Your Loughborough Story
Can you tell us about your memories of your time at Loughborough Grammar School?
I remember how surreal it was joining in my first day of Year 8, it was incredible! At the time I was blown away at the thumb scanners throughout the school as it made me feel like a secret agent (after all I was 13 years olds).
My favourite area of LGS was already the Drama department. It was there I developed my communication skills and confidence in myself. Performing in many of the school productions, I was always happy acting, directing or writing.
If not answered above, what is your fondest memory from School?
Amongst my fondest memories of LGS were the lovely summer days playing football with my friends on the field and those rainy autumn days we spent our lunches playing chess in the library.
How did your time at Loughborough Grammar School influence your life and career?
The biggest impact I saw in myself from LGS was my confidence and self-esteem. Had it not been for the school, I believe not only would I have become more introverted, but also I wouldn’t have the belief in myself to take the jumps I’ve taken in life. Teachers treat you with dignity and like an adult and the whole school demeanour pushes people to be excellent and competitive. The students had big goals and that rubbed off on one another.
What do you wish you had known when you were in Sixth Form?
In Sixth Form I wish someone told me that most grades and degrees don’t matter quite so much in the “real world”. Unless a lack of qualifications prohibits you from a particular field, such as becoming a practicing Doctor or Lawyer, 90% of business roles can be done without one.
The other thing I’d tell myself is to try as many things as possible! (Especially before going to university). The UK school system pushes us to specialise on subjects way too young before we’ve experienced the working world and grasp whether we enjoy the job we are being prepared to do. Take your time and try as much as possible before you make long term decisions!
How would you describe Loughborough Grammar School in three words?
Academic, competitive, boisterous
Are you still in touch with any of your school friends or teachers today? If so, who?
Yes! The friendship group of 12 people I made at LGS still keep in touch and meet with all of us at least twice a year! These are the closest friends I have.
Alumni Career Wisdom
What led you to choose your career path?
I get bored easily when I don’t find something challenging, so I soon found that the day-to-day culture of a corporate job wasn’t for me. Hence why I love working in startups – every day is different and brings a new problem that must be solved to grow the company.
Could you provide an outline of your job role? How was Arable founded?
My role is as the CEO of Arable, a hydroponic agriculture startup. I founded the company at the start of 2024 when I moved to Saudi Arabia. Every day of the week looks different for me but generally involves managing the team, hiring, organising our finances and marketing.
What are your career highlights?
I was super happy when I first became COO of a $100 million startup age 22 (MELD), founding my current company Arable has been amazing, giving a TEDx Talk in Amsterdam on personal finance, and meeting my romantic partner (and ex OLC student) Serena!
What’s one piece of advice you would give to current pupils thinking about entering a similar role to yourself?
In my experience, the best way to learn something is by doing or trying it rather than by studying or reading about it (in most cases). Ie, to learn how to swim, the person who spends 100 hours in a swimming pool is more competent than the person who spent 100 hours reading about swimming theory. In that same vein, if you want to start a business the best way is to just try and fail and try again, rather than spending the equivalent time studying Business or similar field at university.
What job search tips would you give to pupils looking for a career in your industry?
To work in the startup industry you mainly need initiative to go work on problems without being micromanaged, the ability to learn anything by yourself and a good work ethic.
What are the key skills you need for your job role/to work in your industry?
People and communication skills – Every business interaction is person-to-person. To manage people you must understand their motivators, feelings and skillset. Also to be able to network (digitally and physically) in a place you know nobody is important.
Inquisitive mind – Always be questioning why things are the way that they are and experimenting to see if they could be done better.
Determination and risk appetite – Generally people try to dissuade you from doing risky things but everything about creating a startup or business IS risky. There is a lot of trial and error (I have failed in at least 12 different business ideas or revenue streams before I saw positive results).
Final notes
What ambitions would you still like to realise?
To continue learning and trying new things. To live in as many different areas of the world as possible. To grow my startup Arable into something that makes me proud.
Do you have any advice for current pupils/graduates who don’t know what to career path to follow?
Don’t rush into things if you’re not sure what you want to do. It’s better to take some time off to try things (I took 2 gap years before applying to university and ended up still dropping out). Try some different forms of work, do a few internships or shadow people in the roles you see yourself doing or explore your hobbies and see if it could become a viable career. Everyone will tell you you HAVE TO go to university, which is absolutely not true. University is good for some people, but for others it is silly to commit to a subject for 3 years when they are unsure if they’d even like it as a job.
Do you have any hobbies that keep you busy in your spare time?
I love to read non-fiction books and play tennis or padel. Any kind of sports or outdoor activity is always fun!
