Where are they now? | Spotted in the news

Where are they now?

Recent news and updates from our worldwide alumni network.

Christodoulos Christodoulou (MSc Clinical Embryology, 2010)

I am an embryologist and lab manager at the world’s largest sperm and egg bank, Cryos International in Cyprus.

Michaela Durrant (Geography, 1997)

After my Geography degree, and a master’s in Demography at LSE, I took up a VSO position in Zambia implementing HIV/AIDS-prevention programmes and evaluating their effectiveness. From there, I drew upon a different aspect of my degree and joined a Zambian NGO where I taught sustainable agricultural practices to subsistence farmers, enhancing resilience to increasingly unpredictable weather patterns. After moving to Australia, I returned to working in health, joining a fledgling breast cancer charity establishing specialist nurses in rural areas. A couple of varied roles later and I am now the Programme Director for a national mental health charity. It’s amazing where Geography can take you!

Ahmed Kerwan (MSc Medical Anthropology, 2017)

Dr Ahmed Kerwan graduated from Mansfield in 2018 before going on to complete his medical training at Guy’s, King’s, and St Thomas’ hospitals in London. He started his career as an academic medical doctor and clinical supervisor at Cambridge University where he published extensively on Covid-19, surgery, and health economics. Ahmed then joined the first NHS-backed venture capital fund as an investor (Clinical Analyst), where he specialised in early-stage healthcare technology. He is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health (MPH)/MBA degree at Harvard on full scholarship.

Donald Norwood (Theology, 1959)

Here I am in Oxford, struggling to write my fourth book, ‘Just Jesus and me?’ raising big questions about excessive individualism among Christians in a world that needs more communal help. Thanks to Mansfield connections, I also have three books published on Karl Barth, Vatican II, and Democracy, as well as chapters in another three OUP books. But alas, none is a bestseller so I must make the most of my pension!

Robert Porrer (French & German, 1963)

After a career in marketing and HR followed by managing careers and student services in polytechnics and universities in England, Scotland and New Zealand, my retirement has brought activity concerned with helping young people (especially the disadvantaged) make the transition from education to employment: as a school governor, Chair of My Cambridge (the local cultural education partnership for Cambridge city), and advisor to a local social enterprise. I am also playing a major part in the £3.5m development of a URC church in central Cambridge.

Daniel Seiderer (MBA, 2007)

After several years with PA Consulting and Accenture, I now work for Infosys Consulting based in Munich. The current generative artificial intelligence (AI) hype around ChatGPT keeps me busy, as helping our clients get the most value out of AI and enabling them to transform into AI First organisations (which put AI at the core of business strategy and operations) is exactly what I’m specialised in. Besides work, I enjoy the outdoors and try to spend as much time running, cycling, and sailing as possible.

Rhian Sherrington (Geography, 1988) FRSA, MSc

I’m founder of the global Women in Sustainability Network (https://womeninsustainability.net), resourcing women to flourish and lead the green transition. I’ve written two books on confidence and career transition, and I coach would-be impact-led professionals through their career transitions. I live close to the sea in Swansea with my husband and teenage son and daughter, plus our Welsh Sheepdog.

Anna Turskaya (Materials Science, 2008)

After reading for Materials Science at Mansfield, I obtained another master’s degree at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Technology & Policy. I then started working at the World Bank, looking at public sector support for science and innovation for international development. I recently got married to a lovely Frenchman in Paris and we have moved to Doha for two years. If any fellow alumni pass by, please feel free to let me know!

Spotted in the news

Alumni making headlines.

Torsten Bell (PPE, 2002)

Torsten is Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation, a think-tank focused on improving living standards for those on low incomes. In September 2023, he was named the UK’s tenth most powerful left-wing figure by the New Statesman.

Sir Chris Bryant MP (English, 1980)

Chris, a member of the Shadow Cabinet and Chair of the Committee on Standards and Privileges, has recently published Code of Conduct: Why we need to fix Parliament. He was knighted in 2023.

Rt Hon John Glen MP (History, 1993)

John was appointed Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office in November 2023. He was Mansfield’s JCR President in 1995 and comments that he has always been ‘very well disposed towards my old college’.

Guy Hands (PPE, 1978)

Bancroft Fellow Guy Hands has announced his retirement from private equity firm Terra Firma, which he founded in 2002. We hope to celebrate this landmark with Guy and his wife Julia at Mansfield’s Hands Lecture in May 2024.

Yolande Knell (English, 1994)

Yolande is a BBC Middle East Correspondent and has been reporting on the Palestine-Israel conflict in Gaza.

Munira Mirza (English, 1996)

After working as Director of the Number 10 Policy Unit, Munira founded a not-for-profit company called HENI Talks, which aims to make art more accessible. In December 2023, HENI released NFT: WTF?, a documentary about non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in contemporary art.

Justin Rowlatt (PPE, 1984)

Justin is the BBC’s Climate Editor, and most recently was in Dubai to report on COP 28.

Joseph Seddon (PPE, 2015)

Joe is founder of Zero Gravity, a technology company that helps students from low-opportunity backgrounds. He was Tech Entrepreneur of the Year 2023 and won the SE100 Leadership Award.

Dhruti Shah (English, 2000)

Dhruti is an award-winning journalist, producer and storyteller. In 2023, she launched a podcast entitled Have You Thought About That… about how to pursue a passion. It has been shortlisted in the International Women’s Podcast Awards 2023.

Mustafa Suleyman (Philosophy & Theology, 2002)

Mustafa is co-founder of Inflection AI. In 2023, he was named by The Times as one of the 100 most influential people in artificial intelligence (AI). His book, The Coming Wave: AI, Power and the Twenty-First Century’s Greatest Dilemma, was a Sunday Times book of the year.

Spotted a Mansfield alum in the news or been featured yourself? We’d love to hear from you! Contact us on: development@mansfield.ox.ac.uk.