LA PROVIDENCE

NOTES FOR SPEECH

8TH NOVEMBER 2025

ENGLISH

Thank you to Stephanie Lemmonier and Migael Carrias from my wife and I for their kind invitation to share in the celebration of 20 years of success at La Providence.

I emigrated to France from the UK15 years ago and a Madame Gillian Potter, a friend of Madame Marie Cochet, said a college was looking for English Speaking Examiners with business experience.

My name is Ron Kirk and by profession I was a chartered accountant and chartered tax adviser. I worked at senior levels in two international public companies, Anglo-American in Johannesburg South Africa and the Courtauld Group in London UK. I became Managing Director of a major regional brewery and changed midway in my career to become an entrepreneur, a business man and a corporate finance adviser.

Over 50 years I learnt from the Captains of Commerce, the elite of the Finance and Legal Professionals, Engineers, Scientists and Academics how the global systems worked. Importantly I learnt humility, I didn’t know everything, but I did learn how to solve complex problems and motivate people.

When I sat in front of a student, taking them through their paces, it was like looking in a mirror; 65 years ago, I had sat the other side of the table. I was compelled to go to a further education college so I could take the basic educational examinations, but I didn’t have to do it in a foreign language.

Then my life’s adventures began. In my case I was to meet and become familiar with our royal family, King Charles III, Queen Camilla, the Queen Mother of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh. There were to be exchanges with Prime Ministers, two British and one Indian, President of the USA and Chancellor of Austria.

I am going to replay my first meeting with Mr. Blair. Hello Mr. Blair, and then he disappeared.

During a council meeting, I asked if this would offend the United States. No response. I left the room to call the White House from my office. I have a problem. Would this project be a problem for you? One moment. The answer: no. Do you want to speak directly to the president? Six months later, an invitation to the White House!

I met leaders of large public companies and even had run-ins with army generals from the US Pentagon and UK Secret Intelligence Officers.

There were on the journey other skills acquired as an aviator, Austrian dancing and making Domino pizzas by hand. I can even clean carpets and dye them in place as well as attend to fire damage in homes.

Whilst a Providence college examiner, my key responsibility was to improve students to pass their examinations. I hoped on the way I gave them a platform for their future using experiences imparted from some of my experiences in order to prepare them for their life’s adventure to come.

I was astounded by the quality of La Providence students; very few did find it challenging but that is where my experience helped, I would prove in 20 minute one to one sessions they did have the ability but needed some tools to help them and sometimes a little motivation to overcome their lack of self-confidence.

The sessions were not a one-way street, I learnt too.

Currently we live in a troubled, uncertain and confused world. The leaders of my generation have failed us.

There is a very good chance that our youth from what I have witnessed at La Providence will do a better job than we did.