Before the end of term we welcomed back David Turner (OS 1992) as the speaker at Junior School Speech day. 

 On Monday 1 July, QEGS Junior Section celebrated their community and remarkable students at Speech day in Queen Elizabeth Hall. Dedicated to celebrating the achievements of pupils throughout the academic year, Speech Day recognizes prize winners and honours all students' achievements. 

Old Savilian David Turner, Chief Technology Officer at Virgin Active, returned to school to talk about his journey since graduating in the early 1990's, and present prizes to current students. It was wonderful to hear about David's time at QEGS - including a number of ill fated attempts at playing a musical instrument and his role in the school production of 'Tin Pan Alley'. 

After studying Economics at the University of Leicester, David started a Graduate Trainee Placement and began to learn about programming - discovering that his real passion was in computing. He spoke about his many career highlights, most notably his role as Chief Technology Officer for NHS England during the COVID pandemic where he was part of an amazing team developing digital services. Reporting to the Health Secretary, he helped to fix the Contact Tracing app and supported the NHS on cyber security. 

David reflected that many of the lessons and life skills he learned at school have helped him in his journey to today, noting: 

'My career has been an exciting journey, full of opportunities to innovate, learn, experiment, and make a difference in the world of technology. I have always remained curious, remembering our school motto "Turpe nescire", which translates to "it is a disgrace to be ignorant". Like everyone at QEGs I love to learn new things and in the field of computer science things change quickly, as computers have grown ever more powerful. One bit of advice I would give - embrace learning – be a life learner, you don't need to just do it in confines of school or University, it can be self-initiated and it will really help you in later years in achieving personal fulfilment.' 

David ended by noting that the values and skills he learned at QEGS – such as perseverance, curiosity, and teamwork – had played a crucial role in shaping his path. Each step of the way, from university to his professional life, has been built upon the strong foundation laid at QEGS - including meeting his wife of nearly 25 years, who is an alumna of WGHS! 

It is wonderful when Old Savs return to QEGS to share their personal and professional journeys and how the values and character traits developed at QEGS continue to help support them today. Our huge thanks to David for returning to speak to the boys - we are sure they left feeling inspired!