Our Alumni

CO-FOUNDER OF QUIT GENIUS AND FORBES 30 UNDER 30 SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS (2018)

Maroof is a medical doctor who graduated from Imperial College London with dual degrees in Medicine and Business Management. During his training as a doctor, Maroof wanted to focus on the effects of smoking. In 2017 – as soon as he graduated – he founded Quit Genius, a gamified cognitive behavioural therapy application to help smokers stop. In 2018 he was listed by Forbes magazine as being one of the ‘30 under 30’ entrepreneurs. The app has since expanded to include alcohol and opioid addiction.

CHEMICAL ENGINEER AND NOBEL PEACE PRIZE LAUREATE

After his education at the RGS, Rodney completed his degree in Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London, and for over 60 years has worked as one of the UKs most prestigious engineers, focussing on the development of clean energy systems. As Director of Engineering & Technology at global energy firm Air Products inc. he was awarded an MBE as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2004. He then moved into research and with former USA VP Al Gore, was part of the IPCC team awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, and the Global Energy Prize in 2012. He invented the CO2 free power system called the ‘Allam Cycle’ that MIT Technology Review listed as being one of the top ten breakthrough technologies (2018).

SERVING MAJOR IN THE HOUSEHOLD CAVALRY

Tom is a serving major in the Household Cavalry, with active service experience in Afghanistan, the Balkans, Iraq and across East Africa, and he was Prince Harry’s commanding officer during his deployment in Afghanistan. After completing post-graduate studies in Globalisation & Development at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, followed by the School of Advanced Military Studies at the United States Staff College in Fort Leavenworth. He has since held a number of strategy roles within the MoD and is a contributor to the Centre for Social Justice on the transition of service personnel to the civilian workplace and engages in creating economic and civil society relationships in areas of conflict and instability.

ACTOR

With an impressive youth career at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford and the RGS stage, Jack graduated from RADA in 2019 and is now quickly making his mark as an actor. He has held the stage alongside Ciaran Hinds in Brian Friel’s ‘Translations’ at The National Theatre; tipped his top hat as the earnest protagonist alongside an ensemble cast including Dame Harriet Walter, Tamsin Grieg and Tom Wilkinson in ‘Belgravia’; and has just concluded Channel 4’s ‘Screw’ starring Nina Sosanya and Jamie-Lee O’Donnell and the ‘The Canterville Ghost’ on Channel 5 with Anthony Head.

Simon gained a double 1st in English from Queens’ College, Cambridge and went on to complete an MA in Cultural and Critical studies at Birkbeck College, University of London. At Cambridge he was president of the Footlights comedy society before being cast in The Inbetweeners. His lead performance won him Best Actor and Best Newcomer at the British Comedy Awards and Best Comedy Actor at the BAFTAs. He has also starred in Friday Night Dinner and Sandylands before launching his own production company Guilty Party Pictures with StudioCanal, making his directorial debut with The Days of the Bagnold Summer.

BASS GUITARIST THE STRANGLERS

Jean-Jacques (JJ) is bassist and co-founder of The Stranglers, a notorious new wave rock group from the late 70s early 80s, with seven top ten hits. While many new-wave artists came and went, The Stranglers endured and are currently on a UK and European tour. It is alleged that more songs by The Stranglers have been licensed for use in commercials than from any other punk band. As well as being a classical guitarist and fluent in French, JJ is also a martial arts expert, attaining his 7th degree black belt (nanadan) in Shidokan Karate and Chief of the UK branch of Shidokan.

AWARD-WINNING WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER

Bret is a multi-award-winning wildlife photographer who has photographed in some of the world’s most remarkable wilderness regions and seen some of the planet’s finest species. In 2017 he won the ‘Birds in Flight’ category in ‘Bird Photographer of the Year’ with an exquisite image of a pelican landing on water. He also recently won the ‘Birds’ category in the prestigious ‘Montphoto’ competition. Bret is also a busy photographic tour leader for ‘Wildlife Worldwide’ and has given inspiring talks at the RGS about his career in wildlife photography. His work is full of vibrant colour and detail, and his close-up photo of a baby gorilla is simply mesmerising.

CONSULTANT AND ADVENTURER

Ed is currently a consultant in reproductive medicine and surgery at Oxford Fertility Clinic and Member of the British Fertility Society and Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. In 2009 he took a break from Medicine, to compete against 650 applicants to join James Cracknell and Ben Fogle on race to the South Pole. On returning from Antarctica, he led a series of ‘Extreme classroom’ projects in the High Arctic and Africa. ‘The Coldest Classroom on Earth’ and ‘The Hottest Classroom on Earth’ were filmed for BBC World to show children with challenging behaviour, who are frequently labelled ‘un-teachable’, engage if taught with the right approach. He has been an ambassador for The Wellbeing of Women Charity for over 10 years.

