Kathleen is an accomplished international finance, corporate and commercial lawyer with significant Big Law and in-house experience, in the banking, finance and oil & gas sectors. She spent over 20 years living and working abroad (Kuwait, London, Bahrain, Moscow, and Qatar), representing the world’s largest banking institutions and a national oil company in the Middle East. Kathleen's 40-year career also included the gift of a few detours. During what she affectionately refers to as her “9-year sabbatical”, she trained as an Executive Coach, procured a Master’s in Leadership at Georgetown University, and developed a consultancy practice. She also worked as a senior advisor to a non-profit think tank and global provider of leadership development.
  
Kathleen is newly retired from full-time work with time to play with grandchildren in NYC and Copenhagen, return to her true passion for living in a diverse international environment, and explore opportunities for her “third act”. Kathleen is thrilled to be joining Oxford’s Next Horizons with a cohort of like-minded people and for the time and place to discern her sweet spot – where she can leverage her unique personality, talents, energy, background, and experience in a new way that aligns with her values, serves the world, and brings her joy.

Philip is a proud husband and father of three adult children. He lived in Guyana and the Philippines, the youngest son of Protestant missionaries. He is a passionate golfer and avid reader and enjoys exploring new and old ideas, delving into how their evolution impacts our present lives and shapes our future. 

Philip graduated from the University of Washington in 1985 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. His career began as a US Army officer, serving in Europe and Southwest Asia, including the First Gulf War with the Third Armored Cavalry Regiment. 

He has a business background in technology and capital markets, and held senior roles in companies that built Internet backbone infrastructure and provided electronic trading solutions to stock traders. 

As co-founder of Latitude Wines, a wine import and supply chain management company, Philip managed business development, technology platforms, and regulatory compliance. The company now distributes nearly 19 million bottles of wine from over 15 countries to U.S. retail locations. 

Recently, Philip sold the majority shares of Latitude Wines to a London-based private equity firm but remains a minority owner and board member. He also co-founded PKX.LLC, a family enterprise focused on managing assets and seeking future investment opportunities. 

Tembi is thrilled to be part of the 2025 Next Horizon Programme and looks forward to an exciting period of personal reflection, sharing ideas and building new friendships. 

Tembi is from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, and her work experience has taken her to various sectors, including banking, retail, and tourism. In August this year, she earned a doctorate in Comparative Literature and African Studies from Penn State University in the United States. She conducted an interdisciplinary and intersectional study of contemporary Southern African migration literature and visual art. Tembi has designed and taught courses in African/Migration/Diaspora Literature, World Literature, Poetry and Poetics. During her time with Next Horizons, Tembi will continue researching forced displacements. Alongside her research, she writes poetry and short stories. Tembi is especially looking forward to taking long walks around Oxford, attending live concerts and visiting art galleries.

Looking forward to returning to Oxford after a 50 year hiatus, Geoffrey began his journey as specialist physician in 1973 at Worcester College and as Rhodes Scholar.  After returning to Montreal, he completed medical studies and specialty training in paediatrics, community medicine and epidemiology and biostatistics. He has had a rich and varied career in clinical care, teaching, research and hospital administration and physician leadership. His most recent decade has included a pivot towards education and service in the field of social paediatrics, hopefully with more to come.
His academic focus during the Oxford Next Horizons Program will be on understanding the role of groups of not for profit organizations in promoting infant, child and youth welfare in developed countries. He hopes to interact with the Oxford  Department of Social Policy and Innovation in this work. He also eagerly anticipates learning from his program classmates about private philanthropy in this field.

Finally, he also looks forward to riding his bike (with a Hi Vis vest) and rain jacket around Oxford to Program events and other Oxford venues. His wife will be joining him for much of the program to complete her masters thesis in art history while in Oxford.  

Geoffrey is ready for his next phase and eagerly anticipates arriving in Oxford in January.

Catherine Rochelle Duffy is a seeker, nature lover, and people person whose values centre around awe, faith, gratitude, hope, and service. She recently retired as the Country Leader for AIG Bermuda and is now transitioning, exploring opportunities after a successful career in the insurance industry.

Catherine is passionate about giving back to the global community. She has been a trailblazer throughout her career and has achieved many firsts in her field. Catherine is committed to continuous learning and keenly interested in geopolitics, philosophy, leadership, and supporting people, particularly helping black women realize their potential. 

Catherine authored the first comprehensive book tracing the historical development of the international insurance industry in Bermuda. An undertaking that made her contemplate what is historical fact or perspective. 

