Steve Parkinson, Class of ‘85, delivered the second virtual meeting of the Gordonian community in our “Fire up the Future” webinar series. 

As the Group Managing Director for National Radio at Bauer Media, much of his current role has been focused on calm leadership, clear communication, considered plans and adapting these plans via his team of 300 to keep broadcasting, even when everyone has been working from home during the pandemic.

Steve was joined by a panel of former pupils who all share a passion for the Arts:

• David Rintoul (Class of ‘66) an acclaimed actor who has starred in plays, shows, movies and more. His voice is also famous on TV ads and audio books.

• Olivia Attwooll-Keith (Class of ‘15) an English and Music graduate turned entrepreneur who is currently involved in 2 business start ups.

• Dexter Fawcett (Class of ‘17) lead singer and songwriter of the band ‘The 101’ and in his final year studying Geology at the University of Edinburgh.

• Joe Reid (Class of ‘17) currently studying Economics and Marketing at the University of Strathclyde with a passion for media, theatre and radio.

We were delighted to welcome another mixed audience from across the whole Gordonian community; pupils, staff, parents, former pupils, former staff and former parents tuned in live to enjoy the event. Panelists described their journey’s since leaving RGC and how the pandemic has impacted their University experiences and careers over the last year, giving advice on how to be the changemakers of the future and how to present the best version of you. Steve asked the panel how they developed their sense of purpose, how they created career plans without a roadmap, and how the pandemic has changed the way they view the world which was followed by a live Q&A session with the audience.  The full recording of the webinar is available below. 

Katy D (S6) and Gordonian Student Leader, was in the virtual audience and said: “I am so glad I attended the webinar yesterday afternoon. It was brilliant to be celebrating former pupils who are successful in creative fields. It was fascinating to hear from Gordonians who are at different stages in their careers about how they have adapted to changes during the pandemic whilst still maintaining their love for the arts.”

The next webinar takes place on Tuesday 27 April and will be hosted by Allan Fraser, Class of ‘89. Allan will be joined by Erin Hopps (Class of ‘11), Niall MacKenzie (Class of ‘06), Erland Rendall (Class of ‘88) and Mark Urquhart (Class of ‘89). This webinar focuses on Gordonians working in Investment, Fashion, Technology and Artificial Intelligence on options for managing your mindset and how to identify opportunities to build new perspectives. The panel will explore how they have been adapting to changes in the workplace throughout the pandemic and how they have restructured life to cope with uncertainty. To find out more and to register for future events, visit the Fire up the Future events page.