Upfront

Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things.

‘I nnovation is the ability to see things as an opportunity, not a threat.’ So said co-founder of Apple Steve Jobs. With this very much in mind, the College opened the Beko Innovation Centre in April this year with the idea to turn even more Marlburians into innovators.

Marlborough has been producing innovators, inventors and entrepreneurs since its founding days. In recent years, the Magazine has been celebrating some of these great individuals and this year we focus on Charles Vernon Boys (C1 1869-72), known for his groundbreaking experimental work in the fields of thermodynamics and high-speed photography. We also look at the life of Gordon Welshman (C3 1920-25), one of the most important contributors to the Enigma code-breaking machine. Innovation goes beyond engineering. With this in mind, we learn how Alex Younger (SU 1976-81), former Head of M16, brought the power of venture capital to bear in the Secret Intelligence Service’s battle to keep ahead of technological threats – an approach that has given the agency an edge against sophisticated adversaries.

One of the College’s and Club’s main initiatives for the coming year is to develop a mentoring programme. Mentoring is no new concept, but it is becoming increasingly popular. Mentoring can take many forms: advice from friends, connections with contacts, and professional coaching. Henry Langdon (TU 2001-06) introduces our main mentoring piece that illustrates some of the different career situations in which coaching can be beneficial. A connected article is from Marlborough College Malaysia writer Shyam Bhuller (MH 2013-20), who set up Oracui with five other MCM leavers and which uses practical mentoring to help get people off the streets of Melbourne. Gordon Welshman doubtless benefitted from mentoring by his Maths teacher Alan Robson (CR 1911-47), who set up the virtual pipeline between Marlborough and Hut 6. And all this year’s OM Entrepreneurs have sought structured advice in order to develop their businesses. As ever, this year’s magazine illuminates some amazing feats. Tim Lowden’s (B2 1954-58) ten wickets for 34 runs, Piers Buck (CO 1987-91) successfully bringing baby food to one of the toughest markets in the world, and Robert de Berry (B2 1956-60) cycling 900 miles for charity being just some. Such feats and their performers provide a rich source of material for our magazine, but only through the incredible kindness and responsiveness of contributors can we bring it to life. The Club and I are eternally grateful for their assistance and support to make this the magazine that it is.

Catherine Brumwell (née Redpath NC 1991-96) Editor, The Marlburian Club Magazine catherine@theommagazine.co.uk