GRIFFEN 2024 | 30 Members’ News Matthew Watts (1990) Matthew is still living in Buckinghamshire and has enjoyed meeting fellow OAs at the Armed Forces events in London. Matthew has changed the colour of his uniform and is now an Officer in the Sea Cadet Corps (SCC) where he serves as First Lieutenant of the High Wycombe unit. Highlights of this have included taking part in ceremonial events; qualifying as a Seamanship Instructor and in small boat handling; and serving as a Watch Officer on the SCC Offshore Fleet on voyages around England and the Republic of Ireland. Having suffered an illness in 2018 which led to the loss of his permanent job, Matthew has been working in interim school management posts, has become a mental health first aider, working with the Association of Business Mentors, and is an active volunteer for the Royal British Legion and Cancer Research UK. Caspar Mason (1991) Caspar is a creative strategist who has worked at a number of marketing agencies since leaving the BBC in 2011. He is on the advisory board of City Harvest London, a food redistribution charity that feeds London’s hungry by rescuing good food bound for the bins from producers, suppliers and retailers (everyone from Nando’s to Wimbledon), and gets it to the grassroots organisations on the frontline of food poverty in the capital: foodbanks, hostels, schools and more. His probono work for them has included content creation, website redesign, thought leadership and schools outreach. But it is a recent project that he is most proud of, in which a live brief was set for advertising students at the University of West London (where he is an industry advisor). “I realised that City Harvest are always on the lookout for good creative, and UWL students are keen to work on live briefs, especially those with a social purpose. I made the introduction and stayed involved in judging and beyond. One of the responses, a concept called ‘Equals’, has since been adopted as their main funding campaign for the foreseeable future. You can see it on buses, on the underground, and even on the pitch at QPR.” Tom Richards (1999) In September 2023, Tom arranged, co-produced and conducted singer RAYE’s live album, supported by a 65 piece Heritage Orchestra and 30 piece choir. Andrey Zhvitiashvili (2006) Andrey was named a ‘Rising Star of Investment Banking’ in 2023 by Financial News. Andrey is one of the most senior bankers at JPMorgan, working in a team that focuses on private capital advisory. Mihai Clapaniuc (2010) In July 2023, Mihai had the chance to proudly wear the Old Abingdonian tie while giving a tour around *OPȵPUȋ\, Moldova’s capital, to a group of 14 Abingdon School pupils and teachers. The team was visiting Moldova for the annual Project Partnership and Mihai, currently a diplomat in his country’s Foreign Service, made a ‘walking’ presentation about Moldova’s history. He explained the impact of the neighbouring war between Russia and Ukraine, as well as career opportunities in his field. Mihai enjoyed the opportunity to give back and show his gratitude for the school’s support of Moldova.
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