In-person
You're invited to join a Speaker Event and Reception
Location: The Cornell Club of New York, New York City. More location information

Join us for an inspiring panel discussion featuring distinguished alumnae from Trinity Hall and Sidney Sussex College as they reflect on their careers and impact across business, media, journalism, international development, and technology.

Hear from Dr. Alison Brown (Sidney Sussex, 1976), President and CEO of NAVSYS Corporation and GPS technology pioneer; Justine Gordon (Trinity Hall, 1996), Partner at Heidrick & Struggles and Global Head of Infrastructure within Financial Services; Dr. Sarah Fitzharding (Sidney Sussex, 1990), psychologist, researcher, and co-founder of Galileo Research and Strategy Consultancy; and Vicky Ward (Trinity Hall, 1988), journalist, author, podcaster, and former CNN Senior Reporter.

Discover the stories, challenges, and insights that have shaped their careers, and learn how Cambridge helped lay the foundation for their success. Find out more about the event here.

Following the discussion, continue the conversation over drinks and canapรฉs while reconnecting with fellow alumni.

We look forward to welcoming you. If you have any questions, please email events@cantab.org.

Profile picture of Justine Gordon

Justine Gordon (Trinity Hall, 1996) is a senior executive in the financial services and infrastructure sectors. Justine brings more than 30 years of experience spanning infrastructure investing, private equity, and executive advisory. Before joining Heidrick & Struggles, she led the global infrastructure practice at a leading executive search firm, advising corporations and investment platforms on leadership, governance, and organizational effectiveness. Earlier, she held senior investing roles at Carlyle AlpInvest, RREEF Infrastructure, Guggenheim Partners, and Chartwell Investments, after beginning her career as a chartered accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers and an investment banker at Morgan Stanley. Find out more here.

Profile picture of Alison Brown

Dr. Alison Brown (Sidney Sussex, 1976) is President and CEO of NAVSYS Corporation, which she founded in 1986. Previously, Dr. Brown worked at Litton Industries. Dr. Brown is a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE).  Dr Brown pioneered the development of the first GPS cell phone, the โ€œbent pipeโ€ technology by the WAAS and MT-SAT space based augmentation systems to GPS, early advanced GPS Software Defined Radios with jammer location and beamforming capability, the first open-architecture inertial navigation product (InterNav) and now leads the development of a back-up capability to GPS, leveraging SATCOM signals of opportunity, termed PNT as a Service (PNTaaS). Alison is also CEO and founder of PNTaaS Ltd, recently incorporated to introduce PNTaaS into UK & Europe. Find out more here.

Profile picture of Sarah Fitzharding

Sarah Fitzharding (Sidney Sussex, 1990) read History and Social and Political Sciences at Sidney Sussex, followed by an MPhil in Criminology and a PhD on the psychological coping strategies of LGBTQ+ youth. A Fox Fellowship through Sidney took her to Yale Law School, where she began her US fieldwork, followed by a year as a Visiting Researcher at Harvard Law School. While writing her dissertation, she lectured in Criminology at Birkbeck College, London, and worked for HM Prison Service, evaluating an anger management program at a high-security women's prison.

On completing her PhD in 1999, she moved to New York as a Brand Planner at J. Walter Thompson, where her work included De Beers' Right Hand Ring campaign, celebrating women's independence and individuality. In 2005, she co-founded Galileo Research & Strategy to bring academically grounded psychology and psychotherapy-based techniques to marketing research in new ways. Galileo specializes in high-consideration categories including technology, luxury, financial services, with a particular focus on healthcare. Twenty-one years on, it remains an independent, WBENC-certified women-owned business. Find out more here.

Profile picture of Vicky Ward

Vicky Ward (Trinity Hall, 1988) is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, podcaster, documentary host and producer, former CNN Senior Reporter, magazine editor at large, entrepreneur.

Her most recent book about the 2022 killing of four University of Idaho students, The Idaho Four: An American Tragedy (Little, Brown and Company), co-authored with the best-selling novelist James Patterson, was published July 14, 2025, and became an instant #1 New York Times bestseller.

On the heels of The Idaho Four, praised by The Guardian as โ€œa mesmerizing read and a great detective story, yet sadly all true,โ€ it was announced that Ward and Patterson will reunite. Their next book, to be published by Little, Brown, will chronicle the events of December 4, 2024, when, at 6:44 a.m., a masked gunman fatally shot UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside the New York Hilton Midtown. Find out more here.

Booking information

Price

$20
Location

The Cornell Club of New York
6 E 44th St
New York City, NY 10017
United States

40.754358, -73.979317