An inspiring insight

This week, Sandra Scheerer (parent of Wetherby Senior alumnus, Tobias) spoke to our current Year 12, plus girls from Queen’s College, London, about her career and experience. Her talk journeyed from her schooldays in Ghana to her time as a university law student and then as a criminal barrister. Ms Scheerer also spoke of how she became the youngest person on the Unisys board, as well as being the first woman ever to be appointed to it, before becoming Global Counsel for the company.

Our sixth formers were full of admiration for her talk with Barsam saying: “I really enjoyed Ms Scheerer’s lecture. A quote I remember, and thought very powerful, was, ‘If I, a little girl from Ghana, can achieve what I have, then you, going to the school that you are, should be able to achieve anything you want, as long as you work for it’. This will remain with me for a very long time. It was an interesting and insightful lecture, and I certainly learnt a lot from it.”

Ahmed echoed Barsam’s praise: “I really enjoyed how she gave real-life relatable examples to prove that we have infinite potential and how it’s completely up to us to access it.”

As well as being motivated by hearing about Ms Scheerer’s amazing journey, our sixth formers appreciated learning more about careers in law, with Oscar saying: “The lecture gave me a real insight into the different areas and sectors of law, plus the amount of work each sector requires.”

Our Sixth Form offers careers talks to our young people, with external speakers from a variety of different fields and backgrounds, throughout the year. Mrs Deedat, Head of Sixth Form said: “We’re very grateful to Ms Scheerer for providing a powerful, energetic and, at times, moving talk. She discussed her achievements, and the challenges she faced along the way, with great humour and was hugely inspirational to all who attended.”

Our sixth formers agreed with Mrs Deedat, with Matteo adding: “I thought this lecture was the best we have attended so far – the energy and the excitement, on top of an intriguing insight into the realm of law, made for an incredible talk.”

Trained as a criminal barrister, Ms Scheerer is now a consultant to City law firms and a former Director in Pillsbury’s Global Technology and Sourcing Practice Group in London. She was previously General Counsel and board member at Unisys Limited, where she negotiated and advised on all outsourcing projects, some of which were the biggest in the UK. In addition, Ms Scheerer advises various charities, is a former board member of Sense, and is on the board of the Microloan Foundation.