Beyond King’s

OV Jamie Davies (S and Os 80-85) still vividly remembers his first day arriving at School House as a boarder at King’s School: there were tears when his parents left but he soon settled in and enjoyed boarding-life. He recalls that there was never a dull moment, and he has fond memories of his Housemaster, the late Marc “Boggy” Roberts (Hon OV). A key lesson from King’s that Jamie still carries with him is never to take people at face value, be very welcoming to everyone, then get to know them well.

Jamie secured A Levels in Maths, Physics and Chemistry, while also enjoying the co-curricular activities the School offered: CCF (marksman), photography and being an active member of the Boat Club. Although he didn’t represent the School in sport, the foundations were laid during his school days and he admits to getting much better at rugby after he left. Following school, the University of Brighton called, where he read International Business & Marketing.

Since university, Jamie has led a varied career, both in the type of role but also in terms of location: he has travelled and worked in Australia, Dubai, France and Italy, and has seen much of the world. He held a number of corporate roles while living in London for many years, although he is now based in the Cotswolds. In 2005, Jamie set up his own Political Party and was interviewed by Jeremy Paxman. He has also written a feature-film screenplay called DARE and is waiting for the call from Hollywood!

More recently, Jamie founded and currently runs StockPro Capital, which is a boutique finance house for global investors.

However, Jamie admits his greatest achievements in life are his children, Florence and Henry, and being a dad is probably what he is best at.

Jamie’s best friends remain those he made at King’s, and they still regular chat and meet up, even if only virtually.

Reflecting on the impact that his time at King’s had, Jamie added, “If you are lucky enough to go to King’s, embrace it for all it has: it gives a great head-start in life. Not in an elitist way at all, but it allows you to forge life-long friendships. I seem to remember that Tatler magazine in 1985 listed “going out with King’s boy” was on their must-do list, although it didn’t seem to work for me at the time!”

At King’s, OV Olivia Hussey (née Salmon, Os 06-08) was a House Prefect and was heavily involved in sport, playing netball for the 2nd VII team as well as being a keen rounders player and skier. Following her A Levels of History, English Literature and Business Studies, Olivia went on to study History at the University of Nottingham. After graduating, Olivia worked at Teach First and Great Ormond Street, before settling at the Houses of Parliament in a variety of roles from 2014-2019.

Olivia left Parliament in 2019 to move to the Cabinet Office and a position in Cyber Security. This included working in information assurance and latterly a role in security culture, providing security advice to some high-profile public inquiries and helping the government prevent security leaks.

In 2021, Olivia moved from London to Bristol and currently works at HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) in Cyber Security Policy.

Many longstanding friendships were forged while at School, and Olivia is still in regular contact with her King’s friends, seeing most of the Year of 2008 at a series of weddings, including her own this year.

OV Lawrence Gill (Os 03-05) joined King’s in the Sixth Form to study English, Drama, History and Music for A Level and take advantage of many of the other opportunities King’s offers, particularly Young Enterprise, Archives, and rowing. He felt that his time at King’s encouraged an outward, resilient and flexible outlook, which has helped him in his career, especially when projects didn’t go to plan! After a gap year working with horses in New Zealand, Lawrence went to Cirencester Agricultural College and gained a degree in Rural Land Management.

Initially, Lawrence went to work with racehorses, but after a couple of years he joined the team at specialist Insurance company KBIS, where his equine knowledge, financial skills and ability to talk to people were essential prerequisites of the job. He was headhunted by Howdens and enjoyed his time living in London on the Thames in a houseboat before returning to the Cotswolds five years ago, after being offered a job as director of KBIS. Lawrence has just taken up a new post as executive director within the company and took over the running of the company from December 2022.

OV and actor Oliver Brooks’s (S 96-01) love for theatre started at a young age. A particularly memorable event during his time at School was his Drama Exchange trip to Worcester, Massachusetts.

While at King’s, Oliver played rugby for the School, balancing the sport with his studies. History was a favourite subject of Oliver’s, along with learning about architecture. Having Worcester Cathedral so close and an integral part of school life was an honour Oliver confesses he did not appreciate enough during his time at King’s.

To follow his dreams, Oliver chose Performing Arts, Theatre Studies, Stage Design and Fashion & Textiles for A Level, before joining the then Birmingham School of Acting – currently known as the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. There he achieved a First in his BA Hons in Acting.

Oliver’s career launched at The Swan Theatre, Worcester where he performed for many years, during the times when they had a wonderful rep company. He also performed in many pantomimes with Shakespeare at The Commandery.

Moving to London, Oliver played Edna Turnblad in Hairspray The Musical for Royal Caribbean Productions; he was also the first understudy and played Miss Trunchbull in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s West End production of Matilda The Musical. He had great fun playing the revealing Scotsman in a JACKPOTJOY commercial, working alongside the legendary, and greatly missed, Dame Barbara Windsor.

