Rhubarb Issue 12: November 2023

ST EDWARD’S

World Class: How to Lead, Learn and Grow like a Champion Ben Fennell (Corfe, 1984-1989) and Will Greenwood A review by Stephen Sparrow, (Mac’s 1983-1988) It was before going to meet Ben at his wonderful Remenham riverside offices that I thought I had better look at his LinkedIn profile, as you do….

Glitz, Glamour andGrief Gerald Nsugbe (Segar's, 1974 -1979)

In his most recent publication, Gerald examines the lives of celebrities whose careers were marked not only by great success, but also by personal suffering.

PUBLICATIONS

I remembered Ben fondly from school days as a phenomenal rugby player (to this day I don’t think I’ve ever been tackled as hard by anyone as by Ben, and that was in a pre-season practice!) and as a superb actor. After school I followed his career through mutual friends and knew that he’d had a stellar career in advertising, becoming head of BBH Asia before the age of 30 and then running BBH London (which accounted for over 50% of their worldwide business) for over a decade.What I hadn’t realised was that he’d written a book, and although Amazon couldn’t deliver it to me before we met, I read it soon after our meeting and discovered it was a gem. Ben and Will Greenwood met and became firm friends at Durham University where they played rugby together.Whilst Ben’s rugby career peaked when he won international honours when he won international honours playing for England Colts and England Students U21 and propped for Oxford University. Will went on to famously play at centre in England’s World Cup winning side in Australia 2003. World Class: How to Lead, Learn and Grow like a Champion, published by Penguin Random House is co-written by Ben and Will and draws on their incredible experiences and what they learnt playing sport at a world-class level in Will’s case, and leading an international world-class business as CEO in Ben’s case. It is a fantastic read. What I really like about this book is that it’s not a world-class sportsman with little business experience telling business professionals how to improve performance in their businesses. Rather, it’s two highly intelligent friends, who’ve known each other a very long time, combining their collective experience and wisdom of winning world cups and international business accounts, really critiquing their knowledge and learning to provide what I would describe as a bible of best practice relating to performance and improvement, not only in business but in many walks of life.Their common sense and honest reflection (laced with great stories) make the book hugely enjoyable and provide great pointers as to how to get the best out of yourself, the people around you and the team or organisation you are part of. Sir Clive Woodward describes this book as ‘an essential read’. It draws on the experience of mixing with people at the top, whether that’s the CEO of Unilever or Tesco (Ben’s clients), or All Black legend Dan Carter (Will’s friend and adversary) rather than MBA class room theory. It has some great stories in it too.What’s not to like about a book which starts off with a dance off between Mike Tindall and Will Greenwood at Windsor Castle after Prince Harry’s wedding, reflecting on how their different dancing styles actually created the perfect blend for World Cup success. Do go and buy a copy and give one to a friend as well. I’ve heard on the grapevine that Warden Chirnside has written to Santa Claus asking for a copy for Christmas. I am confident Alastair won’t be disappointed if he finds it in his Christmas stocking.

The book features OSE Laurence Olivier

(Mac’s, 1921-1924) in his role working alongside Marilyn Monroe on the film The Prince and the Showgirl. It certainly is exciting to think that a former pupil of St Edward’s had such a close connection with one of Hollywood’s most famous actresses! Transformative Experience and the Right to Revelatory Autonomy

Farbod Akhlaghi (Sing’s, 2008-2012)

Farbod has recently had his paper,‘Transformative Experience and the Right to Revelatory Autonomy’

published in Analysis, a leading academic philosophy journal.“I ask: under what conditions, if any, is it morally permissible to try to prevent someone we stand in a special relationship to – like a friend, family member, or romantic partner – from making a transformative choice?”, says Farbod. In the 2022/2023 academic year, the paper was the most read of any published in Analysis , and has the highest all-time Altmetric score of any paper ever published in that journal.The paper has been the subject of significant media attention, both nationally and internationally. Media coverage included features in newspapers such as The Guardian and TheTimes , and radio appearances on BBC Radio Scotland and Belgium Radio 1.

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