Ed Talks

Beth Heaven (2008) is Partnerships and Digital Senior Manager working at The Walt Disney Company's head office in London - and yes, characters do occasionally pop in to say hello!

She is currently working in the products part of the business, working with partners such as Lego and H&M who use the Disney IP as part of their own product lines, but she also talks about the other areas of the business she's worked in prior to this role (including a brief stint as a presenter on Disney's YouTube channel!)

Beth's journey to Disney has been anything but linear, and being in such a creative role at one of the most creative companies in the world, it may be surprising to hear that Beth studied Biochemistry after leaving KEHS and even went for a finance job with one of the Big Four companies before deciding that it wasn't for her.

In this conversation, she talks about how important it is to enjoy your work and how she'd look for a new role if she stopped enjoying her work at The Walt Disney Company - being passionate about her work and the feeling of being challenged are hugely important to her, and allows her to be the very best she can be at whatever she's asked to do.

This podcast is produced by Ben Anderson for Sound Rebel. Talk to us about producing a podcast for your business - please email [email protected].

The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers themselves and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of our schools, their employees or constituents.

Duncan Grierson (1987) is an entrepreneur with a track record of building cleantech companies, and in this conversation he talks about his most recent venture, Clim8.

Clim8 is a digital investment platform which empowers anyone to invest in green companies. Clean energy, smart mobility, clean technology, clean water, sustainable food and the circular economy all have a part in creating a greener and more sustainable future, and Clim8 hopes to build a community of investors who share its passion for the environment.

Duncan also reflects on the recent COP26 Conference which he attended in Glasgow, and talks about what did (and what didn't) come out of it. He also talks about individual responsibility when it comes to the environment, and how we can all make a difference to the world around us.

This podcast is produced by Ben Anderson for Sound Rebel. Talk to us about producing a podcast for your business - please email [email protected].

The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers themselves and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of our schools, their employees or constituents.

Ian Metcalfe (1976) is the Chair of Commonwealth Games England and in this conversation talks about what an international event like next year's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham does for a city like ours.

Ian is a proud Brummie, and came back to the city straight after university. He is a solicitor by training and had a hugely successful career with international law firm Wragge & Co (retiring as a managing partner), but sport has always been his passion - one which was very much developed when he was on the sports fields at KES.

Ian has always been an active part of KES life, and is now a governor for our independent schools and an ambassador for the AP100 campaign. He is passionate about the school's future and Birmingham as a city, and wants to see both thrive for generations to come.

This podcast is produced by Ben Anderson for Sound Rebel. Talk to us about producing a podcast for your business - please email [email protected].

The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers themselves and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of our schools, their employees or constituents.

Professor Marian Knight (1986) is a maternal and child health researcher and public health physician and was recently elected a Fellow of the Academy for Medical Sciences. She leads @mbrrace and @NPEU-UKOSS and has spoken widely about Covid and pregnancy as well as ethnic disparities in maternity care.

In this conversation, she talks about these issues and the research these organisations have been carrying out, but she also talks about the role of the medical researcher herself, and the lifestyle that comes in a role where two of Marian's loves at school, maths and the sciences, are rolled in to one.

This podcast is produced by Ben Anderson for Sound Rebel. Talk to us about producing a podcast for your business - please email [email protected].

The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers themselves and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of our schools, their employees or constituents.

His Honour Nicholas Cooke QC (1973) is a former Senior Circuit Judge at the Central Criminal Court, often referred to as "The Old Bailey". Despite retiring as a judge a few years ago, he is keeping incredibly busy - he was recently made an Honorary Fellow at Aberystwyth University, he's doing a Research Degree at Oxford, he's on the Development Board of performing arts charity Orpheus, and he's the Chair of Fields in Trust Wales.

In this conversation, Nick is incredibly honest about how he has seen the judicial system in the UK change over the course of his career, and how this contributed towards his reasons for retiring - and for his reasons to start a Research Degree in his sixth decade.

Based on a lecture he gave on Bribery and Corruption in the City (which you can watch here), in this conversation Nick discusses the growth of specimen directions and their impact upon the role of the judge - should a judge be the lofty lawyer, the lawyer as a philosopher who evaluates the rules to see how they might be applied, or should the judge be a technician, or an applier of the rules set out by committees?

This podcast is produced by Ben Anderson for Sound Rebel. Talk to us about producing a podcast for your business - please email [email protected].

The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers themselves and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of our schools, their employees or constituents.

