On Friday 1st March we were thrilled to welcome Mahmud Nawaz to Wakefield Girls’ to deliver an inspirational careers lecture to our students, as part of our Pathways to Success programme. 

Mahmud, who currently serves as the Chair of Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and a non-executive director at Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, also holds a senior leadership position at Lloyds Banking Group. 

He spoke of his journey from gaining a first-class Economics degree at University of Cambridge, to his his diverse work experiences in the House of Commons, economic consulting, and financial services, as well as his non-executive roles in the NHS, school governance, and charity sector. 

During his talk, Mahmud shared the invaluable lessons from his experiences, and provided guidance on pursuing careers in both the financial sector and the NHS. He also explained the distinct skills required for executive and non-executive positions, highlighting the proactive nature of the former and the oversight and assurance responsibilities of the latter. 

His insights were informative, empowering our students with first-hand knowledge and practical advice which will help them navigate their future endeavours. 

Additionally, he highlighted useful resources for students to research careers in financial services and the NHS, emphasising that there are 350 careers within the NHS. Moreover, he informed students of the ‘AIM’ (Access to Medicine) free one-day course hosted at Pinderfields Hospital, where students get practical experience through medicine workshops, meet healthcare professionals, learn new skills and explore careers in medicine. Interested students can receive more information and a sign-up form from Mrs. G Jackson.

Nawaz’s visit exemplifies our commitment to providing students with opportunities to interact with distinguished professionals from various industries, assisting them in finding their own path to success. We are grateful to Nawaz for taking the time out of his busy schedule to speak with our students, and we are certain that his visit was enlightening for all.

Mr D Eggleston

Deputy Head: Teaching and Learning