As part of the 50 Years of Girls at Rugby School celebrations, we spoke with Louise Holland (D 78-80) about her experience at Rugby School and her journey to becoming a Vice President in real estate

Could you please tell us a little bit about yourself and about your career?

My name is Louise Holland, and my career has taken quite an interesting and somewhat unconventional path. I was one of the first female students at Dean House, arriving in 1978 - one of just thirteen girls at the time, in only the third year that girls had been admitted. It was really quite a new and exciting experience, and I remember feeling completely in awe of the environment when I first arrived.

After finishing my A levels, I decided not to go straight to university. Instead, I was offered a position as a trainee auctioneer and estate agent in Wolverhampton. I was actually the first girl to apply to this hundred-year-old company, which set something of a pattern for my career. However, I soon realised that it wasn’t quite the right path for me. To take a step back and refocus, I joined the Art Foundation course at Oxford Brookes University (then Oxford Polytechnic), and it was there that I really found my footing. I enjoyed the creative environment and eventually transferred to a degree course, spending nearly four years in Oxford.

During that time, I met my future husband, then an undergraduate who went on to serve as a Royal Engineer. After we married, we lived in Germany for several years and at that time in the 1980s, it wasn’t easy for women like me to work abroad unless you were a qualified teacher, medic, or fluent in German, so I settled into life as an army officer’s wife for a while.

Time passed and my husband was offered a posting in the United States, and so in 1997 we moved to Washington, D.C. That move completely changed the direction of my career. Thanks to my NATO visa, I was able to work, and I started out in real estate, funnily enough, coming full circle to where I had begun years earlier. I began as a receptionist and gradually worked my way up through the company, eventually becoming a Vice President. What was meant to be a short 16-month stay turned into 25 years living and working in the U.S., and I truly built my professional life there.

A couple of years before COVID, I began to feel ready for a new chapter. With the pandemic and some political changes in America, my husband and I decided it was time to return home. We moved back to England about four years ago, and that’s where we’ve been since.

Within your career what was your biggest challenge that you faced and how did you overcome it?

I think the biggest challenge I faced in my career was dealing with a corporate takeover. I had been working for a wonderful, second-generation, family-run business, a really positive environment with a close-knit and supportive culture. Then we were taken over by a much larger company that operated very differently. The atmosphere changed almost overnight. Many of my colleagues, who were independent contractors, decided to leave, and I had to make a difficult decision about whether to go with them or stay and try to adapt.

In the end, I chose to pivot into a different role within the new organisation rather than leave altogether. It wasn’t an easy transition, the culture, systems, and expectations were completely different, but I did my best to adjust and find my footing. Looking back, I can see that I probably stayed longer than I should have, but at the time it felt like the right decision.

That experience taught me a great deal about resilience, adaptability, and the importance of recognising when change is necessary. It also highlighted how workplace culture can profoundly impact one’s sense of purpose and motivation.

Whilst here at Rugby, were there any teachers or members of staff who had a lasting impact on you, and what are some of your favourite memories?

That’s an interesting question! During my interview with Jim Woodhouse, I was asked what sports I might like to do if I came to the School. I explained that I had some knee issues and was due for surgery, so my options were limited but I said I wanted to learn to shoot. His jaw practically dropped! Coming from the countryside, where my father had a licence and shooting was a normal part of life, it just seemed natural to me. Apparently, no one had ever imagined that one of the girls might want to do that, and I think that moment really helped secure my place. And, of course, it was “Killer Pat” Mike Pattinson who went on to teach me to shoot, so he was quite influential in my Rugby story.

When I first arrived at Rugby, I was very much in awe of the place! The history, the teachers and the whole atmosphere. It felt so prestigious, and I think because of that, I tended to keep to myself and focus on working hard rather than getting to know the staff personally. Bob Nicholson, who was Head of Art, once said to me that I was very “self-contained,” and I think that was true. It wasn’t that the teachers weren’t approachable, but rather that I put them on a bit of a pedestal and kept a bit of a protective wall around myself.

That said, the teacher who really made a lasting impression on me was John Peirson. He taught one of my elective subjects in the Sixth Form, I can’t even remember which one now, but he was such an intelligent and engaging man. He had this wonderful ability to sense when the class’s attention was drifting. He’d suddenly stop and say, “I think we need a red herring,” and then launch into a completely different topic, something thought-provoking and unexpected for about ten minutes. It was brilliant. Those little diversions gave us a mental reset and reminded us that learning could be fun and wide-ranging.

John Peirson was the one who really instilled in me a lifelong enthusiasm for learning. He showed that education wasn’t just about ticking boxes or memorising facts. It was about curiosity, energy and joy in discovering new things. That, I think, is what has stayed with me most from my time at Rugby.

During your time, did you feel as though there was a large difference between the girls and boys e.g., in terms of rules, dress/uniform, teachers for example?

