John Ramsay, ‘From Corporate Law to Social Impact: Building a Business to Transform Dementia Care’
St Catherine’s College proudly presents the last talk in the Trinity Edition of Catz in Conversation – our all-new webinar series by alumni, for everyone.
On Tuesday, 16th June, John Ramsay will close the first year of Catz in Conversation with an important lunchtime lecture. From studying Modern Languages at Oxford to becoming a corporate lawyer at Linklaters, John’s early career followed a well-trodden and impressive path. But, behind the scenes, something didn’t feel right.
In this talk, John will share insights from a career that has since taken him to founding a social venture across thousands of care settings in ten countries. He will reflect on his personal journey of questioning his early career path, navigating uncertainty, and ultimately stepping away to build a successful business with genuine social impact.
John will consider how purpose and prestige can vary throughout a career, how businesses can balance financial sustainability with meaningful outcomes, and how a focus on wellbeing, connection, and joy can reshape international approaches to care. Drawing on his work as Founder and Managing Director of Social-Ability, an organisation dedicated to improving the lives of people living with dementia and similar cognitive impairments, John will speak about scaling Social-Ability to operating across ten countries, supporting thousands of care homes, and helping local communities.
Alongside this, John will speak candidly about his personal connection to dementia, following his father’s diagnosis at the age of 52, when he himself was just 12, and his father’s death during his final year at Catz. Reflecting on this experience, he will also aim to raise awareness of dementia as a condition, and to challenge assumptions by highlighting how it is possible to live well with dementia when individuals are properly supported.
John Ramsay
John Ramsay (2003, French & Linguistics) is the founder of Social-Ability, a social venture dedicated to improving the lives of people living with dementia and other cognitive challenges.
He began his career as a corporate lawyer at Linklaters in London, following a well-established path after graduating from Oxford. He later made the decision to step away from this trajectory in order to pursue a more purposeful and impactful career. This shift was shaped in large part by his personal experience of supporting his father, who was diagnosed with dementia at 52 and died during John’s final year at university.
At Social-Ability, John leads the development and delivery of programmes that combine interactive technology with training and support for care providers across thousands of care homes, hospitals, schools, and care settings in ten countries. His work brings together a commitment to social impact, practical innovation, and a belief in creating more inclusive and compassionate systems of care.
To secure your place at our full term of online talks, please see here. All talks in the series are scheduled for either a lunchtime (1-2pm) or an evening (6-7pm) slot. All are free to attend and open to all. Lasting 45 minutes and followed by an audience Q&A, these talks are the perfect chance to strengthen your professional network, to advance your knowledge, and to hear from past generations of Catz alumni working in future-forward fields.
All webinars are hosted on Zoom. Unless stated otherwise, they are recorded and uploaded to our YouTube channel.
Date
15 June, 2026
Time
1-2pm
Venue
Online, via Zoom
Price
Free