Varsity100 2 Varsity100 2008 / the PANEL
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the 2008 varsity100 2 Varsity100 2008 / THE PANEL Jonny Price Consultant Jonny Price joined Oliver Wyman two years ago, A Word From after graduating with a History degree from King’s, where he captained the football and cricket teams. Oliver Wyman His most interesting case with Oliver Wyman has been working for the cargo department of a Middle We would like to be the first Eastern airline for 6 months, where he revises the to congratulate each of the weekly schedule of the airline’s freighter aircraft; put together the cargo department’s revenue budget members of this year’s 100 (c.£200m); and organised a recruitment drive that on the impact that they doubled the department’s headcount. have made on Cambridge University life and in Mary Ann Sieghart Journalist furthering the University’s image. While no doubt there Mary Ann Sieghart is a leading journalist, most closely associated with The Times, where she was will be some debate about Assistant Editor. After graduating from Oxford the final make-up of the with a first in PPE she also wrote for The Daily list, the idea of recognising Telegraph, The Financial Times, and The Econo- and congratulating those mist. She has also made countless appearances on making the most of their programmes such as Question Time and News- night. She has presented The World This Week on time at Cambridge and C4 and is currently writing a book about politics. changing it for the better, is one we wholeheartedly support. Having impact is Toby Young Author & Journalist fundamental to everything Toby Young is the author of the bestselling How To we do at Oliver Wyman. Lose Friends And Alienate People, the story of his We help senior executives adventures working for Vanity Fair in New York. It across a wide range of is currently being made into a film starring Simon industries solve their most Pegg which will be released later this year. Toby has also written for The Guardian and The Specta- difficult problems. Our tor, and wrote an award-winning play Who’s The unique approaches combine Daddy?, which hilariously depicted the notorious analytical rigour, creative sex scandals involving the latter publication. thinking, and deep business insight. Put simply, we help our clients make a difference. What is the Oliver Wyman Varsity100? This term we’re recruiting Love it or loathe it, the Oliver Wyman Varsity100 is now a firmly for summer analysts. If you established fixture within the Cambridge calendar and is essentially would like to solve some of an attempt to list 100 of the most influential students in the Univer- the toughest problems in sity. Most people have an opinion on it and many outwardly claim to business and start to make a find it biased, navel-gazing and sycophantic. They may have a point: difference in the commercial whilst hundreds of nominations are solicited and many experts con- sulted, the Varsity100 inevitably fails to be a conclusive and objective world as well, we’d love to list. But, in reality, everyone reads it and, perhaps most tellingly, only hear from you. a couple refused to be listed. V100 Contents Performers 4 Entrepreneurs 14 Writers 8 Organizers 15 Artists 10 Talent 21 Academics 11 Sport 22 Musicians 12 Varsity100 2008 / EDITORIAL 3 et’s face it: the Oliver ing gurus, student politicians, LWyman Varsity100 is just “The V100 isn’t charity workers, sportsmen or downright flawed. However definitive or just all-round talents who are much research is invested equally deserving of a photo in it, this list is undoubtedly objective, and the and a biography but whom incomplete, inaccurate and we just cannot find the space unfair. There will undeniably many talented to include. A ‘Varsity300’ or be many people who ‘deserve’ people who have even a ‘Varsity1000’ would be to be in it who aren’t, and both unwieldy and too expen- probably two or three who been left out sive to print and, since we are don’t, but are. Quietly tal- in the business of triviality, ented people will have slipped can rightly feel not particularly catchy. under the radar, either wronged” Nevertheless, all of those because their friends are not featured within these pages vociferous enough in their have indisputably made quite nominations or because there a big mark in some way or simply isn’t enough room to other on Cambridge life or, include everyone. Equally in many cases, have pierced and unfortunately, there Patrick Kingsley the bubble and made a name may well be a smattering of & Tash Lennard for themselves in the out- less-than-talented folk who Acting Editors, V100 side world. We could argue nevertheless loomed large on all day about whether they the proverbial radar because are indeed the ‘100 worthi- they sounded good on