Classicist and bestselling writer Dame Mary Beard on what she has learnt about power
Dame Mary Beard is one of Britain’s best known classicists. She’s Cambridge Emerita Professor and Fellow of Newnham College, Cambridge. She’s a trustee of the British Museum and classics editor of the TLS, where for 20 years she has been writing a blog, “A Don’s Life”. Her bestselling books include SPQR: A History of Ancient
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Entrepreneur and philanthropist Sir Ken Olisa on the thrill of the entrepreneurial life
Sir Ken Olisa is an entrepreneur, philanthropist and Lord-Lieutenant of Greater London. After a career in tech, with IBM and then Wang Labs, Sir Ken is now Founder and Chairman of Restoration Partners, a boutique technology merchant bank. He has chaired and been on many boards, including Thomson Reuters, the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority and
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Judge and novelist Nicola Williams on ambition and the joy of justice
Nicola Williams is a judge, ombudsman and novelist. Called to the bar in 1985, she has been a part-time Crown Court Judge since 2009. She has been Commissioner at the Independent Police Complaints Commission, Complaints Commissioner for the Cayman Islands and the first ever Service Complaints Ombudsman for the UK Armed Forces. She has served on
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Motivational expert Sharath Jeevan OBE on how to reignite your inner drive
Sharath Jeevan is one of the world’s leading experts on motivation. After starting off in strategy consulting, Sharath started Ebay’s charity arm and then Teaching Leaders, an organisation that helps school leaders raise life chances for the most disadvantaged children. In 2022, he was awarded an OBE for starting and running STIR Education, which has
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Coach and coach trainer Colin Brett on “useful conversations” and our hunger for meaning
One of Britain’s leading coaches and coach trainers, Colin Brett has been described as a “gentle bulldozer”. He has worked as a Transactional Analyst and a counsellor as well as an executive coach, helping individuals, leaders and teams flourish, both at work and in their personal lives. He has four masters’ degrees, including one in
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Dance consultant Theresa Beattie, OBE, on the importance of curiosity, mastery – and cheek
Theresa Beattie started her career as Education and Community Manager at Sadler’s Wells and has worked as a curator at Southbank Centre, Dance Umbrella, and the Royal Opera House. She was Director of Artist Development at The Place for a decade and has done several stints at Arts Council England, including one as Director of
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Award-winning poet Joelle Taylor on the life-changing power of words
Joelle Taylor is an award-winning poet, playwright and author. A former UK slam champion, Joelle founded SLAMbassadors, the UK’s youth slam championships in 2001 and was its Artistic Director and National Coach until 2018. She’s host and and co-curator of Out-Spoken, the UK’s premier poetry and music club, currently resident at the Southbank Centre. Her
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Internationally renowned cellist Steven Isserlis on the power of doing what you love
Steven Isserlis is an internationally renowned cellist and music educator. He appears regularly with the world’s leading orchestras, devises chamber music programmes and performs around the world as a soloist. He has won many awards for his work, including a CBE, and is one of only two living cellists featured in Gramophone‘s Hall of Fame.
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Winner of the Global Teacher Prize Andria Zafirakou on the transformative power of art
Andria Zafirakou is an art and textiles teacher and member of the leadership team at Alperton Community School in Brent. In 2018 she was awarded the Global Teacher Prize, out of more than 37,000 entries. She used the million-dollar prize money to start a charity called Artists in Residence, which aims to improve arts education
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Social entrepreneur and local councillor Josh Babarinde on how to make change happen
Josh Babarinde is an award-winning social entrepreneur, Liberal Democrat councillor and parliamentary candidate for Eastbourne. A former youth justice worker, Josh founded Cracked It, a smartphone repair service staffed by young ex-offenders which has won multiple awards. At 26, he was awarded an OBE for services to criminal justice, social enterprise and the economy. He’s
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