Well, let’s start with dress and uniform, because that’s one of the things that really stands out in my memory. I remember seeing the boys’ uniform list. It ran to several pages and included wonderfully formal phrases like “a sports jacket of sober design.” I always used to wonder, what exactly would an “unsober” jacket look like? The boys had striped shirts, house ties, and a full inventory of sports kit.

By contrast, the girls’ uniform list was only about three lines long. It simply said something like “adequate or sufficient business-like attire and sportswear.” That was it! So, my mother took me to a local consignment shop, I suppose I was one of the early recyclers, and we put together what would now be called a capsule wardrobe: a couple of shirts, a couple of skirts and a few things that could be mixed and matched.

But not long after we arrived, though, there was a bit of an issue over corduroy trousers, which were very fashionable in the late 1970s. They were warm, practical, and didn’t need ironing - perfect for school life. Many of us girls wore them, but the boys were only allowed dark grey or black flannel trousers. They thought it was unfair that we could wear cords and they couldn’t, so in the end the rule was reversed and we had to stop wearing them. So, while you might have expected the boys to make allowances for the new girls, in that case it was the other way around!

As for discipline, I honestly don’t recall any of the Dean girls ever getting into serious trouble. Perhaps we were just very well-behaved, or maybe we were simply better at not getting caught! I do sometimes wonder what form discipline for the girls would have taken if it had ever been needed, because I truly don’t remember any examples.

When it came to teachers and general interactions, there were a few subtle differences. Some of the teachers were quite comfortable addressing the boys by their surnames as was the tradition but they seemed less sure how to address the girls. Some used our first names, while others said Miss followed by our surname, like “Miss Hartill” in my case. It was a bit of a transitional period, really, and everyone was finding their footing in this new, mixed environment.

Overall, though, I think we mostly adapted remarkably well. There was a sense of adjustment on both sides, but also a quiet determination to make it work and in Dean House, at least, it really did.

As you know, this year marks 50 years since girls joined Rugby School - an incredible milestone. How do you feel that your time at Rugby shaped who you are today?

Well, apart from feeling very, very old! It’s incredible, isn’t it? There are so many 50th anniversaries happening at the moment. It’s been over 50 years since the last time anyone stepped on the moon, 50 years since Bohemian Rhapsody came out and I remember that like it was yesterday! It’s amazing to think that it’s also been 50 years since girls first joined Rugby School.

In terms of how my time at Rugby shaped me, I probably wouldn’t have said it had much of an impact for the first couple of decades after leaving. Back then, there wasn’t the same kind of ongoing connection between alumni and the School. I’d receive the annual magazine, of course, but there wasn’t really any active engagement, and life just moved on.

That changed around 2008 or 2009, when Rugby suddenly came back into my life. Out of the blue, I got a call from my former Head of House at Mitchell, who said, “Do you remember Bob Montgomerie, our Housemaster? He’s retiring and we’re organising a dinner for him, can you come?” I was living in the United States at the time, so I couldn’t make it, but I said, “Let’s definitely meet up when I’m next over.” And that was really the start of something wonderful, the Mitchell House dinners, which Adrian Fox organises so brilliantly. He always gave me plenty of notice so I could plan trips home to attend.

I also began going to the real estate dinners held each November, which also tied in perfectly with my visits back to the UK. It was during those years that I truly realised I was part of what people call the “Rugby family.” Before then, I hadn’t really thought of it that way, but the sense of connection and shared experience became very real to me.

Living in America for so many years, people often asked where I’d been educated, and when I told them I’d gone to school in England at the place where the game of Rugby football was born and their faces would light up. It was a great icebreaker and always sparked a good conversation.

Since then, I’ve loved coming back for the dinners. They’re full of warmth, laughter, and a good bit of English humour, which I have to say, my American friends never quite understood, even if they loved my accent! I’ve probably only missed one of those dinners in the past twelve or thirteen years. We even have a little trophy that gets awarded each time for fun. I once won it for flying the furthest to attend.

So yes, Rugby definitely shaped who I am, perhaps more than I realised at the time not just in terms of education, but through the sense of belonging, resilience and shared tradition that has stayed with me ever since.

What advice would you give to the girls currently at Rugby, or those wanting to join?

Well, for those thinking about joining Rugby, I’d actually say it’s really important that the decision comes from the student herself. I was once asked probably 10 or 15 years ago by a man a little older than me who was considering sending his daughter to Rugby, and he wanted to know what I thought the pros and cons were. My answer was simple. It has to be her decision. What we as parents see is often quite different from how our children experience things. They’re the ones who have to live it, not us, so they need to feel it’s the right environment for them.

As for girls currently at Rugby, if I were to try to give advice to my 18-year-old self, I suspect she would have listened politely, said “thank you,” and then gone off to do exactly what she wanted anyway! And that’s perfectly fine, that’s what being young is all about.

