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Be Bold! Lectures

Be Bold! Lectures: a dynamic series of thought-provoking talks that tackle some of the most pressing issues shaping our world today.

Designed to spark curiosity and ignite debate, these events invite students to engage directly with influential guest speakers—leaders, changemakers, and experts in their fields. Together, we delve into complex topics, challenge assumptions, and expand our perspectives.

The Be Bold! Lectures are open to all our LEH community and parents and carers from Hampton School. Come ready to question, reflect, and be inspired.

Upcoming Events

Jay Hunt – 21 September 2026

Rowena Cole, Head will be chatting to Jay Hunt OBE, Apple TV ’s Creative Director, Europe since 2018.

Jay has commissioned multiple hit shows from BAFTA winning Slow Horses to Bad Sisters, Hijack to Prehistoric Planet and Criminal Record to Trying. Before Apple, she was Chief Creative Officer at Channel 4, Director of Programmes at Channel 5 and served as Controller of BBC One. Jay is the only person to have led three terrestrial PSB channels, commissioning global hits including Sherlock, Luther, Black Mirror, Catastrophe, Derry Girls, Gogglebox, Hunted and First Dates.

In 2024 she was listed by the Hollywood Reporter as one of The Most Powerful Women in International TV and was also included in the Variety Top 500 Business Leaders.  She served as a Governor at the BFI for four years before becoming Chair in 2024. She is also the Chair of The Hay Festival.  Jay started her career in broadcast journalism working on Newsnight and Panorama before becoming Editor of both the BBC One O’Clock and Six O’Clock News. 

​Booking open soon

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Gabriel Weston – Monday 5 October 2026

Alive: An Alternative Anatomy

became a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons in 2003 and now works as a part-time ENT surgeon whilst also appearing on prime-time television for over five years. She was the sole presenter of the six-part series Incredible Medicine: Doctor Weston’s Casebook (BBC2), and has featured in seven series of Trust Me I’m a Doctor (BBC2). She is also the author of Direct Red: A Surgeon’s Story (Cape, 2009) which won the PEN Ackerley Prize and was longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award and a novel, Dirty Work (2013). Her latest book, Alive: An Alternative Anatomy, was published by Jonathan Cape in March 2025.

Kavita Puri – Tuesday 17 November 2026

Kavita Puri is a multi award-winning journalist, executive producer and broadcaster. She is also the author of the critically acclaimed book Partition Voices: Untold British Stories which was adapted for the stage at the Donmar Warehouse in London. She is the Chair of the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction 2025 and a Trustee of the V&A Museum. Her new podcast series The Second Map has just launched and is now on BBC Sounds.

Booking open soon

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Guto Harri – Thursday 21 January 2027

Guto was born in Cardiff and educated at The Queen’s College, Oxford and the Centre for Journalism Studies at Cardiff before embarking on an 18 year career at the BBC. He was posted to Rome and New York and became the Corporation’s Chief Political Correspondent. He left to join Boris Johnson as his Spokesman and Director of Communications at London’s City Hall moving on to similar roles at NewsUK and Liberty Global. He now combines writing and broadcasting with strategic communications work for a range of companies. He’s been a regular performer at the Hay Festival for many years and became a Director in 2016.

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James Poulter – 4 March 2027

AI & Future of Work and Innovation Culture Speaker

James ‘JP’ Poulter is a leading AI strategist, keynote speaker, and founder of ThreePoint Labs, an AI transformation consultancy helping organisations navigate the shift to intelligent working with clarity, ethics and purpose.  Former CEO of Vixen Labs – a voice AI company he founded and sold to House 337 in 2023 – and previously Head of Emerging Platforms at The LEGO Group, JP brings rare depth across both start-up and enterprise scale. He has advised organisations including Amazon, Verizon, Bosch and Universal Music, delivered more than 250 keynotes worldwide, and is a committed advocate for ethical AI implementation, serving on the board of Christian Aid.

About James

JP’s entrepreneurial journey began with Vixen Labs, a pioneering voice AI and conversational design agency he founded and grew into a market leader. Following a successful exit to House 337 in 2023, he continues as Head of AI Innovation, bringing his startup insights and innovation methodologies to a broader range of organizations facing the challenges and opportunities of digital transformation. Before launching Vixen Labs, JP spent nearly a decade at The LEGO Group, where he served as Head of Emerging Platforms and Senior Manager of Global Social Media for LEGO Life. During his tenure, he helped one of the world’s most innovative companies navigate the rapidly evolving digital landscape, developing strategies for emerging technologies while maintaining the brand’s core values of creativity and play. Today, JP serves as Board Member at Christian Aid, Board Advisor for Christian Vision, and Board Director of charity tech startup Raiser, bringing both technical acumen and theological depth to conversations about AI’s role in faith and society. He’s a recognised thought leader in the intersection of technology and ethics, contributing regularly to industry publications and speaking at major conferences worldwide. JP delivers keynotes, workshops, and masterclasses on AI strategy, innovation culture, and digital transformation.

