Pangbourne College hosted a highly successful Sports Networking & Careers Evening on Thursday 6 November, bringing together Sixth Form students and leading professionals from across the sporting world for an inspiring evening of conversation, connection, and career exploration.

The event, part of the College’s ongoing Future Pathways programme, was designed to help students explore the diverse range of opportunities within sport, from performance and media to commercial leadership and analytics, while gaining hands-on advice from those who have built careers at the top of their fields.

Students described the evening as “full of insight, inspiration, and meaningful connections,” leaving them motivated and better informed about potential pathways into the industry.

A Distinguished Line-Up of Delegates

The evening featured an exceptional roster of delegates representing an array of high-performance sporting environments, including Formula 1, horse racing, rugby, and football.

Among the attendees were:

• Richard Hoiles, ITV’s lead commentator for horse racing and co-founder of CS Media, with over three decades of experience as a broadcaster and presenter.
• Alastair Warwick, former Chief Executive of Ascot Racecourse (2022–2024), recognised for his innovative leadership and commercial success within British horse racing.
• James Purdue, Head of Performance at Saudi Premier League club Al Fateh SC, who previously spent 14 years at Brentford FC in a range of performance and conditioning roles.
• Matthew Crosse, Head of Aerodynamic Delivery at Williams Racing, who has contributed to key Formula 1 developments since joining the team in 1997.
• Roderick Grafton, Managing Director of Horse Racing at Ellipse Data, providing data-driven insights across multiple professional sports.
• Adrian Cassidy, former Olympic coach and performance leader for Rowing Ireland and British Rowing, and co-founder of two sports data analytics start-ups.
• Ed Green, a professional rowing coach with 25 years’ experience, including successful campaigns at the Boat Race and Henley Royal Regatta.
• Jak Rossiter (OP), Marketing Manager at Harlequins Rugby and former Digital Content Lead for the Rugby World Cup France 2023 project.
• Liam Kilsby-Steele, a coach and mentor specialising in sports and adventure programmes.
• Sam Hewick (OP), former National League rugby player and Pangbourne’s own Director of Sport.

Looking Ahead

Pangbourne College extends its gratitude to all delegates for their generosity, time, and expertise in supporting the next generation of Pangbournians.

The next event in the Future Pathways series is  ‘STEM Networking Evening’ which will take place on Thursday 5 March.

Anyone within the Pangbournian Community interested in getting involved in future careers events are encouraged to sign up here.