Our sixth annual Women and the Workplace breakfast on Tuesday 15 March was once again a fantastic success. Enjoyed by Lower Sixth students and guests alike, this event is designed to champion greater gender equality at work and to inspire our students to consider their career aspirations. 

This year, we welcomed a panel of Woldingham alumnae to talk about their own experiences and share invaluable insights and perspectives on the world of work: Bryanne Hackman (2013), Sophie Foreman (2014) and Clare Collini (1991).

Bryanne worked at the Commonwealth Headquarters in London and was Head of Strategy, Policy and Partnerships at the Ghana Commodity Exchange in Accra before founding her own company, Best Body Africa. Sophie studied history at the University of Warwick and is now a Financial Adviser. Clare found her passion at her university’s wine society and is an independent Fine Wine Specialist and highly skilled freelance auctioneer with 20 years' international experience at Sotheby's.

The short talks by our panellists about their career journey to date provoked insightful, and confidently posed, questions from the Lower Sixth, which in turn led to some fascinating answers. The panellists encouraged our students to explore their passions and careers as much as they could. They were all clear that being a Woldingham student had benefitted them in their careers, not least by teaching them to be proactive, confident, and unafraid to “raise their hand”.

Another important aspect of this event is that students are given the opportunity to step up to leadership roles, introducing the guests and facilitating the question-and-answer discussions. This year it was the turn of Freya, Izzy, Annabel and Jahnvi, who performed their roles excellently.

It was an inspirational morning, and we are very grateful to Bryanne, Sophie and Clare for giving up their time to join us. In a few years, we hope some of our current Lower Sixth students will be sitting in their place as guests on the panel.