Celebrating their annual Founder’s Day this week, the community of Robert Gordon’s College welcomed chief executive Sandy Manson, Class of ‘79 and Dr James McIlroy class of ‘11 to deliver the annual orations.
Sandy Manson, chief executive of accountancy firm Johnston Carmichael, spoke to the junior school about some of the little things he believes the pupils can do to make a positive and lasting difference to themselves and others around them. In his Founder's Day oration to the S2-S6 pupils, he talked about three of his beliefs that have been shaped by his experience and the core values that have guided him in life, sharing how important these will be for the pupils to make the most of the opportunities that lie ahead for them, as well as helping them to successfully navigate the inevitable challenges.
Sandy said: “It was a huge honour to address both the junior school and to give the Founders Day oration, sharing with the pupils some of the beliefs which have driven and guided me in life. I owe so much to Robert Gordon’s College for giving me a great education and I was able to share with the pupils the importance of finding inspiration in whatever you do in life, as they will soon be making important decisions about their future, with a world of exciting opportunities ahead. In my address I also talked about the importance of putting the welfare and success of others before your own and also the value of continuing to grow and learn as an individual throughout your life. Every pupil will go on to make their unique mark in this world and I wanted to remind them, in the words of Rudyard Kipling, that we all will have our triumphs and disasters, but we need to meet those two impostors just the same.”
Award winning founder and CEO of EnteroBiotix Dr James McIlroy, spoke to S1 pupils about his experiences in starting a venture from his Mum and Dad’s garden shed and building it into one of Scotland’s highest rated biotechnology companies alongside being a full time medical student. Sharing real life stories he inspired the pupils to believe that they can change the world and be the future.
Recent medical graduate, Dr James McIlroy said: “It was a pleasure to return to Robert Gordon’s College to be the orator for the junior school. I have fond memories of the teachers that believed in my ability to succeed and I am still in touch with a lot of my classmates and I look forward to telling them about how great a day it was.”
Simon Mills, Head of Robert Gordon’s College commented: “Not only are we remembering our founder, Robert Gordon but also his mission of inspiring the next generation to be the best they can be. This is a shared ethos throughout our school community and we are always delighted to welcome back former pupils to share their experiences beyond school.”
