Insights from Members on Life and Success!

Introduce the concept of “members life” in this context. The members night, was beautifully organised by Malcolm Dennet  featuring a compelling presentation by two Rotary members, the current president and the former president, who shared insights about their careers and dedicated service. Their personal journeys highlighted leadership, community commitment, and the meaningful impact of service. Attendees left inspired by the club’s mission and the gracious, refined atmosphere that made the occasion memorable. The presence of corporate partners and residents added warmth and a sense of shared purpose to the evening.

Adore Shuko and John Chamberlain

It’s a pleasure to introduce, John, the former president of one of the clubs that later merged to form our current group. During his time as president, John contributed tremendously to supporting the local community, showing dedication, compassion, and a deep commitment to service.

John Chamberlain

John entitled his talk ‘Living Every Day’, a quote from Joni Mitchell’s song ‘Both Sides Now’. He showed a series of photos through his childhood and youth and illustrating his love for classical music from the age of 12.

Photos of family life with his late wife and daughter and current wife Di and their joint family of three children and five grandchildren.

Family holidays and travel to such places as Finland, Australia and Lanzarote, the last featuring a ride on an angry camel!

John enthused about his love of art, sculpture, music and poetry, referencing Wilfred Owen and his war poetry and his own novel ‘A Nuremberg Moon’, telling the story of his cousin Fred and Halifax bomber crew.

John finished by reading a poem by,

John Donne  

. . . “And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”

The next speaker was our current president, a warm, passionate, and engaging leader who brings energy and heart to everything they do. Their commitment to our club and the wider community is truly inspiring, and under their leadership, we’ve seen real momentum and connection grow.

She titled her talk, a Life-Shaped Career in Service

Rotary isn’t just a club to me, it mirrors the life I’ve lived. I grew up with a passport in my pocket, a diplomat father, who lived a life of service as an international medical doctor, my mother, a beautiful entrepreneur, who taught us appreciation and the value of being able to relocate to different and diverse countries every few years, which engrained adaptability, curiosity and the art of making strangers feel like teammates and teammates like family.

From a childhood classroom of languages to a quest for impact, my career as an international consultant has always started with listening, gathering needs across cultures, translating them into human-centred solutions, the same solutions that helped me guide my family and teams with care.

Adore with her 'pet elephant'

My career isn't the centre of my story, but a powerful lens that helps me serve more people. My family, my siblings anchor me, they’re my compass, reminding me that leadership is a narrative you live out loud through actions, not just words. My first professional chapters gave me a toolkit that blended social purpose with storytelling, helping me design scalable mentorship programs to support and lead diverse teams through complex changes, always with a mindset that, people come first. 

Volunteering has always been part of the rhythm. I work with Sutton Women’s Centre, serve with the British Women Pilots Association, where teamwork, risk awareness, and grounded leadership meet a shared love of service. The Rotary Club for me familiar, it is an evolving rhythm that aligns with my values, play and win, care for others, service above self, practical impact and building communities that lift others.

My quest for growth continues, quipped with humour about balancing Mandarin tones and AI prompts. Today, I’m expanding two professional frontiers that amplify my life’s work: AI literacy at the University of Oxford and Mandarin. AI sharpens decision-making and speeds results, Mandarin deepens my cross-border trust and collaboration and frankly, it’s also fun.

Thank you for sharing this moment, I’m excited to learn your stories too.