The Radley Business Network

Each year, we will be dedicating a section of the Old Radleian to sharing the vibrancy of the Radley Business Network. We are seeing an increasing number of ORs starting their own businesses, or tackling business challenges with creativity and innovation, and we want to share these inspiring stories with you. We will also tell you about the many networking opportunities available to you through RadSoc, and how you can get involved, either to help others, or to find help yourself.

Caroline Monaghan, Radleian Society Associate Director

Business Networking Events

These yearly events are held in London and are designed to help boys, parents and Old Radleians network and share knowledge. Themes so far have included: angel investment, entrepreneurship, career change, disruptive technology, artificial intelligence, marketing, sustainability and fintech.

“At these events you meet like-minded individuals and gain valuable connections. I have been introduced to no fewer than five different investors from the network to help grow my business.”

– Henry Reilly-Collins (1997,

E)

In line with requests from the community, the theme of our business networking events in 2023 was technology.

The first, ‘The Great Energy Challenge’, was generously hosted by Charles Palmer (1985, F), Senior Managing Director at TFI Consulting, and compèred by Vincent Neate (Radley parent), formally Head of Sustainability at KPMG. It focused on the career opportunities in the booming green energy sector. Over 100 members of the Radley community, including 16 current boys, gathered to hear from OR experts from across the sector – solar, hydrogen, power storage, and grid – as they shared their experiences and expertise.

With thanks to our speakers: James Basden (1980, F), Founder Director of Zenobē; George Gray-Cheape (Radley Parent), Director at Dalcour Maclaren; Ben Hanson (2001, D), Business Developer (Hydrogen) at bp; Julian Pertwee (1977, F), Founding Director of Footprint Zero; Rory Scott Russell (1992, G), Head of Venture Capital at East Alpha; Will Stinton (2003, B), Chief of Staff at Protium Green Solutions.

The event in November was also attended by over 70 members of the community, and focused on ‘Shaping the Future of Finance’ and the career opportunities in the fintech sector. Our expert speakers were: Peter McBurney, Professor of Computer Science at King’s College London; Spencer Hanlon (Radley parent), Global Head of Travel Payments at Nium; Hugo Thorp (2002, G), Fintech, Payment Services & InsurTech Team Leader at Protean Risk; Alan Vaksman (Radley parent), Founder & Managing Partner of Digital Horizon VC; and Sigurd R.Wendin (2009, J), Head of Business Development at Levenue.

Catch up with previous events: https://bit.ly/ RadSocBisVid

BEYOND RADLEY TALKS & PODCASTS

These online events are designed to open a window into a variety of careers, providing first-hand knowledge of industries or topics in an accessible way, and are recorded and shared with the boys. Previous talks have been on topics such as the changing nature of the world of work, music production, the charity sector, accountancy, acting, finance careers, gap years, and much more.

Our 2023 Beyond Radley talks included a fascinating talk and Q&A from Mark Fawcett (Radley parent) on the ‘Changing Nature of Work & Leadership for Today’s Career Starters’. He focused on the developing world of work, attitudes of employers, what they are looking for in future talent, and how to get ahead in the early years of your career.

A bank of Beyond Radley recordings is available on the RadSoc YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/BeyondRadley

These talks have also been made into podcasts for access on the go! You can find Beyond Radley on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3Q0pz45

Get Involved

Volunteer as a speaker to inspire others and show them the opportunities in your sector.

“Employers are looking for talent and potential, they want to see skills, and people’s potential to develop them –including adaptability, resilience, ability to change and networking; they are also genuinely looking for people that will add to the morale of the organisation …”

– Mark Fawcett, Radley Parent, Beyond Radley Talk

Or Career Profiles

This series of written interviews is available on our website showcasing the career journeys of Old Radleians across diverse industries. These are an invaluable bank of resources to which boys and ORs can refer.

Visit www.radley.org.uk/ careers-profiles/ to explore the interviews.

Get Involved

Get in touch to share your career story or to tell us how the network has supported you, so we can encourage others.