On Tuesday 5 March we held the first in a new series of events at The Oratory School called: ‘Head Master in Conversation with…’ These events will feature an eminent member of the Oratory community and last night we were delighted to welcome Old Oratorian Matt Baugh OBE (OS 1986-91), to be the first guest. Matt is a member of the UK Diplomatic Service, a Director at the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) and is Parliamentary Private Secretary to Steve Barclay.

There was standing room only in the Black Room as Old Oratorians, current parents and pupils listened to Matt speak about his time at school and then his career in the civil service.
He spoke about his experiences working in a number of positions at the Department for International Development (DFID), including Kosovo, Afghanistan, Khartoum and Iraq. The conversation then led on to his role as British Ambassador to Somalia, the first such appointment for over twenty years. Matt painted a picture of life as an Ambassador, the people he worked with, and the challenges he faced.
The conversation then progressed to Brexit and Matt’s current role. Matt described the process the UK has gone through to get to this stage in the negotiations with the EU and the vast amount of work that has happened, and will continue to happen after we have left. A large number of questions on the subject of Brexit were posed to Matt from the audience - such as the divide it has caused in the UK, the impact on trade and industry, and the implications for the UK after we leave the EU.
 
It was a very interesting and stimulating evening. A very big thank you to Matt for taking time out of his busy schedule to return to his old school.