Name: Ryan Carenduff
Job: Various
Industry: Various
Class of: 2006
House: Bannerman

What do you do?

I help early-stage start-ups and founders/entrepreneurs formulate a strategic road map for commercialising their ideas and entering their respective markets. This can range from strategy planning, market testing, proof of concept, and getting investment ready and the subsequent raise.

Additionally, I sit on the Board of Team Scotland Youth Trust, helping to support the next generation of young Scottish elite athletes through a variety of support mechanisms.

How did you get to where you are today?

My path certainly wasn’t linear. It was a combination of following what I enjoyed, taking the opportunities I was presented with, and luck. I always had an appetite for start-ups when I was younger and I enjoyed learning about business. After my post-graduate degree, I was fortunate enough to join an organisation that afforded me the creative freedom to explore entrepreneurship and create the UK’s first sports business incubator. This allowed me to hone my craft, learn from successful business leaders and develop from there.

What is a standout memory of your time at The High School of Glasgow?

There are so many to choose from! I genuinely enjoyed my time at both the Junior and Senior School, and they certainly played an important role in my formative years and beyond. HSOG was good at setting a high standard without you realising it so that when you left you carried that forward with you as your baseline.

For me, the pre-season rugby training camp in Rothesay was always a highlight. It had so many layers of character building to it from sleeping on a church hall floor or in a boat shed, to the infamous runs across the island after a day of training on a beach. You also got to see a more fun and relaxed side to the teachers on these trips – the memory of the Braveheart ‘freedom’ speech being played very loudly outside Mr Broadbent’s room at a ridiculous time in the morning will live rent free in my head forever – he took it well, but we did pay for it in practice that day.

So many other memories from Kangaroo Court to arm wrestling the legend that was Charlie Forsyth are also incredible moments from my younger years.

What one piece of advice would you give to current pupils and recent leavers as they look to their futures?

Don’t be scared to fail. Naturally with the nature of my career, I have had and been a part of several failures. Whilst failure isn’t a badge of honour, it’s certainly not something to be ashamed of either
and often it is where the valuable lessons and growth lie. I would encourage all current pupils and recent leavers, as they look to their futures, to embrace failure when it inevitably happens and not let it define you. Instead learn from the experience, adapt, and go again.

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