During Lockdown, Oliver teamed up with fellow OV Ben Humphrey (Cr 93-04) to set up a series of live, online cabaret nights to bring the talent of the West End and Broadway into people’s living rooms. The proceeds from the ticket sales were donated to The Theatre Artists Fund to support all of those within the theatre industry who had been so badly affected by the pandemic.

Following the COVID restrictions being lifted for the Arts, in January 2022, Oliver joined the world premiere cast of But I’m A Cheerleader to critical acclaim – a beautiful queer musical based on the original movie (of the same title). It was produced by Bill Kenwright and Paul Taylor Mills at The Turbine Theatre, a lovely new off West End venue next to Battersea Power Station in London.

In May this year (2022) Oliver finished the run of But I’m A Cheerleader and went straight into rehearsals for Heathers the Musical Movie, a filmed version of the stage show. It was very exciting opportunity and he worked with the original writers, Kevin Murphy and Laurence O’Keefe, as well as being directed by Hollywood Director Andy Fickman.

Oliver is now currently performing in the West End stage production of Heathers at The Other Palace.

Oliver’s ties with King’s remain strong, having made many close friends for life while at School.

It was studying Business Studies at King’s for A Level that gave OV Toby Lamb (W 99-06) his interest in how companies work and the foundations for his career.

At School, Toby was a Monitor who was incredibly active in the School community. A participant in the Young Enterprise Scheme, a member of the Himalayan Club and completing his Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Toby favoured teamwork and problem solving. These experiences at King’s similarly helped guide Toby’s career choices.

After leaving King’s, Toby studied Business Economics at Exeter University. From there, he launched his career in banking and strategy with Santander in London. While with Santander, Toby moved to the USA to live in Boston for a couple of years, which was another great experience.

In 2015, Toby returned to London to join HSBC’s Internal Consulting Team. He has been with HSBC ever since and is currently focusing on the bank’s strategy for small business banking

Toby’s connections with King’s remain strong and he is still in regular contact with a close group of OV friends, meeting up for football games, holidays, and everything in between. In his spare time, Toby is a keen runner, choosing routes along the Thames and into the Chilterns, and he will be running the London Marathon this year in aid of the Shine Charity.

Phil Mackie (Cl 73-84) followed in the footsteps of his father, Alec Mackie (Cl 47-56) when he arrived at King’s, and a further generation of Mackies have also been King’s pupils, with his three daughters also attending the School.

Phil is the BBC’s Midlands correspondent; he has worked for the corporation since 1992 when he was a trainee reporter. In 1998 he was appointed as Radio 5Live’s West of England reporter, moving to the West Midlands in 2004. In 2009 he added network TV duties and since 2018 has been the network’s correspondent covering the whole of the Midlands.

During his career, Phil has reported from more than 20 different countries, including being in Kabul 2001, covering the Tsunami in Sri Lanka in 2004, the elections in Iraq in 2005, the Arab Spring in Egypt in 2011, and in refugee camps in Jordan and Lebanon.

Whilst at King’s, Phil was selected for the School at Hockey and Cricket, playing for the 1st XI, as well as the undefeated Under 14s of 1980. He also performed in Edward Kemp’s play The Iron & the Oak in Sixth Form. Phil’s A-levels were English, History and Economics. Following King’s, Phil studied History at University of Kent, after which he traveled for a year and then, on his return to the UK, began his journalistic journey, initially at BBC Hereford & Worcester.

In terms of advice to any budding journalists, Phil says, “Be enthusiastic, be nice to people, don’t say no to anything at the beginning, always say yes, and be willing to learn and to try things out.”

Phil manages to balance his demanding BBC career with a 43-year stint playing for Worcester’s Old Vigornians Cricket Club (OVCC), as a right-arm seamer, middle order batsman, and also often as captain. He is the current Chair of the OVCC and is looking forward to organising the Club’s 75th anniversary in Spring 2023.

Humanitarian and OV Dr David Bryer (Cr 54-58, H 58-62, and King’s St Alban’s) found his time at King’s to be instrumental in guiding the direction his career would take.

A Senior King’s Scholar studying Greek, Latin and History for A Levels, David was also Head of House in his final year at school, as well as the Company Sergeant Major of the CCF. In the little spare time he had, David enjoyed rowing and cross-country running.

Worcester College, Oxford was where David pursued his interest in Middle Eastern Studies, graduating in Arabic, Turkish and Middle Eastern history. There followed a PGCE at Manchester University, after which David returned to Oxford to complete a DPhil on the Druze, a Middle Eastern religious group.

Through the 1960s and early 70s, David’s career encompassed teaching, working for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), and he was also an assistant keeper at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford for a period.

