OE Patrick Lufkin was a member of the Seventy7s, a successful rugby team started by and featuring a number of OEs which won the RFU’s National Sevens tournament in 2016. Patrick’s career took him to Singapore in 2020 where he has swapped rugby and cricket for golf and tennis in the sunshine.
What are some of the highlights or your best memories of your time at Emanuel?
It’s hard to pick out individual memories but it would have to be spending all day with your friends having a laugh, even though that’s not quite the point of going to school.
The school itself was great – we were very lucky with the facilities we had and quality of teaching – and the extra-curricular opportunities were second to none. The last couple of years in sixth form were probably the most enjoyable, possibly because we were the oldest in the school and by then we were all very close friends also.
Did any particular teachers influence you?
My form tutors, Mr King and Miss Musson, probably influenced me the most. They both played a huge part in ensuring I got through school relatively unscathed in the great scheme of things. Looking back now, I appreciate how much they genuinely cared, were so patient and they wanted us to do well. Mr King was also great in running the school’s cricket programme and pre-season tours.
What activities did you get involved in at school?
I played rugby and cricket mainly. I remember being dragged into swimming, cross-country and athletics but that was more so that we could get days off school.
Have you always been interested in sport?
I was never particularly good at, or as interested in, anything else so naturally gravitated towards sports even though I always knew I was never going to be good enough to take it anywhere really seriously. I loved the social aspect of it all, and it was probably a good release for much of my pent-up energy if anything else.
There were some great coaches at Emanuel who pushed us on and always told us that we could be better – Mr Gundersen and Mr Sowden in particular when it came to senior rugby. Mr Andrews was the U14As rugby coach when I first joined the school and he had lots of passion for sure!
I remember our two cricket coaches, Malcom and Mark, who brought a more professional way of doing things with our cricket and produced some pretty successful 1st XIs. They were a good laugh too and still keep in touch with some of us to this day.
Can you tell us about your involvement with the Seventy7s?
It was started when the Whiteleys and Cuff-Burnetts (Emanuel School sporting royalty!), along with some of their year group friends, played in the Old Emanuel RFC 7s and did OK. From there, they roped in a few younger brothers and their friends from other years who, in turn, brought their mates along so we ended up having one or two players from each leavers’ year from 2012 all the way back to around 2006.
We ended up being half decent and in 2016 we won the RFU’s National Sevens tournament which will live long in the memory. Beyond the rugby, it became a big group of friends; our parents would all come to watch with other-halves, brothers, sisters, and there are even a few babies in the wider squad now. We were sponsored by Bar Social, the cocktail bar on Lavender Hill, in the early days so we would always end up there after we played. There’s not much better than a strawberry daquiri to help take the edge off a few bumps and bruises after a long day playing rugby.
What did you do after leaving Emanuel? What inspired you to work in Singapore?
I left school exhausted by A-Levels so decided to take a year out to do a bit of a mix-and-match gap year. From there I went to Loughborough University to do Sports and Exercise Science.
I realised pretty quickly that I didn’t have much interest in becoming a sport scientist so, whilst studying wasn’t a priority, I had a good time. One of my biggest regrets was not taking the careers programme at Emanuel more seriously as it wasn’t until very late in the day that I had any vague idea of what sort of job would interest me.
After leaving university I did various roles here and there until I landed a job at a commercial advertising and partnerships agency where I’ve been for the last four years. I started in the London office in a business development role for a couple of years before being offered an opportunity to grow the team out here in Singapore.
Living abroad had never been on my radar but when I thought about it, I was ready to get out of London having lived there all my life and take on a new challenge. It was also a good move for me career-wise, and an opportunity to progress quickly. I moved out in January 2020 just as the pandemic hit so that was a slight bump in the road, but I’ve loved every minute of it despite that.
Most people are here for their careers so there’s very much a work-hard-play-hard way of living which is good fun. Singapore is a small city state so everything is nearby and convenient. Most expats live within a 10-minute drive of the CBD and get taxis to work. The condos you live in have tennis courts, swimming pools and gyms, plus panoramic city or sea views and London can feel a world away at times, although I am looking forward to getting back for the first time in a couple of years this Christmas to catch up with some old faces.
I couldn’t recommend moving abroad more highly. I’ve met some life-long friends and developed massively work-wise. Life back home will always be there so it’s worth taking the plunge if an opportunity ever arises.
What does your current role involve?
We broker media deals between rights owners and brands looking to enter into specific advertising contracts or commercial partnerships. I spend a lot of time (now on Zoom calls) pitching to both rights owners and the brands and putting the deals together then leading into contractual negotiations and delivery. It’s very commercially driven, and a relationship led job which I enjoy. Sitting in front of spreadsheets and reading through long contracts is the part that is not so fun and can really test your attention span.
We work across most regions globally so you meet lots of different people and learn about different professional cultures, although it does mean that the working hours can be a bit all over the place.
Do you stay in touch with friends from Emanuel?
Yes (for better or worse) we are in close contact still and before I moved abroad we saw each other regularly. I’ll be looking forward catching up over a few beers back in London.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I got a Labrador during lockdown and I live 15 minutes away from the beach so I spend a lot of time at the beach clubs trying to tire her out with friends and their dogs.
I’ve swapped rugby and cricket for golf and tennis, and that’s also a good excuse to spend time outside given the weather is always nice (pretty much).
When the borders open up there are plenty of places that are within a short flight of Singapore so hopefully I’ll be able to get abroad a bit more then.
