MARK VARLEY (G 72-77)
has sent a career update:

“I left St Bees in 1977 after my O levels and completed my sixth form years in Scotland near where my parents had their hotel business; this led me on to Heriot Watt University where I studied and passed a degree in Business Management. I was somewhat clueless on my career direction and by sheer coincidence I took a graduate management position at Kangol, then a leading hat manufacturer located near Whitehaven. This provided quite a culture shock for a naive ex-public schoolboy, but in fairness gave me the baptism of fire I needed. I had some great times there but realised quite quickly that being a factory manager was really not going to be my calling. I then illogically moved into submarine building (Barrow) again staying in Cumbria, this time I had a role as Procurement Manager and in one form or another have stuck with commercial roles all through my career. I took the opportunity to pick up my rugby again playing on and off until I was 36. I have still stuck with cricket and have never thought to move my game beyond the shots Messrs. Dearle, Lyall and Cotes taught me on the rec. In my early thirties I moved to Cheshire to take up a position with Barclays Bank, again as a Procurement Manager. The job took me all over the globe and I had a Head Office role working from Cheshire and Canary Wharf in London. By some miracle I left Barclays in a senior position and recently moved to Capgemini (multinational IT Service company) as their UK Chief Procurement Officer. I guess bartering for tuck in the dayroom at Grindal came in useful after all! Married, divorced and still with an appalling sense of humour, I hope this finds my old school mates in rude health.”

The St. Beghian Society,
St. Bees School, St. Bees, Cumbria, CA27 0DS
Tel: 01946 828093
osb@st-bees-school.co.uk