In 1975, David joined Oxfam, working in a variety of jobs, starting as the representative in Lebanon soon after the Civil War commenced. Staying with Oxfam, David was subsequently Africa Director (1981-4), Overseas Programme Director (1984-1991) and progressed to be UK Director (1992-2001).

David later moved to Geneva (2001 -2003), where he was a Senior Advisor at the Henry Dunant Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, working on conflict resolution. In 2003, he was appointed to the impressive position as Chair of Oxfam International.

David has been on the Board of a number of voluntary organisations including Save the Children, WWF, Oxfam America and VSO. Additionally, David has been Chair of Home-Start International and a member of the Court of Oxford Brookes University. We also cannot forget to note that David was a member of a number of UN panels and committees, including the Secretary General’s High Level Panel on financing for development.

In 1996, David was awarded a CMG (Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George) in the New Years Honours List for his work. David is also a member of the King’s School Barnabas Group, having returned to School in 2009 to speak with, and inspire, King’s pupils.

Not one to settle into retirement, David is now Lay Canon and Member of Chapter of Worcester Cathedral, and also on the Cathedral’s finance committee.

David credits his King’s housemaster, Richard Knight, for building the confidence of a then ‘shy kid’ and opening up ideas that indirectly led him to his lifelong interest in the Middle East, Islam and the Druze. His love for music also stems from his time at King’s, where his study-buddy, the late John Langdon (H 52-61), along with time spent with the late Hon OV Peter Barnett, and in the Cathedral, combined to inspire David.

Georgia Mackie (W 08-15) followed in the footsteps of her father, Philip Mackie (Cl 73-84) and grandfather, Alec Mackie (Cl 47-56) when she arrived at King’s. Georgia threw herself into life at King’s, getting involved with both the Music department through singing and clarinet lessons and by representing King’s on the sports fields in hockey, netball and rounders. At A level, Georgia studied Maths, Biology and Latin and, on leaving King’s, she had a gap year and then headed up to Newcastle University, where she studied Classics.

Georgia’s first job took her to London, where she worked for two years as a sole Parliamentary Assistant working directly for an MP, in the House of Commons; this meant working through a general election, Brexit and the pandemic. She was responsible for managing all correspondence, handling constituent casework, communicating with high level Government officials and Ministers and she was actively involved with international organisations with a particular focus on girls’ education.

Georgia has more recently moved into Business Consultancy, where she is an associate consultant. Here she has begun to carve out a career focussed on sustainability, having worked with the RSPCA to help them reduce their environmental impact and shape their sustainability vision, and more recently with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, researching energy efficiency calculations.

Georgia’s time at King’s prepared her for life after school by providing a solid foundation to her learning, giving her the confidence to hold her own in unfamiliar situations.

OV Dr Harrison Gallantree-Smith (Cr 03-05) transferred to King’s for the Sixth Form and joined both his sister Poppy Gallantree-Smith (03-05) and his father, Chris Gallantree-Smith (Hon OV), or Mr G-S as he was affectionately known.

Harrison was a very active member of the Sixth Form, involved in numerous activities including the Choir, Archives, Young Enterprise, Squash and Music, but still made time for his A Levels of History, Chemistry and Biology. His one regret remains not representing the School at Cricket.

It was during his time at King’s that Harrison realised his passion was in Chemistry, especially learning about new compounds and materials and how they improve people’s lives, with thanks to Dr Mark Poole (Hon OV) for his support and encouragement. This led Harrison to read Chemistry at University College London (UCL), where he soon recognised that his talents were in making and synthesizing new chemicals.

After gaining his MSc in Organic Chemistry at UCL, fuelled with a desire for travelling, Harrison took a research position in Canada as an industrial synthesis chemist, which was a great learning experience. However, having realised that he needed to progress his career further, Harrison then applied for a PhD in organic synthesis at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). With his love of the outdoors and the lure of a more relaxed way of living, Norway was the perfect choice for him.

Harrison’s PhD focussed on the synthesis of complex molecules from nature and fatty acids from fish, which culminated with a publication in a top scientific journal. During his PhD, though, Harrison became interested in the field of renewable and sustainable raw materials, especially after seeing first-hand the damage climate change has done to Norway.

As such, after successfully completing his PhD, Harrison shifted away from organic synthesis and took up a new position as an industrial researcher at a bio-refinery in Norway. This position allows him to find eco-friendly alternatives for oil-based chemicals. Along with lab-work and working with industrial partners, Harrison has also managed to write and film digital content for his company to convey these eco-friendly alternatives to a wider audience.

Outside of work, Harrison is a keen guitarist, squash player and golfer, and would like to pick up tennis. Being in Norway for over ten years now, he has picked up the skiing and ice-skating bug and will often go off into the forest or mountains to enjoy the snow. Harrison is also semi-fluent in Norwegian or “Norsk” as they call it there.