Catherine has been married to Nick Duffy for over 30 years and has two beautiful children. Her son Raven is a 25-year-old computer programmer, and her daughter Sedona-Sky is a 21- year-old musical theatre actor currently starring in Heathers the Musical. She lives on the magical Island of Bermuda and loves to go in the ocean at least once a week all year long.

Career & Leadership Coach, coachee, mentor, friend, daughter, sister, life partner, entrepreneur and past-Chief Compliance Officer.  

Recent transitions in life including selling her home of 7 years in downtown St Petersburg, Florida, and downsizing into a studio rental on the beach in Florida owned by a friend.  

During her career, Julie studied psychology, business, and leadership and enjoyed a 25 year career in healthcare administration as an executive, entrepreneur, and consultant. In 2020, the opportunity presented itself to pivot into a new career that aligned even more with her values and interests. She pursued coaching certification through iPEC and set up a coaching practice where she works with driven mid - to executive level professionals to identify their next values-aligned career step and transition confidently.

Her desire for her time with Next Horizons is to take her personal spiritual journey deeper by studying philosophy and arts and to transform her coaching practice to help her clients go deeper into who they really are and who they want to become. Julie enjoys being outside, taking walks, meeting up with friends, movies, books, music, yoga and living by the water.

After many years, Sara has finally had the opportunity to take her “junior year abroad”. She is very excited to experience Oxford-style learning and all that Oxford has to offer.

Sara has had three careers: as a business lawyer, the founder of a company that trained women lawyers in law firms to develop business, and as a podcast producer and host. She has written two books based on her career experiences: Bringin’ in the Rain: A Women Lawyer’s Guide to Business Development and Advice to My Younger Me: Career Lessons from 100 Successful Women.

She is passionate about helping younger women achieve career success, and has done this through her paid and volunteer activities. Sara has done speaking engagements and workshops, coached individuals and facilitated mentoring circles, all with a focus on helping women achieve their full potential in the workplace.

While Sara is at Next Horizons, she would like to focus her studies on the power of questions –– how questions be can be used to build strong relationships, increase self-awareness and foster positive social change. She looks forward to leveraging her Next Horizons experiences to discover her “next act." 

Sara is a native Californian and has lived in San Francisco for many years. The city reflects her values of progressive politics, diversity, and innovation.  She ventured out of California to attend Yale College and Harvard Law School and did a stint in Washington, DC. as a government lawyer. 

Sara is the mother of two adult sons and the grandmother to three children. She is also a pet parent to a Havanese dog. Her favorite thing is a great conversation, especially one that deepens her understanding of a topic or changes her mind about an issue.

Geetha has spent over two decades in technology starting out in engineering and now working in software product management. Over this time, she has experienced how powerful and transformative technology can be. She became an empty nester recently and with both her kids now in college, this is an ideal moment for her to take a short break and recharge her batteries. With rapid developments in AI, Geetha's objective on the Next Horizons programme is to explore cutting-edge AI advancements and reflect on their broader implications for the future. She is excited to discover new ways she can leverage AI in her field. Geetha's other interest is in the empowerment of women and the girl child, especially in India, and she is keen to spend some time researching this space as well. 

Geetha enjoys spending time with her family traveling, baking, watching movies, and reading. She thinks this time away from her fast-paced career will give her fresh perspectives and a chance to enjoy learning again, not to mention the opportunity to live and study at Oxford, which is a wonderful bonus.

With a focus on providing equal access to advocacy resources, Susan's career has spanned 40 years working primarily at non-profit organizations on three concerns: historic preservation, natural resource conservation, and climate change. Her last full-time employment was at Agnes Scott College’s Center for Sustainability where the heart of their work was supporting students and recent graduates, many of whom she continues to learn from as they pursue amazing careers. Now she volunteers, and sometimes works as a consultant, to facilitate conversations about environmental challenges. 

During Next Horizons, Susan plans to focus on options for advancing practical climate solutions she has experience with, expanding to a global context. Writing about these solutions to prepare for future publication is also a goal. And sharing her experience with the Oxford community would be a pleasure. 

Beyond work Susan likes to travel to new places, return to familiar places and spend time with family and friends along the way. She is a long distance walker who prefers to be outside but who is also inspired by time in libraries and museums. She looks forward to seeing the art, architecture and landscapes of Oxford and beyond.