Antiques Expert

Mark is an author, publisher, TV presenter, and the leading specialist dealer in post-war Czechoslovakian glass. He has been an expert on the BBC Antiques Roadshow since 2007, and co-presented four primetime TV shows on antiques, collecting and interiors for BBC2, including two series of Collectaholics. Mark lectures widely and is an Arts Society (NADFAS) accredited lecturer, a member of The British Antiques Dealers’ Association, and a Freeman of the City of London.

SCIENTIST, ROWER AND OLYMPIC MEDALLIST

Angus made his Olympic debut competing in the Men’s Quadruple Sculls during the Rio 2016 Olympics and qualified for the Tokyo 2020 (2021) Olympics clinching silver. He is also an incredibly erudite scientist, having studied Natural Sciences at Durham University, followed by an MSc in Stem Cells & Regeneration at Bristol University and a DPhil in Medical Science at St Catharine’s College, Oxford. In 2013, Durham University awarded Angus ‘Sportsman of the Year’ and in 2022 he was part of the winning Oxford vs. Cambridge Boat Race team.

16TH PRESIDENT OF NEW YORK UNIVERSITY

Andy studied at Exeter University (BSc), British Columbia University (MSc) and Cambridge University (PhD), concentrating on organic and biologic chemistry. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the recipient of the Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award from the American Chemical Society, and the winner of the International Izatt-Christiansen Award for Macrocyclic Chemistry. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the American Council on Education. In 2016, Andy began his tenure at NYU and under his leadership the university has increased its research expenditures at a rate higher than any other U.S. college or university and reached all-time highs in rankings of both national (#15) and international (#42) universities.

FELLOW OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY

In 2019 Peter was awarded Fellow of the Royal Society, an accolade given only to eminent scientists in recognition of outstanding contributions to the field in which they work. He is currently a Professor at Queens’ College Cambridge and has focussed his work on applying mathematics to predicting weather patterns and climate change. Read Peter’s article on ‘Predicting the Butterfly Effect’ here.

BRITISH VIOLINIST AND CONCERT MASTER

Andrew left the RGS to study at the Purcell School and the Royal College of Music. From 1999-2007 he was leader of the Brodsky Quartet collaborating with artists including Elvis Costello, Björk and Sir Paul McCartney. His recordings with the quartet won more than fifteen awards, including the Diapason d’Or and Choc du Monde. His 2015 performance of Walton’s Violin Concerto with the Sydney Symphony Orchestras was nominated for a Helpmann Award. Andrew has a distinguished career as Concert Master for the BBC, the Philharmonic and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and recently made his Royal Opera debut in the 2019 season as Guest Concert Master for La Traviata and La Bohème.

FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CHEMISTRY

Sir John studied Natural Sciences at Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge. He became a teacher of Chemistry and creating ‘Science across the World’, a schools networking project involving hundreds of schools in Europe, Asia and America. He also piloted the ‘Technology Enhancement Programme’, which developed learning materials for schools. Sir John is Senior Adviser in Education at the Gatsby Foundation, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at the University of York, former President of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Founding Director of the National Science Learning Centre and was National STEM Director for the English government from 2006 to 2010. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2010 for services to education.

COMEDIAN, SCRIPTWRITER AND AUTHOR

Paul is a comedian and scriptwriter who made his name writing scripts for the award-winning BBC series ‘’Miranda’, in which he also had a brief cameo, and as co-writer of ‘Not Going Out’ for BBC1 starring Lee Mack. Paul was a regular on Chris Evans’ BBC Radio 2 ‘Pause for Thought’ and worked on the return of ‘TFI Friday’ and ‘Top Gear’. He continues to tour stand up on the comedy circuit and solo shows, but now spends more time writing (scripts, podcasts, children’s books, a novel in 2023 on the BBC’s origin story) and is also a lecturer at the University of Winchester. He regularly hosts the RGS ‘Stand up to Cancer Comedy Evening’.

HARLEQUINS AND ENGLAND RUGBY PLAYER

Former House Captain of Powell, Mark attending the RGS whilst enrolled on the Harlequins Academy programme for young rugby stars, He represented England at U19 and U21 and graduated to play as Prop professionally for the Harlequins, announcing his retirement in 2020 – the longest premiership career in Harlequin history. In 2017 he was elected as Chairman of the Rugby Players’ Association (RPA) following his 3-year tenure, Mark is now Head of Rugby Policy at the RPA and undertaking an MBA at Imperial Business School.

