There was a full house and an electric atmosphere on Wednesday for our guest speaker, Jacob Rees-Mogg MP, whose clear and uncompromising views elicited a barrage of questions that could have continued late into the night. Members’ feedback suggested it had been a classic MGGB evening.
Our speaker in March will be Dr. Emily Shuckburgh, OBE, who has been described as “Britain’s smartest woman”. Emily is the Cambridge-based climate scientist and mathematician who leads the national research programme on the Southern Ocean and its role in climate, is deputy head of the Polar Oceans Team and leads the Data Science Group at the British Antarctic Survey. She is an advisor to Government and in 2016 was awarded an OBE for services to science and the public communication of science. She is co-author with HRH The Prince of Wales and Tony Juniper of the Ladybird Expert Book on Climate Change, the first Ladybird book to have been scientifically peer reviewed. She has written on a wide range of subjects, from women in science to climate change and sustainability. Emily is in a unique position to share her personal experiences as a polar scientist {“the coolest job in the world”) and as a woman in a field often associated with a culture of sexism. You can book here. We’re also still accepting bookings for our members plus one Brexit breakfast on March 12th at Claridges with Philip Rycroft, Permanent Secretary for the Department for Exiting the EU. Just 17 days before the current deadline, this event will offer a unique glimpse into the real state of national preparation as we approach March 29th. We are also now opening bookings for our April 3rd dinner, when Mike Coupe, Chief Executive of Sainsbury’s will be our guest speaker. By the time we meet, the outcome of the Competition and Markets Authorities enquiry into the merger of Sainsbury’s and Asda should be known and with weak Christmas trading from its non-food business, this should be a fascinating evening. Please place your bookings on the website or by writing to Clare.
I look forward to seeing you all in March.
Best wishes,
Phil Smith
Chair 2018-2019
MGGB