His book AI @ Work: How to Build a Full Stack Organization launches in August 2026. The book introduces his ‘AI Nervous System” framework’ a practical approach to implementing AI that balances technological capability with human values, ethical considerations, and organisational culture. The framework has already been adopted by organisations across multiple sectors seeking to navigate AI transformation thoughtfully and effectively.

 

Last Event

Professor Matt Morgan – 28 January 2026

We were delighted to have Professor Matt Morgan here this week to present our Be Bold! Lecture. Matt, who has many facets to his career as Intensive Care Medicine Consultant, Honorary Professor for the Public Understanding of Medicine, and regular British Medical Journal columnist is also a highly entertaining and engaging speaker who has a unique perspective to the intersection of science, compassion, and innovation. He preceded the talk with a Q&A session with students interested in medicine or the topic generally.   

You can view his presentation HERE. Please be advised that this material includes medical images of patients under his care. 

His latest book, A Second Act: What Nearly Dying Teaches Us About Really Living, explores life-altering lessons from patients who survived near-death experiences, revealing profound insights on appreciating small joys, prioritising loved ones, shedding negativity, and finding purpose in a ‘second life’ after defying death, offering a guide to live fully rather than waste time.   

Be Bold lectures are ‘inspirational’. Speakers tackle controversial, difficult or provocative subjects and girls learn that there are many different narratives, and are encouraged to listen, discuss and form their own opinions.

The Good School Guide 2025

Previous Speakers

Dr Daisy Dunn

We were delighted to welcome LEH Alumna, Dr Daisy Dunn back to LEH. Daisy gave an engaging and thought-provoking talk on Lessons from the Ancient World. Based on her latest book, The Missing Thread: A Women’s History of the Ancient World, Daisy spoke about what lessons we can learn from the ancient world, exploring how women should be brought in from the margins of ancient history and classical literature, and how, in doing so, we can learn from their voices, and see our world in a richer light.

Matthew Syed

Matthew Syed is an author and highly acclaimed speaker about mindset and high performance with titles including; Bounce, Black Box Thinking, Rebel Ideas, The Greatest, and his celebrated children’s books, What Do You Think?, You Are Awesome and Dare To Be You.

Tomiwa Owolade

Tomiwa Owolade is a journalist and author, focusing on identity, religion, culture and current affairs for a wide variety of publications. Tomiwa has written for The Times, the New Statesman and The Observer and his first book This is Not America, was published in June 2023.

Tomiwa discussed with us ideas of exploring race in the UK through a British perspective.

Hannah Barnes

Hannah is an award-winning journalist and author of Time to Think: The Inside Story of the Collapse of the Tavistock’s Gender Service for Children. Hannah is Associate Editor at the New Statesman and worked as Senior Journalist and Investigations Producer on BBC’s Newsnight.

Hannah’s talk explored the intricacies of gender identity.

Tim Leunig

Tim is a prize-winning economist. He has taught at various UK universities, was a senior civil servant and worked on the National Funding Formula for schools, the furlough scheme, and the creation of the Longitudinal Education Outcomes dataset.

Tim discussed the economic challenges facing tomorrow’s graduates.

Jonathan Simons

Jonathan Simons is one of the UK’s leading political commentators and works as a partner and Director of Education at Public First, which helps organisations navigate and understand government policy.

Jonathan discussed: Is democracy dead in the UK (and the US) and does anyone care?

Chloe Combi

Chloe is a bestselling author, global speaker, futurist, researcher, and consultant. her primary area of expertise is young people – Generation Z and Generation Alpha. She has interviewed over 20,000 young people globally and utilises that expertise into helping schools, brands, companies, governments, and institutions understand and prepare for the present and future. All Chloe’s work is underwritten by serious quantitative and qualitative research and data and unparalleled knowledge, using a coveted and highly successful approach and methodology – one that has won her rave reviews.

Find out more about Chloe’s work

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Join us this summer for LEH Active Camps!

Something exciting is coming this summer!

Introducing LEH Active Camps
📅 13–24 July, 9am – 4pm or 8am – 5pm
👧👦 Girls & Boys, Years 3–6 

Fun days full of:
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Schedule changes each day to ensure maximum fun! Days can be booked individually. 

All led by experienced LEH staff in a supportive, fun environment. 

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