Gordonians across the world gathered together for the third webinar in the Fire up the Futures series. Hosted by Allan Fraser, Class of ‘89, the webinar explored how former pupils are adapting to changes in the workplace and how they restructured life to cope with uncertainty. 

Allan is a partner with law firm Dickson Minto, specialising in Corporate Law and is a trustee and legal adviser of the Spartans Charity helping young people to engage and participate in sport, education and health programmes to provide positive social impact. He was joined by a panel of former pupils:

• Niall MacKenzie (Class of ‘06) Head of US Sports Betting at Google

• Erin Hopps (Class of ‘11) Project Manager for Brand Experience for Levi Strauss & Co

• Erland Rendall (Class of ‘88) Founder and Director of Atorus Consult Limited and owner of GluIQ

• Mark Urquhart (Class of ‘89) Partner at global investment company Bailiie Gifford

The panel discussed how the virtual world can play a role in your future success, the skills they have gained during the pandemic and to what extent the use of virtual technology will continue in their industry post pandemic. Allan also asked the panel what strategies they have adapted for managing their mindset in uncertain times.

With an audience from the wider Gordonian community tuning in to the webinar, a lively Q&A session was enjoyed by all. We heard from two of the S6 Gordonian student Leaders following the event,  Olivia shared: “The webinar showed that no matter what your starting point is you can build from it and take any opportunities that may be presented to you as you never know where it could lead.” 

Craig commented: “the webinar provided a great insight into how the world is changing and how we as young people can adapt and thrive in new work environments.”

The panel discussed how the pandemic has forced them personally to experiment and do things in different ways asking themselves, how much change will be temporary or will be permanent? Looking back they reflected on their time at school and the positive impact that their teachers had on their future. They commented that doing things you enjoy are important factors when choosing a career and your journey beyond school can take different paths. Watch the full live recording on our Fire up the Future website.

The next webinar in the series will be hosted by Bob Ruddiman, Class of ‘83, and will discuss: How do we prepare for the post pandemic world? He will be joined by Katrina Stewart (Class of ‘97), Cameron Gordon (Class of ‘14), Katy Gordon (Class of ‘16), and Mervyn Bain (Class of ‘91). Expect helpful tips and personal insight from Gordonians working in International Law, Politics and International Relations, Data Science and Photography, and a student of International Business and Spanish who all agree, there is never a week that goes by when they’re not learning, working and adapting to life’s challenges and opportunities. Register your place online.