once a term and are a maximum of 1 hour in the lecture theatre or online - designed to be consumed in your lunch hour. Open to the whole Shiplake community our first session will focus on entrepreneurship. In-person attendees can enjoy a lunch on us while Headmaster, Mr Tyrone Howe, hosts a panel of entrepreneurs in the lecture theatre, exploring their journeys, challenges, and key lessons from running their own business. If you are unable to be there in person, the discussion will also be available via livestream. We hope this event will be particularly valuable to members of the Shiplake community who are looking to start a business or connect with like-minded professionals. 

To make sure we can provide enough lunches and share the livestream link, please let us know if you will be attending (in person or online) by clicking here.

We are excited to introduce you to our panellists:

Emily Williams

After over 20+ years running the client business for Berkshire Hathaway’s NetJets, Emily established IWA, Private Aviation Advisors 10 years ago with her business partner, Nicolas Imrie. They now work with 100+ clients, from International PLCs to unique individuals, with a variety of flying needs. IWA gives their clients one point of contact for all their aviation needs, ensuring they have the best solutions for their flights and fly in the most cost-effective way possible. They work across whole aircraft ownership, fleet providers including NetJets, FlexJet and Vista and unlike most people in the industry they are completely independent and don't receive commissions or incentive payments from anyone.   

Her detailed knowledge of the aviation industry includes operations and manufacturers, having built-up vast experience in strategy planning and long-term business analytics for her clients. Emily is a board member of The Air Charter Association, which leads industry self-regulation. 

She is also an experienced Managing Director having consulted and worked with several lifestyle and financial businesses focused on the ultra-high-net-worth global market. 

In her spare time….. Emily tries endlessly, and fails, to become an accomplished dressage rider on her two horses as well as picking up behind her two girls, husband, two dogs, cat and chickens! 

Ian Stone

Ian Stone is a seasoned entrepreneur with 25 years of experience in the technology sector, having built, acquired, scaled, and sold global companies. 

His career began at NatWest Bank, before transitioning into the technology industry, where he gained valuable insights working for leading American software companies. At just 25, Ian acquired a struggling tech firm, successfully turned it around, and sold it within 18 months. That initial success sparked a lifelong entrepreneurial journey, leading him to launch, acquire, and operate over a dozen technology businesses worldwide culminating in one of his companies being listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2018. 

Today, Ian focuses on angel investing, supporting early-stage technology startups (with a particular interest in AI), mentoring the next generation of entrepreneurs, and has diversified into property investing, property development, and cryptocurrency. 

Ralph Burrows

Old Viking Ralph Burrows (19O) is an entrepreneur with a focus on purpose-led ventures. He registered his first business at age 16, the year he left Shiplake. 
 
Ralph is the founder of Eco Kaila, a multi-award-winning sustainable clothing brand working to end fast fashion through an open-access circular supply chain. Eco Kaila partners with influencers and artists to raise funds for various charitable causes, and fosters ethical practices from farm to factory. 

Ralph also created VitClear, a functional beverage business designed to support high achievers and frontline workers through scientifically formulated nootropic drinks. 
 
With firsthand experience in launching and scaling brands, he will be able to share insights and lessons into other companies he has invested with across industries including automotive, property, care services and media. 

Carl Harris

Old Viking Carl Harris (16S) is an architectural assistant and aspiring Architect with an entrepreneurial mindset.  

Carl is an RIBA Part II Architectural Assistant and model maker. Studying at Oxford Brookes and then Edinburgh University, he has an eye for visual representation and conveys his ideas through model making and architectural drawing (having thoroughly enjoyed Fine Art at Shiplake). His architectural style draws upon his experience within urban design studies and distils itself with considerate site analysis. In 2024, Carl was nominated for RIAS’s Architecture and Design Scotland Placemaking Award for his thesis proposal: Lending Libraries for Berlin: Poro[city] for the Green and Grey. Today, Carl continues his practice working on a variety of projects spanning from refurbishments and building fabric upgrades, to shop façade design and master-planning. 

Whilst establishing his roots in Architecture, and to fund his studies, Carl established Prompt and Precise LLP (soon to be Prompt and Precise Ltd) in 2022. Carl works part-time in an Architecture practice and part-time with his business partner to bring a new appliance repair service to the local area, with the aim to reduce environmental waste from electronics. His interest in home electronics comes from his studies on Archigram (the avant-garde British Architectural Group) and a desire to enterprise stewardship solutions, implicit in his training as an Architect. Despite the seemingly disparate approach in vocations, Carl enjoys the interdisciplinary approach to his work - seeing through the lens of how one lives in a home-verses how one is built. 

Thanks to a strong reputation in the local community (Henley on Thames and surrounding environs), Prompt and Precise is growing to expand its offering to take on more appliance engineers. With experience as a business manager, Carl is excited to discuss what he has learned in his continuous entrepreneurial journey through his work at Prompt and Precise as an appliance engineer and business owner. 

Instagram: @promptpreciserepairs | @carlharrisarch