James Forrest (2002) was given the nickname The Mountain Man by The Sunday Telegraph, and for very good reason - he has recently broken the speed record for climbing the three British peaks unsupported, he's climbed every single mountain in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland in the fastest known time, and his book Mountain Man documents the first part of this journey when he climbed all of England and Wales' mountains whilst holding down a job and trekking in his spare time.

James is now a full-time adventurer, and talks about how he has turned his passion in to his living. After leaving KES he went to university to study History, and ended up working in the charity sector. However, an office job wasn't for him - so he took a gap year in his thirties and then decided to completely change how he lived moving forwards.

James' story is hugely inspiring, and through his adventures he is inspiring many others to leap out of their comfort zones and spend more time outdoors.

This podcast is produced by Ben Anderson for Sound Rebel. Talk to us about producing a podcast for your business - please email [email protected].

The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers themselves and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of our schools, their employees or constituents.

Tom Johnson left school in 1965 and spent his career as a teacher. However, he always had a passion for crosswords and decided to take the leap and work as a freelance crossword compiler and editor, something the still does and loves to this day!

Tom has compiled and edited crosswords for The Financial Times, The New Statesman, The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian amongst others, and recently had his first crossword in The Times. The Spectator also celebrated 50 years of its crossword recently - Tom has been involved for the last 40 of those.

In this conversation he talks about what he loves so much about his job, and the lifestyle it gives him. He also - very kindly (and patiently!) - runs through the format of Cryptic Crosswords and how to solve them, and gives a few examples... We'd love to hear how you get on with them!

This podcast is produced by Ben Anderson for Sound Rebel. Talk to us about producing a podcast for your business - please email [email protected].

The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers themselves and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of our schools, their employees or constituents.

Jean Moule (1973) is an incredibly well-known character in the hallways of KEHS... She grew up in Sandwell and attended the school as a pupil in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later returned to the school as a young teacher after going to Durham University for her undergraduate degree and Newcastle University for her PGCE. KEHS was her second teaching post after working for five years at a school in Birmingham City Centre, and it was never in the plan to come back - even when the opportunity presented itself, Jean wasn't confident that she'd got the job!

Her modesty can be heard throughout this conversation, as she has had a hugely successful career at KEHS. This year, she's retiring from her post as Head of English - so we're delighted that we were able to invite her on to the podcast to talk about her career which has impacted the lives of thousands of KEHS students over the decades.

In this conversation, Jean talks about her experiences of the school from both sides of the staff room door, but also about the changes she's seen during her time at KEHS both in terms of the changes at school itself and the changes in society. She is uniquely placed to give these insights, and we thank Jean for giving up her time to participate in Ed Talks - and of course, we thank her for everything she has done for KEHS life and wish her an incredibly happy retirement!

This podcast is produced by Ben Anderson for Sound Rebel. Talk to us about producing a podcast for your business - please email [email protected].

The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers themselves and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of our schools, their employees or constituents.

In this episode of Ed Talks we take a break from the norm as instead of talking to an Old Edwardian, Ben talks to four current students - two boys from KES and two girls from KEHS.

Vedika, Jimmy, Alicia and Louis are all in their final year at King Edward's and are all Student Callers raising money for the Assisted Places Fund in their summer holidays. In this episode we talk about what it's like to be a Student Caller, why they do it, and the kinds of conversations they have with the Old Edwardians they speak to - but the students also talk about what its been like to learn through the pandemic, their futures, and what they've learned during their time at school.

This podcast is produced by Ben Anderson for Sound Rebel. Talk to us about producing a podcast for your business - please email [email protected].

The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers themselves and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of our schools, their employees or constituents.

Lindsey Davis left KEHS in 1967 and went to study at Oxford University. She had written stories since she was young, but never thought that writing could be a full-time career. Instead, she left Oxford and went in to a career with the Civil Service.

However, she became frustrated with her job when she felt as if people were being promoted into roles because of their gender, rather than their ability. She handed in her notice and began writing again - something which did become a full-time job as she is now the writer of many historical novels with the first book in her Falco series, The Silver Pigs, being published in 1989.

In this conversation Lindsey talks about what it's like to be a writer, but also reflects back on both Birmingham and wider society in terms of how gender roles have changed since she was a girl. She's a proud Brummie who's now living back in Edgbaston after forty years in London, and she discusses what traits she developed at KEHS which have stayed with her throughout her life.

This podcast is produced by Ben Anderson for Sound Rebel. Talk to us about producing a podcast for your business - please email [email protected].

The views expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers themselves and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of our schools, their employees or constituents.