Congratulations to Karma Group COO, Vic Faulkner (Ha. 1973-79) who has been named on the Legal 500 GC Power list for Southeast Asia.
Sarah Butterfield (Fe. 2010-12) is a trailblazer in activewear. She has co-founded Olive Ridley, which sells sustainable activewear online. Named after a breed of turtle, Olive Ridley is designed and made in Europe and all the pieces are made from Econyl.
Brad Vanstone's (Sc. 2004-09) vegan cheese startup, Wilicroft, has raised €2 million to fuel growth across Europe.
We are continuing our series of speaking to Old Brightonians who have set up their own businesses since leaving the College. Ami Savani (Wi. 2000-05) owns A Mermaid's Secret, a massage and beauty therapy business in Hove. Ami tells us how she went from studying physiology to setting up A Mermaid's Secret, and the teachers who made all the difference to her going after her dreams.
Amber Goodwin (Fe. 2013-15) has just launched Apparelle (www.apparelle.co.uk), which promises to change the way we buy activewear. Former investment banker, Amber, who is only 25, has already had an incredible career, and Apparelle is already making waves in fashion – and it has only just launched.
This month we spoke to Mark Simmonds (Al. 1976-81), a management trainer who has written two books about mental health. He shares his happiest memories of his time at school and a brilliant idea for what to take to a desert island...
Natasha (Fe. 2002-06) runs Present Day Thinking, a business development consultancy dedicated to supporting small and mid-sized businesses grow. She spoke to us about how the idea for her business came about, and the work it took to get to where she is today.
Mark Simmonds' (Al. 1976-79) second book "Beat Stress at Work" will be published on 3rd March 2022.
Harry Grocott (Le. 1997-2012) launched Treeconomy after a successful career in Wealth Management allowed him to combine his knowledge of the financial world with his passion for the planet.
He tells us about how it all started, and where it will go.
If you're looking for a tasty, healthy treat then the Chisholm brothers' new venture could be right up your street.
The partnership between Soul Corporations, a leadership consultancy that helps leaders drive their business forward with soul, run by Nicholas Brice (Ch./Le. 1972-76) and Tottenham Hotspur Football Club has won the award for Best Customer and Employee Engagement programme 2020 at the International Engage Business Media Awards.
In the week that Karma celebrated its 27th birthday, it welcomed two new locations to its resort family: Karma Salak, in Indonesia, and Karma Salford Hall, in the Cotswolds.
Jo Moloney (Fe.2002-07) has launched a new online business.
Present. Perform. Persuade offer public speaking and presenting training courses, run by Old Brightonian and journalist Vanessa (Wi. 1996-98).
Plant-based cheese "Willicroft", founded by Old Brightonian Brad Vanstone (Sc/Ab. 2004-09), is now available in Waitrose!
Lunch with... Jonathan Palmer - When a career in medical science beckoned, he had other ideas. Simon Arron hears how a young doctor became first a racing driver, and then a formidable businessman.
Plant Based Cheese has won the “Consumer Impact Award” at the 14th Plant-Based Protein Summit in Lille.
Mat Ellis' (Du. 1984-89) startup business Cloudability has announced an agreement to be acquired by Apptio.
Our OB this month is Mat Ellis (Du. 1984-89), founder and CEO of Cloudability. Prior to Cloudability, Mat held executive positions with four startups, and key technology roles at Frito-Lay, Pepsi Cola and Goldman Sachs. Originally from the UK and now residing in Portland, Mat is well known as a mentor and advisor to startups across the US.
Brad Vanstone (Sc/Ab. 2004-09), Deputy Head of School and Head of Abraham House 2008-2009, recently founded a plant based cheese company based in Amsterdam. Brad uses a variety of nut and tofu bases to create similar flavours and textures to conventional dairy cheese.
Old Brightonian and MotorSport Vision Chief Executive Jonathan Palmer (A. 1969-74) was named 2018 MotorSport Hero at May’s Autocar Awards, recognising his huge contribution to the British motorsport industry over the past 30 years, and then in June Jonathan was inducted as the 2018 Industry Champion at Motor Sport Magazine's 2018 Hall of Fame Awards.
