US Foundation

Geraldine is Chair of the University of Bristol Foundation and co-head of Investment Banking for the Midwest Region and a member of the Industrials Group within the Investment Banking Division. She joined Goldman Sachs in 2000 as an analyst on the UK Advisory team in London and transferred to the Industrials Group in San Francisco in 2004. After leaving in 2006 to pursue an MBA, Geraldine re-joined the firm in 2008 as a member of the Americas Special Situations Group in the Securities Division in New York, where she worked on minority equity investments in privately owned businesses. She returned to the Industrials Group in 2009 and was named vice president the same year.

Geraldine was named managing director in 2013 and partner in 2016. Geraldine serves on the Board of Trustees of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, on the Posse Foundation Chicago Advisory Board and on the board of the University of Bristol US Foundation. She is also a member of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago. Geraldine earned a master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Bristol in 2000 and an MBA, with high distinction, from Harvard Business School in 2008.

Michael is a retired senior partner of EY (Ernst & Young), where he spent a 37‑year career working in practices across the UK, Europe, and the United States. Over more than two decades as a partner, Michael held leadership roles including heading EY’s Capital Markets Center in Central and Eastern Europe and leading EY’s Pacific Northwest assurance practice. His work spanned advising global clients, cross‑border transactions, and complex regulatory environments, with a particular focus on technology, life sciences, and high‑growth companies.

Michael has long been active in the Pacific Northwest's philanthropic community and has served as a Board Member of ArtsFund since 2009. ArtsFund is a Seattle-based nonprofit that has supported the region's arts and cultural organisations for more than 50 years.

Michael earned a BSc in Economics from the University of Bristol, graduating in 1986, and is a Chartered Accountant (ICAEW). He currently lives in Bellevue, Washington where he enjoys cycling, exploring wine, and travelling regularly with his wife Anne.

Timothy Parton studied Economics and Accounting at the University and graduated in 1986. He is a managing director and a portfolio manager within the JPMorgan Asset Management U.S. Equity Group. An employee since 1986, Tim has managed a variety of Small, Mid and All-Cap portfolios over his career. Tim has been managing the J.P. Morgan Mid Cap Growth strategy since November 2001 and the J.P. Morgan Growth Advantage strategy since its inception in September 2005. In addition, Tim is a co-portfolio manager of the J.P. Morgan Equity Focus strategy, the JPMorgan American Investment Trust and the J.P. Morgan Mid Cap Equity strategy.

Tim holds a BSc in Economics & Accounting from the University of Bristol. He is a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts and The CFA Institute and is a CFA charter holder. In addition to serving on the board of the University of Bristol US Foundation, Tim is a director of African People & Wildlife, a conservation organization based in northern Tanzania with activities in southern Africa.

Ben Quarmby is a partner with the litigation boutique of MoloLamken LLP.  He focuses on business disputes and intellectual property litigation and has represented clients as lead trial counsel in federal and state trial courts around the United States. His clients include US corporations, individuals and family offices, as well as many foreign companies, particularly from Japan and France.

Ben teaches US intellectual property law at the International Centre for Intellectual Property Studies (CEIPI) in France. He frequently publishes on topics including patent, trademark and trade secret law as well as art law, fashion law, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), artificial intelligence, social media, and privacy. He is also a regular speaker on issues such as third-party litigation funding, developments in patent, trademark and copyright law, and international arbitration.

In addition to serving as a Director for the University of Bristol Foundation, Ben also serves on the New York University Langone Family Advisory Council and its Diabetes Family Advisory Council. He is interested in all issues relating to Type 1 diabetes - medical, technological, social and beyond.

After graduating from the University of Bristol in 1978, Tim joined Barclays Bank International. His banking career continued until 2010 and included time in the US (Boston and New York) and London. He set up the bank’s loan syndications team in New York and moved to London in 1994 to become global head of loan syndications. Later known as Global Loans, this business grew within Barclays Capital to take responsibility for the execution and distribution of corporate and leveraged loans originated by the Barclays Group, as well as loan trading and structured trade finance, and worked closely with the bank’s loan portfolio managers. During this period, Tim spent time on the Management Committee of Barclays Capital and served as Chairman of the Wholesale Committee of the British Bankers Association.

Tim was also the founding chairman of the Loan Market Association, a position which he held from 1996 to 2005. The Loan Market Association, is the trade body for the EMEA syndicated loan market and now has over 850 member institutions, including banks, institutional investors, borrowers, law firms, rating agencies and other service providers.

Tim retired from Barclays in 2010 and his primary residence is on Cape Cod. He enjoys playing tennis and golf regularly. He and his wife Judi are collectors of contemporary art and have a close affiliation with the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, which is now part of Tufts University. Tim also serves on the school’s Advisory Board.

Based in Jackson, Mississippi, Ryder graduated from the University of Bristol in 2009 with a BSc in Mathematics and Philosophy. He joined New Perspectives, Inc., an independent, fee-only investment advisory firm, in January 2011 as its second advisor, and now serves as Managing Partner. Ryder became a CFA Charterholder in January 2015 and holds the Certificate in Investment Performance Measurement (CIPM) from the CFA Institute. He is the past president of the CFA Society of Mississippi's Board of Directors.

Ryder is co-host of Mississippi Public Broadcasting's weekly radio programme, Money Talks, and appears regularly on WDBD/Fox 40 news channel. He is a published author and former contributor to Parents & Kids Magazine, sits on the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science Foundation Board, and is an active Rotarian.

Dr Alison Taunton-Rigby, PhD, O.B.E., is an executive, leader and entrepreneur in the world of healthcare, life sciences and financial services. She has been President and CEO of several public and private biotechnology companies. As an entrepreneur she has founded, built and financed biotechnology companies, and has led teams that discovered, developed and introduced a number of life-saving drugs, many for diseases that affect children. Today these drugs are used successfully to treat thousands of patients.

Alison serves as a Director/Trustee on a number of public, private, college, foundation, non-profit, ESOP and mutual fund boards, and currently sits on the boards of Blumont Inc, the International Women’s Forum, Simmons University and Boston Children's Hospital.

Alison is a speaker and teacher in demand. She is active at the state, national and international levels, and has testified before federal congressional committees on issues of drug pricing, regulation, bioethics, and cloning. She is an active mentor to women, and also teaches at a number of Boston area universities in postgraduate courses.

Alison received her doctorate from the University of Bristol and is a graduate of the AMP program at the Harvard Business School. In 2002, she was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth II for her work as a leader in the research, development and promotion of biotechnology. In 2009 Alison was awarded a D.Sc. (Honoris Causae) by the University of Bristol.