Charles is a teacher and academic innovator with an interest in creating, and engaging in, new learning opportunities. For the past 20 years he has helped develop and lead masters’ programs in environmental management, business, and international relations for mid-career Canadian and international students, and previously taught at a US liberal arts college, and as a visiting faculty member and Fulbright scholar in Europe and Asia. Originally from Texas, he lives on in British Columbia on Vancouver Island with his wife, who will join him in Oxford, and their two university engaged children.

Charles has degrees in economics and international relations, and teaches, researches and works across a range of disciplines and topics including international development and trade, the longevity economy and life design. He has worked in Mongolia for over 30 years where he founded a non-profit organization that facilitates academic exchanges, research, and a field school for students, teachers, and lifelong learners. 

Charles is a certified executive coach with a specialty in the Design Your Life (DYL) curriculum and discovered the Next Horizons programme through his work with the Nexel Collaborative, a consortium supporting the development of late-career education opportunities. At Oxford, he is looking forward to building friendships, exploring new areas of learning, and having the time to explore and think about possible futures for the next stage of his career and life.

New York City (by way of Cape Town and Oxford). Trevor is Of Counsel at the Wachtell Lipton law firm in New York, having recently retired as a partner after a 35-year career focusing on M&A and corporate governance (with a side-hustle in international humanitarian law). He found that work enjoyable and meaningful, especially with the philosophical perspective they brought to it, but it was all-consuming and left little time for other loves, including family (his two grown lads are his proudest achievements), writing (plays, poetry, polemics), travel (mainly outdoor adventures and cultural explorations), and teaching (at Columbia Law School for 20 years, and hopefully now at Oxford too). Trevor plans to continue teaching and his IBA/ABA bar leadership activities, advocacy and work for causes he is passionate about (many of which are connected to his land of birth, South Africa, and recently to the frightening rise in antisemitism), and to travelling more. Trevor is very much looking forward to returning to bucolic Oxford for this intellectual sabbatical, engaging in deep discussions with his fellow travelers, and at last finding the true meaning of life (because the Monty Python movie didn’t quite get him there).

Godwin Obaseki is so excited to join the very diverse and rich class of Oxford Next Horizon 2025 to share his and learn from the deep experiences of the class as he steps back to reflect on what he should do with himself next. He just completed his second 4 four year term as the Governor of Edo State, Nigeria in November 2024.

Godwin graduated with a degree in Classics from Nigeria and stated his career as a Stockbroker in the mid-1980s. After obtaining an MBA in New York, he returned home in 1994 and founded Afrinvest West Africa Limited - an Investment Banking firm. As he navigated the peculiarities of running businesses in Nigeria and Africa, he had first-hand experience of the multi-layered costs of inefficient governance and its impact on the business landscape and standards of living.

This ignited his passion and commitment to public service and politics. In 2016, he contested and won the Governorship elections in Edo State, Nigeria and over the next eight years his administration embarked on bold reforms aimed at transforming his State into a private sector led subnational economy particularly focusing on Technology, Education, Health, Civil service and Culture.

Under the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (EdoBEST), they were able to significantly improve learning outcomes of learners by focusing on teacher performance by leveraging technology and innovative teaching methods. EdoBEST has become one of the models in development circles for educational reform.

They undertook reforms in the Civil Service by introducing technology and digital tools to create one of Africa’s fully digitized and paperless governments through the ERP-Governance platform.

Emphasizing culture as a tool for socioeconomic development, his policies and intervention contributed to the conversations on the return of the Stolen Benin Bronzes and ongoing construction of the Museum of West African Arts (MOWAA) in Benin City.

The Oxford Next Horizons Program presents an invaluable opportunity to further reflect and broaden Godwin’s understanding of impact, and mentor the next generation of leaders in Africa.

Anna Olliff-Cooper graduated as a doctor from St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical School, part of the University of London. After obtaining higher qualifications in Internal Medicine and Family Medicine, she spent much of her career as a family physician. She particularly enjoyed helping patients whose physical symptoms were underpinned by emotional issues.

Upon leaving medicine Anna went on to train as an artist, focusing on portraiture and life-drawing. She developed a special interest in drawing with red chalk, in the manner of the Renaissance artists.

When retinal problems prevented her from pursuing this further, Anna built on her previous fascination with people’s emotional issues to retrain as a therapist. She obtained a degree in Transactional Analysis under the auspices of Middlesex University, with an additional year of postgraduate training at Metanoia Institute in London. 