Over the past six months since leaving Brighton, Guy (Al. 2012-17) has started his own clothing brand called PYNK&BLU, which is now backed by a global startup incubater called Schoolab based in Paris.
William Tidy tells us about his internship with Karma Group over the past few months and how the Old Brightonians helped him get there.
The Entrepreneurship Programme has been running at the College with great success for a number of years. We have been delighted with the support that many alumni have lent to the programme and so we thought it would be interesting to have a look at how many alumni are currently involved in a business venture of their own, or are planning to be in the future. We have therefore put together a quick survey and would be grateful if you could take a few minutes to answer some of our questions.
We returned to the Jones Family Project in Shoreditch for our City Networking drinks, one of the many projects run by OB and serial entrepreneur Duncan Watts (Ry. 1979-84).
Alex is celebrating the birth of his new son Teddy this week, we thought we could take the momentous opportunity to catch up with Alex to look back on his time at the College and where life has taken him so far...
The year after leaving Brighton College in 2011, during her gap year, Tiffany set up an online platform for eco-conscious products called TIFF (Trendsetting, Innovative, Fair, Fashion) tiff.uk.com. They launched with 11 brands and nearly 2 years on work with 60. Tiffany runs TIFF alongside studying Fashion Business at Istituto Marangoni (where half of Dolce & Gabbana went).
We were very fortunate to have three successful Old Brightonians return to the College to share their knowledge and experience with current 6th form pupils last Thursday at a Media and Marketing careers evening. Jamie Thomson (Ha. 1972-75), writer, publisher and Dark Lord extraordinaire, spoke about writing as a career and the routes into getting published.
John Spence (L. 1975-80) gave an inspiring HM Lecture about his multi-million dollar business yesterday evening, regaling the gathered audience with amusing tales of his early working life and experiences, and latterly his success with starting a business from scratch on the beaches of Goa.
John Spence, CEO and Chairman of Karma Royal Group, has been honoured by the Yale University School of Architecture by being appointed the Edward P. Bass Distinguished Visiting Architecture Fellow for the fall semester of 2013/2014.
The 6th Form Careers Evening at the College on Thursday 25th April had a small but enthusiastic turn out, and the assembled pupils, parents and staff enjoyed a fascinating and informative evening on careers in investment banking and banking. Our speakers engagingly explained the various different roles in their industries and routes into them, and also on key aspects to be aware of in the financial sector when choosing different career paths. After the talk and an insightful Q&A session the group retired to the PAC for an opportunity to have an informal chat with our speakers.
While at the College John Spence played the Judge in the Government Inspector November 1976; and William Dudgeon in The Devil's Disciple 1978. He also had poems and prose published in the Brightonian throughout his time at the College, which he also sub-edited, and played in a rock band (considered very edgy in its time!). He went off to York University to study, but got way-laid by his burgeoning social life which he then turned into a rather impressive career. Named Entrepreneur of the Year in 2010 by Ernst & Young, John is the entrepreneurial chairman and owner of Karma Royal Group. The OB office managed to catch up with him on a beach somewhere in the Maldives...
Many congratulations to Lucy Beauvallet (Head's House, L6) who came second in BBC1's Young Apprentice competition - an outstanding achievement.
Europe is now haunted by the spectre of debt. All European leaders quail before it. To exorcise the demon, they are putting their economies through the wringer.
"A Practical Guide for Competitive Success" is an exceptional treatise on strategic planning for single-business companies that is at once academically rigorous and uncommonly practical, this book emphasises the pervasive role of strategic thinking in strategic planning, including searching for better strategies, business models, and opportunities. The book also provides original and proven techniques to develop viable strategic alternatives, as well as many other useful analytical tools.
The first City & Finance networking drinks went off well last week although apologies must be extended to the OBs that we lost along the way, as the venue (Rocket, City) was bursting at the seams on a busy Thursday evening.
Duncan Watts is a serial entrepreneur, operating mainly in the leisure sector. He recently sold his most recent venture, Rocket Restaurants, and is about to embark on a number of new enterprises. He lives in London with his wife Anna, and his daughter Isabella.
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