A special evening with Old Haberdasher Professor Penny Endersby CBE (OH 1988) Chief Executive of the Met Office.

Friday 14 March 2025 from 5.30-7.30pm at Habs Girls School

Free event; please register below.

Professor Penny Endersby (OH 1988) is a distinguished scientist and engineer. Penny began her career devising new armour for the Ministry of Defence. Then in 2018, she was appointed Chief Executive of the Met Office, the first woman to hold that role.

This event promises to be an enlightening and engaging evening, offering a unique opportunity to hear from one of the leading figures in science and technology. It is a rare chance to gain insights from someone who has made significant contributions to her field and broken new ground as the first woman in her position.

Dr Kate Bridge (Habs Girls’ Head of Habs Diploma and Physics teacher) will host an on-stage discussion with Penny as the latest in our occasional Habs in Conversation series.

The discussion will cover topics such as:

  • Supercomputers, data, and AI
  • Climate change: what the future holds
  • Weather forecasts for government, commerce, and individuals

All parents, Old Haberdashers and senior school students from Habs Girls and Habs Boys are warmly invited.

The evening will begin with a drinks reception at 5:30pm, followed by the on-stage Habs in Conversation discussion. There will be Q&A with the audience at the end of the evening.

Please join us. BOOK YOUR PLACE by completing the registration form below. Contact us at foundation@habselstree.org.uk or on 0208 266 1919 if you have any questions.

The Habs Elstree Schools Foundation team

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More on Professor Penny Endersby CBE, FREng, Hon FInstP 

As well as serving as Chief Executive at the Met Office since 2018, Penny became President of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) in 2023, the first woman to fill either role.

She grew up in London and studied Natural Sciences at Cambridge University with the help of scholarships from WISE and British Gas. Prior to joining the Met Office, she had a distinguished career at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), beginning as a graduate researcher in armour and ending as Director of Cyber and Information, and acting Chief Technical Officer.

Penny was instrumental in building up Dstl’s capabilities in cyber and data science research and increasing their pipeline of innovative research and intellectual property.

She was awarded the 2021 Society Medal by the British Computer Society in recognition of her use of IT to benefit society, specifically through investment in the Met Office’s supercomputer and data systems in support of weather and climate prediction.

Penny is a visiting professor in the Electronics and Computer Science Faculty at Southampton University and an honorary professor of Physics and the Environment at the University of Exeter. She was made a CBE in the 2024 New Year’s Honours.

Booking Form