Meet our new director of strategic operations

Graham Livesey is the new director of strategic operations at RGS. His role is to provide strategic, commercial and business leadership to all non-teaching activities, including finance, administration, information technology and premises departments

Q: What attracted you to apply for a job at RGS?

A: I live in Ripon and the role at RGS offered an excellent opportunity to do something different when I left the Army.

Q: What was your previous job?

A: I was an officer in the British Army for 32 years. This provided excitement and travel all over the world.

Q: Why did you decide to take on this role?

A: I was looking for an exciting new challenge and the job at RGS provides just that.

Q: What is the best bit about the job?

A: The best bit is not having to commute a long distance to work every week.

Q: And the worst?

A: I haven’t found the worst bit yet.

Q: What was your first impression of the staff and students at RGS?

A: A friendly group of people who are proud of the school.

Q: How does the environment here compare to your previous workplace?

A: It is more similar than many people may expect – full of hardworking people working together as a team.

Q: What do you expect to be your biggest challenge here?

A: I have already heard many good ideas to improve the school. My job will be to deliver as many of these as possible with limited amounts of money.

Q: How would you describe the RGS school community in three words?

A: Friendly, hardworking, ambitious.

Q: Who or what inspired you when you were at school?

A: I had a brilliant primary school teacher named Mrs Judd.

Q: Did you struggle with any subjects at school?

A: I was hopeless at art and still cannot draw.

Q: What are your hobbies?

A: I love cycling in the Yorkshire countryside, cooking and I have been a Leeds United supporter all my life.

Q: Tell us something about yourself which might surprise people

A: I am an amateur lepidopterist (a person who studies or collects butterflies and moths)