Charlie Wright (C 03-08), founder of Humantra, a plant-based, sugar-free electrolyte drinks company recently reflected on his journey and how the lessons he learned at Rugby School have stayed with him since.

Charlie writes:

At school, I genuinely had no idea what I wanted to do with my career - and felt a huge amount of pressure to have it all figured out. Ironically, that pressure came entirely from within; it certainly wasn’t coming from school or my parents.

I learnt best from teachers who had real passion for what they did. Back then, I thought mentors had to be some formal arrangement, but I’ve since realised you can learn from anyone at any time - often by observing what not to do, as much as what to emulate. Having a bad boss, for example, can teach you just as much about leadership as having a great one.

Rugby gave me a platform early on to ask questions - and that’s still one of my best skills. The ability to ask the right questions is often what leads me to the answers I need. I used to think creativity was about outputs like painting or drawing, but I’ve since reflected on how Rugby framed creativity as a way of thinking. At 35, I finally recognise that I am deeply creative - just in a way that manifests through building ideas and businesses rather than on a canvas.

Like many, I assumed a law degree and a career in the City would be the ‘right’ next step after Rugby. It didn’t take long at university for me to realise it wasn’t my path. But what Rugby taught me - discipline, resilience, the ability to get my head down and get things done - has been invaluable.

After a few years in corporate roles, I took the leap into entrepreneurship. Two failed ventures later, I launched Humantra in Dubai, where I’ve lived for the past 11 years. It’s been a slog but showing up day after day is what’s kept me going. Seeing Humantra now stocked in 1,200 Boots stores across the UK - including in Rugby, my hometown - has been one of the proudest full-circle moments of my career.