City and Professional Network
The New College Society warmly invites New College Old Members to attend its next City and Professional Network talk and drinks reception at the offices of OC&C Strategy Consultants, 6 New Street Square, London, EC4A 3AT (map) on Tuesday 24 November 2026. Drinks and canapés will be from 6.30pm-8.30pm with the talk commencing at 7.00pm.
New College Old Members, Justin Walters (1986), Barney Wallace (1998) and Bennet Summers (1998), all partners at OC&C have kindly agreed to host the event. The panel discussion will consider the outlook for UK Private Equity, to provide an interesting counterpoint to the last event on UK Public Markets. The panel will comprise Andrew Joy (1975), PE veteran and a founder of Cinven, Justin Walters (1986), Partner at OC&C, Emma Thorne (2002), Partner at Bridges Fund Management, and David Hobson (1998), a Manging Director at GIC. The discussion will be introduced by NCS City and Professional Network Lead, John Rowland (1998), a Partner at Alchemy, who will then also join the panel.
We hope that you will be able to join us for what promises to be a fascinating evening, and a great opportunity to network with those linked to the City.
If you would like to attend, please book your place through the University of Oxford Online payment facility by Tuesday 10 November 2026 or telephone me in the Development Office on 01865 279509. The cost for the event is £25. Capacity is limited so early booking is recommended.
As part of the booking process there will be a short questionnaire where we ask you to let us know of any dietary requirements/allergens, if relevant, and also to provide your current job title, company and contact details for name badges and to create a list of those attending handout which you will receive on the night.
Whilst our list of those working in or connected to the City continues to evolve, please spread the word to other contemporaries working in appropriate professions who might be keen to be included. Please encourage them to get in contact to register for the event or send us their details.
About the speakers
Andrew Joy– PE veteran, London
Andrew is chairman of the Investment Committees of FPE Capital and of the multi-family office Corient’s private equity funds programme. He also chairs Herald Investment Trust plc. He was a founder of private equity group Cinven, where he spent 21 years as a senior partner, and is a former Chairman of the British Venture Capital Association (now “UK Private Capital”) and a director of its European equivalent, the EVCA (now “InvestEurope”).
Justin Walters – Partner, OC&C Strategy Consultants, London
Justin is the Global Head of TMT. He has 25 years’ experience in vertical software, tech, media and marketing services. He also has a special interest in growth strategies and value creation planning, advising a wide range of corporate and private equity clients.
Emma Thorne – Partner , Bridges Fund Management, London
Emma is the Co-Head of Inclusive Growth strategy, focusing on investing in high-growth, purpose-led companies to help them scale up their operations and impact. Previously, she was in the investment team at Phoenix Equity Partners.
David Hobson – Managing Director, GIC, London
David is the Head of the European Private Equity Funds & Co-Investment Group at GIC (Singapore SWF). He also sits on the Limited Partners Council of Invest Europe, representing the views of institutional investors in PE. Previously, David worked at McKinsey and HM Treasury, and has an MBA from INSEAD.
John Rowland – Partner, Alchemy Partners, London
John is the COO & CFO at Alchemy, which specialises in investing in complex corporate debt and equity special situations across the European mid-market. He joined Alchemy in 2006 from Hawkpoint Partners where he was a Corporate Financier, and prior to that he was part of KPMG's Private Equity Group.