SKY SPORTS PRESENTER

Simon is best known as the main anchor for Sky Sports Formula 1 coverage. He read Biological Sciences at Durham university, and after an early career covering rugby union and cricket for Sky Sports from 2002, he took over the hosting of Formula 1 and now broadcasts to 83 countries to an audience of over 30 million people globally. His time is spent on the Formula 1 international circuit, and he returned to give a fascinating and insightful King’s Lecture at the RGS about life behind the scenes in this exciting sport.

STUDENT, ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST AND FILMMAKER

Currently studying Natural Sciences at Pembroke College, Cambridge, James is an emerging leader in conservation and environmental policy. An aspiring nature presenter and filmmaker, James has put his passion for a greener planet into action by helping to engage others in the protection of biodiversity. As part of the Youth Land Trust, he organised the Concert for Conservation, and led the Climate Change Clock in Glasgow as part of COP 26 in November 2021. James attended COP 26 as a delegate with UNICEF and was a panellist at the State of the Earth Question Time event. His blog ‘Knee Deep in Nature’ gives more insight into his work as a youth climate activist and changemaker.

COMMONWEALTH GAMES GOLD MEDALLIST

Chris’s interest in weightlifting began at school and he browsed the internet for training videos. This ‘have a go’ attitude quickly developed into a winning mentality culminating in a gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the 81kg Weightlifting Class. Having lived and breathed performance success, he now guides athletes and coaches through their training and competition journeys.

AWARD-WINNING FILM DIRECTOR

William is a film director, having previously built a career as a successful theatre and opera director in the UK and abroad. His short film ‘Best’ won the Sundance London short film competition 2013 and was screened at Sundance 2014. William’s first feature film, ‘Lady Macbeth’, starring Florence Pugh, premiered at Toronto International Film Festival 2016 and was subsequently chosen as a top ten pick of the festival in both Variety and Rolling Stone, winning international acclaim. His latest film ‘Eileen’ was premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2023.

FORMER MP AND PRESIDENT & VICE CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS LONDON

James studied PPE at Balliol College Oxford, where he spent his summers as a research assistant to an aspiring Tony Blair, following him to No.10 as a Special Adviser in 1997. In 2001 he was selected Labour candidate and won the seat of Stalybridge & Hyde. His work as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Creative Industries and Tourism in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, contributed to the UKs now robust film industry as he helped created tax breaks for the film industry. In 2008 he was promoted to Work and Pensions before resigning to follow his passion for the arts. After a series of Directorships at the BBC, including launching BBC Sounds, James accepted the role of President at the University of Arts in 2021.

JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED KINGDOM

Sir Philip Sales, and his brother Richard, attended the RGS as sons of an OG. He went on to Churchill College Cambridge (BA) and Worcester College, Oxford (BCL). Called to the bar in 1985, Philip was a barrister for 23 years and appointed First Treasury Counsel (Treasury Devil) by Tony Blair in 1997, before becoming a High Court Judge in 2008 and a Lord Justice of Appeal in 2014. In 2019, Sir Philip took office as one of only 12 judges appointed to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, which is the final court of appeal in the UK for civil and criminal cases.

BAFTA AWARD WINNING JOURNALIST

As a Specialist Producer for Sky News, Nick focusses on people stories. He is currently in Ukraine reporting on how communities survive and hold onto their spirit through unimaginable circumstances. He previously won a BAFTA for his broadcasts during the Hong Kong protests in 2019/20 reflecting Nick’s passion for getting the ‘little man’ stories matter on the bigger stage.

CLERK OF THE PRIVY COUNCIL

An avid classicist Richard went on to read Classics at Queens’ College Cambridge, where he gained a First and sang counter-tenor in the Chapel Choir.  On graduating, he joined GCHQ as a codebreaker before being seconded to the Cabinet Office to write intelligence-based assessments for the Joint Intelligence Committee.  He later transferred to the Department for International Development, before taking up his present positions, running the honours system, advising the Prime Minister on the appointment of Bishops, Deans and Lord-Lieutenants, and serving as Clerk to​ the Privy Council.

FOOTBALL COMMENTATOR

Martin is a legendary English football commentator for Sky Sports and the voice of the FIFA videogame series. In 2003 he was voted FA Premier League Commentator of the Decade. After graduating from the University of East Anglia, he enjoyed a sporting stint as an amateur player at Corinthian Casuals before moving into production and presenting at LWT, Granada and ITV before moving to Sky. A lifelong Woking FC fan, Martin is also currently on the coaching team for the football club, who finished mid-table in the Vanaramara National League 2021/22 season. Still close to the RGS community, Martin is also a parent of a former RGS boy. At a recent King’s Lecture given at the School, Martin emphasized that, “you might not find your path by an orthodox route, but if you have genuine passion, you’ll find your path.”