paper. est’ – and, as has been sug- Readers may well be also gested, they are probably not frustrated by the unequal – but they have at least all weighting given to different achieved something whilst at sectors of university life. Why the same time dealing with are there 15 thespians includ- the pressure of studying for a ed and only 10 sportsmen? Cambridge degree. They are Why are there so few aca- an impressive bunch whose demic-types listed, given that numbers include fully-fledged this is a publication which novelists, bona-fide film stars, serves an institution founded acclaimed research scientists, for academic reasons? These self-made millionaires, musi- are perfectly reasonable ques- cal prodigies, international de- tions, and ones which rightly bating champions, profession- highlight the arbitrariness of al sportsmen, philanthropists, the process. rights activists and general We cannot claim, then, clever-clogs. Whilst one can that this is in any way a debate the merits of elevating definitive list of Cam- them above fellow students, bridge talent, not least it’s not unreasonable to sug- because research gest that these are all people has been inevi- who deserve some form of tably and lam- praise, or at least a meta- entably of the phorical pat on the back. The scattergun variety. Oliver Wyman Varsity100 Moreover, for every one isn’t definitive or objec- hundred Cantabrigians we tive, and the many include, there will without talented people who doubt be hundreds if not have been left out can thousands more academ- rightly feel wronged, but ics, actors, artists, design- at least it is an opportunity ers, writers, journalists, to give some credit where entrepreneurs, organiz- credit is due. 4 Varsity100 2008 / PERFORMERS Alastair Roberts Churchill, 3rd Year, Sociology Alastair is both a hilarious comic and an outstanding straight actor. He was side-splitting as Crassus in the 2005 Footlights Pantomime Spartacus and he again had panto audiences in hysterics last Michaelmas with his show-stealing performance as Enjolras. He also achieved plaudits for his role in Motortown, was in Trevor Nunn’s production of Cymbeline and will take the title role in Rob Icke’s Romeo and Juliet. David Ralfe Emmanuel, 3rd Year, English David has directed a series of successful productions, both at Cambridge and at Edinburgh. Most readers will know him, however, from his crowd- pleasing stand-up and self-effacing, culturally-literate sketches which set him apart from more formulaic Smoker comedy. As Co-President of REDS, however, and in his capacity as a Footlights Committee member, Ralfe plays perhaps his most important role: distinct from many of his peers, he effortlessly supports absolutely anyone who wants to get involved in Cambridge theatre. Sam Sword Girton, 3rd Year, SPS The flame-haired funnyman first made his mark on the com- edy scene last year, starring in the Spring Revue, Tom Sharpe’s Hang on Mr Bugson and the summer Tour show. Now President of the Footlights, his distinctive drawl is a cast-iron feature of Smokers, though he has ruled himself out of a role in this year’s Edinburgh show. Tom Evans Queens, 2nd Year, History Tom Evans is one of the most, if not the most promising come- dian in the university’s com- edy circus. A rarity, in that his humour is free from personal bitterness, underlying low self- Alex esteem, and any reference to the hideously unfunny ‘Cambridge Clatworthy humour’. Tom’s solo Smoker New Hall, 3rd Year, English performances have had the ADC house in fits of genuinely Director and co-writer of this happy laughter, with greater year’s Footlights Panto, star of consistency than the many of Coat, I’ll Be Back Before Mid- his Footlights’ peers; his other night and this term’s some- dramatic endeavours have been thing/nothing, the bubbly girl equally successful. He is one of from Swansea is a stalwart of the co-writers of Snippets, this Tuesday night Smokers and a year’s spring revue, and his member of the Footlights com- miniature smokers that usurp mittee. She has also proved his ‘restaurant reviews’ are a a talented non-comic actor, gem in each week’s Varsity. He receiving rave reviews for her also used to be something of a large roles in Blasted and The king in the debating world. Changeling last year. Varsity100 2008 / PERFORMERS 5 Jeff James Jesus, 3rd Year, English With six plays under his belt, James is arguably one of Cam- bridge’s most talented and certainly most prolific director. His recent dramatic highlights include directing the 2007 Cambridge American Stage Tour production of The Winter’s Tale and last term’s controversial Mr. Kolpert, whilst his tour-de-force was a version of Ted Hughes’ Tales from Ovid. He frequently contributes theatrical reviews to Cambridge’s publications and was last year’s ADC Director’s Rep.