An Evening with Professor Mordant and Ms Stewart
The second of ten lectures celebrating Marlborough College Malaysia’s 10th Anniversary took place on the 27th September in the Theatre with guests, Old Marlburians Professor Simon Mordant and Ms Catherine Stewart. Professor Mordant, an investment banker corporate advisor, philanthropist and art-lover was interviewed by Ms Steward, Chairman of the European Government Relations Round Table. Questions were also asked by our audience of parents, pupils and staff during the talk about art, economics and philanthropy.
Professor Mordant discussed his journey to where he is today, from choosing not to attend university, travelling through Europe and Asia to Australia where he became an accountant. He went on to set up Barclays in Australia and then established the first new bank in Australia for 30 years; his company has gone from strength to strength. However, Professor Mordant also has a keen interest in contemporary art, and answered questions pertaining to art collection, donation and the use of NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) as a crypto currency.
Wise words came from both Professor Mordant and Ms Stewart who specialise in European politics and economics. When asked what advice he would give the pupils of MCM, Professor Mordent said “surround yourself with great people and get as much work experience as you can and then pursue it as hard as you can.”
Our audience directed questions about both the financial side of Professor Mordant’s expertise and his artistic side. Questions on social responsibility of companies as well as his art collection and his personal artistic journey into a curator were asked. Ms Stewart concluded the lecture with a set of quick-fire questions where Professor Mordant chose Van Gough over Banksy and impulse over logic. Once the lecture had come to a close, parents and pupils retired for refreshments. Discussions about the lecture continued far into the evening over iced tea and coffee for the night had certainly provoked much food for thought. An excellent way to end a wonderful evening with two wise and inspiring Old Marlburians.