She initially worked on a pro bono basis for a Sexual and Domestic Violence charity, and also saw clients with a wider range of issues referred by family physicians. She is particularly moved by seeing how sexual, physical or emotional abuse sustained in childhood, continues to resonate throughout life and on into old age. 

Divorced with 2 grown-up sons, she lives in Winchester, and has enjoyed house renovation, walking, pilates, Lindy Hop and the visual arts.

Mark is a clinical-academic cardiologist based in central London for 25 years. He started medical school at UCD in Dublin in 1989, interrupted by way of a European Rhodes Scholarship (DPhil Physiology) from 1992 to 1995 before returning to Ireland to complete his degree. Postgraduate training in medicine and cardiology followed in London and Bordeaux, the latter of which gave Mark an appreciation of all things French! In addition to the challenge of blending a career in heart rhythm research with compassionate patient care, he is committed to mentorship, education and equality of opportunity for aspiring medics, cardiologists and researchers.

During the Covid pandemic, Mark lived an inexorable shift in career emphasis from cardiac arrhythmia research and practice to clinical leadership of the Cardiovascular Directorate at one of the UK’s largest and most influential healthcare providers at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. This shift has prompted him to re-evaluate his understanding of health, healthcare and its delivery in a constrained and resource-hungry environment as well as the limitations of traditional medical roles and training in promoting and maintaining the health of the population and the medical workforce.

Gérard is a partner at an international Management Consultancy firm. He is based in Barcelona and travels to clients and family intensively. A Biochemical Engineer and MBA, he spent his 25 first professional years working in different countries for Unilever and L´Oreal. Since 2008 he joined Integration Consulting in the Mexico City office, which he managed for 12 years. He moved to Paris and now Barcelona to develop projects in Europe. 

He has been married for 42 years to Tessa, an MD. They were both born in Mexico City. They have 3 daughters and 5 grandchildren.  

In Oxford, Gérard will explore what comes next, probably developing a practice to help Civil Society leaders using tools and methods developed during his management consultancy experience. 

Julia Flynn Siler is a New York Times best-selling author and journalist. Her most recent book, The White Devil's Daughters: The Women Who Fought Slavery in San Francisco's Chinatown (Knopf, 2019) was a New York Times Editors’ Choice and a finalist for the California Book Award. Her other books are The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty, a finalist for a James Beard Award and a Gerald Loeb Award for distinguished reporting, and Lost Kingdom: Hawaii’s Last Queen, the Sugar Kings, and America’s First Imperial Adventure. A veteran journalist, Siler was a foreign correspondent based in London for the Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek magazine and has been a guest commentator on PBS, the BBC, CNBC, and CNN. In 2016-2017, she was named a "Public Scholar" fellow by the National Endowment for the Humanities and is the nonfiction director of the Community of Writers. She lives in Marin with her husband Charlie, where they raised their two sons. She loves to mountain bike and rows with a women’s Masters team on the San Francisco Bay. www.juliaflynnsiler.com

Peter has had a varied career spanning three clear themes: technology, investing and philanthropy. The early part was in social and economic research then multinational electronics, a tech start-up which was sold, technology investing and in 1985 together with Schroders Bank he co-founded Schroder Ventures now Permira an independent PE company. Since 2000, he has blended commercial roles and philanthropic ones - serving on the boards of two INGOs (Marie Stopes and Population Services International), CDC, Actis, NPC - a philanthropic consultancy, and 20 years with Atlantic Philanthropies (a multibillion-dollar, spend-down foundation). Currently, Peter coaches CEO’s in a variety of charitable organisations. 

Peter's desire to focus on philanthropy led to the launch of their family foundation in 2004, the Kiawah Trust, with his wife Lynne who is an Associate Partner on Next Horizons. The Trust’s mission is to help build a world where every woman can create the kind of life she wishes to lead, unconstrained by harmful norms and stereotypes, without fear of prejudice, harassment, or violence and regardless of age, race, ethnicity, disability, religion, or sexual orientation.

Lynne and Peter divide their time between the UK & Spain. He enjoys reading, watching rugby & football and playing golf. He has 2 daughters and 4 grandchildren.

After 30 years at the Sydney Bar  as a Barrister and Senior Counsel , practising mainly in commercial and insurance litigation, He has been a judge of the District Court  for 11 years. He now sits exclusively in the criminal jurisdiction. For 30 years  he has also had an active involvement in sporting litigation in matters involving selection, anti-doping , commercial and disciplinary matters in various sports. In 2015 he was appointed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, based in Lausanne. He specialises in anti-doping matters, and sits as President of the Court panels in WADA compliance cases. He has been appointed to the ad hoc panel of judges for the Olympic Games in PyeongChang in 2018 and Paris in 2024.