I think in today’s world, it’s almost impossible to hand out one-size-fits-all advice. Every girl’s path will be different. What’s far more valuable is encouragement and support, giving them the confidence to explore, to make mistakes and to find their own way. So rather than advice, I’d say: trust yourself, stay curious, and know that you have the skills and resilience to shape your own future.

Looking back, is there anything you wish you had known during your time here, or anything that you would like share?

I think I wish I’d known just how quickly life goes by. When you’re 16, or 13 now, as many students are when they start, anyone in their 60s seems impossibly old. And yet here I am, and I can still picture my time at Rugby as if it were yesterday. Looking back over the decades, I realise how full life has been, but those school memories remain so vivid almost like little snapshots frozen in time.

I sometimes wonder if I truly made the most of my time there. I’m sure there were things I could have tried but didn’t. When I visited for the 450th anniversary, I was absolutely amazed by how many opportunities there are now for students, and the facilities are phenomenal. I took a tour of the sports centre, and it was incredible!

Back then, we quickly learned that if you joined the swim team, you were allowed to use the pool unsupervised at weekends which sounded ideal to me, especially after my knee surgery. So, I signed up, even though I wasn’t much of a swimmer. I still remember turning up for my first training session around 5 p.m. The pool was 33 metres long, and they hadn’t switched the filtration system on early enough. The deep end was a lovely pale blue, but the shallow end was bright green! I had to dive straight in and swim through it and that’s one of those little Rugby memories that’s stayed with me.

When I revisited Dean House, I had another lovely moment. I wanted to see my old room again which was the first one on the right as you went in and discovered it’s now the linen closet. So yes, I can officially say I once lived “under the stairs” at Dean, very much like Harry Potter before he even existed.

Of course, it wasn’t always easy. For some of the girls, it was a real challenge being in such a new and male-dominated environment. I think my self-contained nature helped me a lot and it gave me a bit of protection and perspective. But not everyone found it as easy to navigate.

Years later, I ran into an Old Rugbeian in America who had been my Head of House in my very first term. It was his Oxbridge term back then, and one of the first things he said to me after the initial hello was, “I want to apologise for how we treated you. We just didn’t know how to deal with girls. You were something entirely new to us.” He’d come from an all-boys prep school and went straight into Rugby when girls first arrived, so for him, it really was like dealing with an alien species, as he put it! But I was able to reassure him that I was fine. It was all a learning process for everyone.

It’s easy to forget now just how small our numbers were, there was only about twenty girls in 1978 and of course, it wasn’t balanced yet. We were still figuring out how things worked, even in small details. For example, the boys’ houses all had a Head of House, a clear structure of leadership and recognition, but the girls didn’t. There was no equivalent for us, no “Head of Dean” or “Head of Crescent” which meant we had no official position of responsibility to mark our seniority or experience.

Eventually, the School decided to make the girls in our final year “honorary sixths.” We were allowed to wear a cream straw boater with a school-coloured band instead of a tie. I still have a picture of myself wearing it. It was such a small gesture but meant a lot. It showed how the School was adapting, bit by bit, as situations arose. No one could anticipate every challenge that came with introducing girls into what had always been a boys’ school.

Looking back, I can honestly say it was a unique experience challenging at times, but also full of growth, humour, and memories that have lasted a lifetime.

What does it mean to you to be part of Rugby’s history, especially in this 50th anniversary for girls at the School?

It’s probably best summed up in one word: wow! Honestly, I never thought about it in those terms at the time. Back then, it was simply two years of my life, I had no expectation that I’d ever come back or that it would become such a meaningful part of who I am.

But now, looking back 50 years on, I feel immensely proud. It’s one of those tiny nuggets of history you look at and think, “That was me, I was part of that.” I was one of the first girls at Rugby, at a moment when everything was new and uncertain. It’s a lovely feeling a mix of pride, nostalgia and gratitude. And I have to say a huge thank you to my mum and dad, who made it possible for me to be there in the first place. None of it would have happened without them.

Is there anything you would like to add?

Anything else? I think really just a very big thank you, especially to Tracy Ahmet, who does the most amazing job. Through her and all the events she’s organised, I’ve made so many new friendships. Not just with people who were my contemporaries at Rugby, but also with others I’ve met since. We all share that same, deep-rooted connection.

I remember one moment, I think it was during the 450th anniversary celebrations when I was sitting in the Chapel, waiting for the service to begin. It was the first time I’d heard that magnificent organ boom in decades, and I just felt this wave of emotion. The tears started rolling down my face, and then I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder. I turned around and saw a gentleman I recognised from one of the Mitchell dinners I didn’t know him well, but he leaned forward and said, “It’s OK… it gets me like that sometimes as well.”

That moment really captured it for me the sense of belonging, of shared experience, and of friendship that continues long after our time at Rugby. It’s not just the bonds we formed back then, but also the ones we’ve built since. That enduring connection is something very special.