During the annual Millfield Careers Week, we contacted five Old Millfieldians with unique and interesting careers and asked them how they got where they are today. They shared with us how their time at Millfield has impacted their career and the importance of not being afraid of change.

Matthew Scaife (1993-1996; Hollies) – Director, Pilot and Three-time Australian Ballooning Champion 

Matthew joined Millfield on a bursary playing golf for the 1st team. After Millfield, Matthew pursued his passion for golf at Monterey College, California. An unfortunate wrist injury meant that he had to stop playing, so he decided to head into the family business, hot air balloons! 

In 2000, Matthew founded his company in the Hunter Valley, Australia, taking on the role of managing director and pilot. Balloon Aloft, is now the largest balloon company in Australia, flying in five locations with over 25,000 passengers a year. 

Matthew also flies competitively (saying his competitive side coming from Millfield of course) and is the three times Australian Ballooning Champion and ranked 12th in the world. 

Matthew is also a brand ambassador for Sea Shepherd a UK registered marine conservation charity whose primary mission is to conserve and protect marine ecosystems and species. Matthew flies their balloons in different countries around the world, raising awareness for ocean conservation.

Catherine Francescon (1998-2003; Acacia) – Lead Senior Bird Keeper 

Throughout her time at Millfield, Catherine was unsure of which career direction to take, but knew that she wanted to attend university. She really enjoyed biology classes with Mr Bailey and said that his enthusiasm encouraged her love for the subject, fuelling her eventual decision to study a BSc in Biology at Leeds University, where she grew her interest in conservation science. 
 
Catherine gained valuable experience through volunteering including coral reef monitoring in Mexico, joining a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) in Mauritius and volunteering on the bird team at Jersey Zoo. This last position developed into a paid role, where she started her career as a zookeeper. She found a love for vulnerable species and decided after six years a change was needed to pursue this. She has now been at Auckland Zoo for six and half years where she is Lead Senior Bird Keeper. She is currently working on a project with the most threatened bird in New Zealand, the NZ Fairy Tern.

Ed Chudleigh (1993-1996; Shapwick) – Engineer and Commercial Pilot 

When Ed left Millfield, he decided to follow a career path into Engineering and Design. He studied at Brunel University and was invited to work for Dyson Ltd as a Graduate Design Engineer. Ed spent 11 years designing, inventing and managing projects for Dyson initially and then became an Optimisation Manager and Design Manager. In 2016, he left Dyson to become a Commercial Pilot so he could pursue his love for Art, Design and Engineering in his spare time. 
 
Ed recently invented a medical grade face shield for those working on the frontline at the very start of the Covid-19 pandemic. This achievement led to him being awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list in 2021. 

Tracy McDonnell Goad (1996-2001; Day) – Managing Director - Buttermilk 

Tracy is the managing director of Cornish confectionery brand, Buttermilk, based in Padstow. Tracy started her confectionery business in a tiny shop, which is still there today, supplying produce to large and small, national and international retailers. 
 
Tracy loved her time at Millfield and shared with us how there were so many teachers who played such a big part in her schooling who she remembers with gratitude and affection. There were a few key turning moments for Tracy; one in particular was representing England in athletics gave her the confidence and resilience for her to know she could push herself through hard work and discipline, which is essential to running a business. 

Her role is to drive the direction of the business and keep her brilliant team on track with their day-to-day tasks. As the managing director her role is varied - she has overall responsibility for the commercial success of the business, but sometimes she has to be very hands on too (tasting new products is one of her favourite perks of the job!) 
 
To anyone embarking on their new career, Tracy said, “Don’t be afraid to change course if you have given something a really good go and it is not for you. It is never too late to change. Fear isn’t always a good reason to avoid something!” 

Ben Eastick (1984-1988; Keen's Elm) – Managing Director – Ragus Sugars 

Ben is the director of his family’s business, Ragus Sugars, the UK's only remaining independent sugar refinery. It was set up in 1880 as an analysis and consulting practice, and went on to formulate Lyle’s Golden Syrup, which is now the world’s oldest branded food product! 
 
In 1990, his father and uncle retired, so Ben, his cousin and brother took over the company at a relatively young age. They developed the business from a UK-based manufacturer into a full-service global operation, building a new multi-million-pound, state-of-the-art factory in 2013. His cousin runs the factory, while Ben looks after the commercial side. 
 
Being heavily dyslexic at the time, Ben said school was a lifeline, and on arrival, Millfield seemed like a mini-University due to its extensive range of facilities. Being involved with sport at the school helped Ben with his physical and mental wellbeing and enormously with his dyslexia and career. 
 
Ben’s advice to Sixth Formers is, “Have a real passion for what you want to do, and you’ll find that, with time, your career will become second nature.”

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