Alumnae Spotlight: Dr Michelle Tempest

Class of 1994’s Dr Michelle Tempest MA LLM MB BChir (Cantab) ACAT – a Croydon High achiever in the fields of medicine, psychiatry, psychotherapy, business, law and politics.

Michelle worked for fourteen years as an NHS hospital doctor, psychiatrist and cognitive analytical therapist and continues to lecture in ‘medical ethics and law’ at Cambridge University. She is now a partner in the strategy consultancy company, Candesic, who deliver insight into specialist sectors, including life sciences, healthcare, technology and education. She has led multiple projects, reviewing market opportunities for investors and working with public and private providers to develop beneficial partnerships. She has delivered projects for NHS Trusts (acute, community and mental health), private hospitals, specialist hospitals, private patient units, community providers, care homes and Care at Home. In 2006 she edited the book, ‘The Future of the NHS’ and has delivered strategy projects for the UK government on ‘new ways of working’ including working with medical technology companies.

Michelle is the author of a book about technology and the human brain called ‘Big Brain Revolution: Artificial Intelligence – Spy or Saviour’ which was a best seller on Amazon in the AI sector in 2020. The book offers unique insights into the consequences of mixing psychology with technology. Despite the title, the book is not academic; it keeps knowledge simple and questions if humans can actually be manipulated by machines by personalising messages back to the brain and update love, desires and even our destiny!

Last year, Croydon High hosted Michelle as part of our Academic Scholars’ Programme, as part of a series of thought-provoking presentations seeking to address our relationship with society and each other, particularly in times of challenge. Michelle’s talk was incredibly interesting and posed some pertinent and perplexing questions regarding the future (and ethics!) surrounding artificial intelligence. She generously gifted a copy of her book ‘Big Brain Revolution: Artificial Intelligence – Spy or Saviour’ to each of the pupils who attended the session.

We are extremely proud of Dr Tempest and grateful for the inspiration she delivered to our pupils.

Mrs Roe

Alumnae Relations Manager