Career Spotlight with Dr Emily Lawson DBE: Lessons in Leadership and Resilience
23 September 2025 - All
Last week, we had the chance to hear from Dr Emily Lawson DBE in an inspirational Career Spotlight event. Drawing on her experience across academia, consultancy, retail and public service, she shared valuable insights and lessons from her career.
Dr Lawson began in academia, completing a PhD in genetics and a postdoc in plant genetics. Interested in expanding her horizons, Dr Lawson highlighted the importance of following one’s strengths. Realising she enjoyed big-picture thinking and pattern recognition, she went into biotech and then to McKinsey, where she led motivated teams to tackle complex problems. Especially fascinating was her role at Morrisons and her innovative impact on the managerial structure. Led by Tikkun Olam, a teaching from Judaism that encourages people to improve the world around them, Dr Lawson discussed ways management can increase diversity.
She was open about roles that didn’t fit and how they helped her understand the environments where she thrives. A key message was that careers are rarely linear and it’s important to pause and reflect on your values.
Dr Lawson also spoke about leading through difficult times, including her role in the delivery of the Covid-19 vaccine at NHS England. She emphasised the importance of asking for help and feedback as a leader and shared how she held her ground as the only woman at the table at Number 10.
We are immensely grateful for Dr Lawson sharing her fascinating career insights that will remain with us throughout our own futures. A huge thank you goes to Mrs Scott and Mrs Manning in the Careers department for organising this event. We left feeling motivated and excited to shape our careers.
Fiona and Priyasha
UVI
Keep up to date with further news from Wycombe Abbey on our social channels.