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Westminster City School welcomed back former student John Olatunji on Tuesday 6 October as part of the school’s Black History Month programme, themed ‘Honouring Our Communities’.

John left Westminster City School 16 years ago and is now Director, Head of Liquidity Sales, Europe, Corporate Banking at Deutsche Bank. Returning to speak to Year 12 students, he reflected on his personal experience from school into banking and challenged students to think not only about how they move forward but also about who they bring with them.

Addressing the students in assembly, he said:

“I was sitting in your seats many years ago, trying to work out where I wanted to get to and more importantly, how I was going to get there.

“When I think about the theme of honouring our communities, for me it is a verb. It is about action. It means remembering the past, showing up in the present and helping to raise the people coming behind you.”

John spoke about the practical steps students can start to take now, including attending insight days, applying for internships and work experience as well as building professional networks early.

One message that was said repeatedly from the beginning to the end of his talk is that success should never be treated as an individual achievement.

“Once you are through a door of opportunity, try to bring people with you to the best of your ability. Every door that has opened for me has been because somebody believed in me.

“Remember to thank the people who have opened doors for you, whether that is your parents, teachers or mentors and then think about how you can do the same for someone else.”

Following his talk to the entire Year 12 cohort, John led a smaller workshop for students interested in banking, finance and corporate careers, giving them the chance to ask more detailed questions about the industry and the routes into it.

Nadah, who joined Westminster City School’s Sixth Form from Kingsdale Secondary School and is studying Economics, Geography and Maths, said:

“John gave me a much clearer idea of the career paths I could pursue and what I should be doing now as a Year 12 student. I am interested in finance, so hearing about networking, work experience and what employers and universities look for was really useful.

“The workshop was even better than I expected because we were able to ask more in-depth questions and get honest answers from someone with a lot of experience in the area I am interested in.”

A big thank you to John for returning to Westminster City School as a guest speaker to start our Black History Month’s programme of activities and reminding all that honouring our community is not just about reflecting on those who came before, but it’s also about using your own progress to help others move forward.