He is an active competitor in masters rowing, surf boat rowing, surf ski paddling and cycling, and compete successfully  in national and international championships. Travel, Italian language study and a 500 acre sheep and beef cattle farm also keep me busy. His two sons are  both engineers, with one in the military on active service, and the other an elite sailor. His personal topic during the course will explore  the alternatives to full time imprisonment in the sentencing of criminal offenders. He has been appointed an Academic Visitor at the Centre for Criminology, under the tutorship of Professor Julian Roberts for the duration of his time at Oxford.

Karen has over 30 years of experience working in the world of marketing and sales. Her journey through the echelons of consumer products, (brands such as Evian Water, Koosh Toys, Pommery Champagne and Scharffenberger Cellars), laid the foundation for the success of Latitude Wines, Inc. (LWX).

At LWX, Karen played a key role in transforming the company from a start-up into a competitive mid-market player within five years. The team’s approach combined a focus on Fine-and-Rare as well as High-Volume wines and spirits, leveraging technology to streamline operations, reduce costs, and improve transparency for customers throughout the supply chain.

While Karen continues to be involved with LWX, her current passion lies in championing emerging businesses, particularly those led by visionary women, by offering support and guidance. She holds an MBA with a specialisation in Marketing and is passionate about helping entrepreneurs navigate the challenges of building and growing their ventures.

Frances is an educator who started her career teaching internationally and then returned to Canada as a school administrator.  After a decade as a school principal, she recently transitioned to a district level position where she is responsible for overseeing early learning and childcare programs and initiatives.  Frances’ interest in service and community has led her to several non-profit board positions from a historical society to a community house association to her current board responsibilities for an independent alternative secondary school.  She feels privileged to be able to step away from work and life on Vancouver Island for six months to build new friendships and experience a shared learning journey. 

Betsy Obaseki, the wife of ONHP Scholar Godwin Obaseki, is an accountant and banker, who has had a career in investment, merchant and more recently development banking. She holds B.Sc and M.Sc degrees in Accounting from the University of Lagos, Nigeria and a Masters in International Law and Diplomacy. An alumna of the Kellogg School of Business Executive Management Program, Northwestern University. Betsy has held notable positions including Head, Strategy & Corporate Transformation as well as Head, Business Development in the Bank of Industry Limited and Managing Director, BOI Investment and Trust Company Limited.

Mrs Obaseki served on the Federal Government of Nigeria's Committee on 'Outlining the Blueprint for Infrastructural Development in Nigeria' and the Central Bank of Nigeria's Committee on the Management of Intervention Funds for the Power Sector. She also participated in the crafting of the Nigeria Enterprise Development Program (NEDEP). She is a fellow of the Institute of Credit Administrators (ICA) and a member of the Institute of Directors (IOD). She is also a member of Nigeria Institute of Management (NIM) as well as the Association of Investment & Pension Managers (AIPM).

Upon assuming the office of the First Lady of Edo State (2016 – 2024), Betsy contributed towards the improvement of the quality of life of women and children in Edo State and across Nigeria through numerous projects. She addressed, in a sustainable manner, issues of protection, development and empowerment of the girl child, women and youth in general.

Lynne’s vision is a world where every woman can create the life she wishes to lead with safety, a choice and a voice. She spends much of her time running their family foundation helping to accelerate gender equality and justice in the UK and India. In her work life she was an organisational development consultant helping top teams and companies perform at their very best. Lynne and her husband Peter live in the UK and Spain, they have two daughters, four grandchildren and love golf, skiing, travel and finding ways to make life an adventure!      

Rebecka was raised in small country towns in NSW and now lives in Sydney. Rebecka graduated with a Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning from the University of New England in 2003.

Rebecka has worked in government and private planning roles for over 20 years. She is now a Senior Environmental Assessment Officer with the NSW State Government assessing state significant projects around the new Sydney airport complex.

Rebecka has also worked on state significant commercial, residential and social housing projects primarily within Sydney. She has also worked on cultural projects within Sydney Harbour including the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Theatre Company Wharves within The Rocks.

She enjoys travel, pilates, and outdoor activities including ski paddling, cycling and walks throughout local national parks and beaches. Rebecka is currently mastering the rules of pickleball.

While she is on leave from a busy role, the Associates Program is a wonderful opportunity to explore future options.