Norwich High School for Girls is delighted to announce the special guest speaker for our upcoming Senior School and Sixth Form Prizegiving ceremony: alumna Jo Slota-Newson, from the Class of 2002. Jo will be joining us on Wednesday July 9th in the marquee on Big Pitch to deliver what promises to be an inspiring speech and present this year’s prizes.
We are excited to welcome back alumna Jo Slota-Newson at our upcoming Prizegiving ceremony.
“Prizegiving is always one of the highlights in our school calendar and this year’s Prizegiving holds particular significance as we celebrate our school’s 150th year, making it even more special to welcome back a distinguished alumna for such a landmark event.”
Jo Slota-Newson is a highly accomplished professional in the world of venture capital. As a Managing Partner at Almanac Ventures, her work is dedicated to fostering companies built upon cutting-edge scientific innovations. This critical endeavour aims to cultivate stronger, more resilient, and decarbonised industries for the future and we are confident her insights will be truly thought-provoking for our students.
Prior to her work in venture capital, Jo began her career as a research scientist in electronic materials at the University of Cambridge and the University of British Columbia. She brings 19 years of invaluable experience in technology commercialisation, even having served as Chief Technology Officer for an early-stage photovoltaics company, showcasing her impressive operational expertise.
Academically, Jo holds MA, MSci, and PhD degrees in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge and has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. She is also a Fellow of the Institute of Physics.
Beyond her remarkable professional and academic achievements, Jo is an avid open water swimmer, demonstrating incredible determination and spirit. She successfully swam the English Channel in 2024, a testament to her inspiring resilience.
Jo swam overnight from England to France, completing her swim in just over 15 hours. An incredible achievement, as fewer people have swum the channel than have climbed Mount Everest!
We eagerly anticipate Jo Slota-Newson’s return to our school and know her speech will provide invaluable inspiration to our students as they celebrate their achievements at the close of the school year.
