OF Kevin Ellis visits for latest Look Out lecture
Forest was honoured to host Old Forester Kevin Ellis (Guy’s 1974-1981) to be the final speaker in the Look Out lecture series for this academic year.
Kevin is Chairman and Senior Partner of PwC UK and Middle East, and an expectant – and packed – Deaton Theatre was eager to hear his insights and wisdom.
It was clear from the outset that this was to be less of a ‘lecture’ in the traditional sense, as Kevin shared some warm and light-hearted memories of his time at Forest, before briefly plotting out his own career journey. Soon, however, Kevin moved on to the main focus of his talk: the challenges facing young people joining a rapidly-evolving jobs market in the 21st Century.
Although an accountant by profession, Kevin was keen to impress that his talk was not solely aimed at pupils aiming to work in finance or business, but that the message could apply equally well in other fields. He identified four key factors – the importance of resilience, research, making the right choices and being authentic to yourself – as key guiding principles for Sixth Formers entering a competitive, fast-paced environment.
Kevin’s witty and lively talk proved hugely inspiring for our pupils, who commented ‘I only wish he had spoken for longer!’ and ‘Mr Ellis is an inspiring figure- his talk was very engaging and highly relevant to us’.
This year Forest School has hosted thirteen guest lecturers as part of the Forest Diploma’s Look Out programme.
We’ve heard from a wide range of speakers who have by turns inspired, questioned or challenged our Sixth Formers to think about the world in fresh ways: from a legendary human and gay rights campaigner, to the most popular BBC ‘Apprentice’ candidate ever; from a world record-breaking climber, to a woman whose death sentence was commuted by the King of Thailand; from a best-selling feminist author, to Forest’s very own Head of History, Mr Chris Brant, amongst many others. We look forward to next year’s programme!