US Foundation

Graham Hill (Chairman) 

Graham studied Economics & Political Development, graduating in 1992. While at Exeter he was a regular member of the cricket and hockey XI’s, winning five UAU runners up medals and running the hockey club in his final year. He continues to be involved in the EUMHC Alumni network.

Graham lived in the US for nine years from 1996, then spent seven years living in London and and moved back to Darien, CT in 2013 with his wife and two children. He has been involved with Exeter’s Alumni Network Group since moving back to England in 2005 and together with his wife is also involved in a variety of education-focussed charities. He is a keen golfer but when he is back in England he can frequently be found at Lord’s Cricket Ground.

Graham has spent over 20 years involved in the financial markets with Citibank, UBS and Knight Capital. He now works for a UK-based international equity manager, Highclere International, focusing on marketing and client service with US endowments, foundations and public/private pension plans. 

Howard Appleby 

A British citizen, Howard has been in the investment business since 1982, when he began his career as an equity analyst specializing in basic materials and energy for W. Greenwell & Co. In 1985, he moved to the U.S. and started a 16-year sell-side career, advising U.S. portfolio managers on non-U.S. equities in various research, sales, and management roles. In 2002 he became part of the Northern Cross group as an analyst. In 2003, he became a founding partner and portfolio manager for Northern Cross, LLC. He is a graduate of the University of Exeter, Exeter, England and is a CFA charterholder. He is also a board member of the University of Exeter U.S. Foundation and the Celebrity Series of Boston. 

Susan Alderton (Treasurer) 

Susan graduated in 1973 with a degree in Economics and Statistics. She lived in Lafrowda for two years and was a regular barmaid at The Ram. 

In 1978, whilst working for a U.S. Merchant Bank in London, she was transferred to New York City for a year and has remained here. She is married with two daughters and lives in Manhattan.

Susan’s most recent position was Managing Executive at Stephens Financial Group, the large-cap M&A advisory division of Stephens Inc., a private investment bank and securities firm. She went to Stephens from NL Industries, Inc., a global manufacturer of titanium dioxide and specialty chemicals. Her last position with NL was Vice President, Chief Financial Officer & Treasurer. Susan spent sixteen years with the company and for several years her finance roles simultaneously included: Vice President & Treasurer of Baroid Corp., a related drilling services company; and Vice President, Finance & Treasurer of Tremont Corp., a related manufacturer of titanium products. Previously, Susan had been the Assistant Treasurer of Avco Corp., a diversified aerospace/defense manufacturer and financial services company which was acquired by Textron Inc. In addition to a BA in Economics and Statistics from Exeter, Susan has an MBA in Finance from the NYU Stern School of Business. 

Neill Nuttall

Neill is the Chief Investment Officer (“CIO”) of the Multi-Asset Solutions (“MAS”) team within Goldman Sachs Asset Management. MAS provides multi-asset class investment solutions for a range of institutional and individual clients, focusing on customised asset allocation, dynamic implementation and portfolio construction and risk management 

 Based in New York, Neill assumed his current role on joining Goldman Sachs in 2014. Prior to that he spent 30 years at JPMorgan Asset Management (“JPMAM”) and heritage firms. From 2006 Neill served as CIO and Head of JPMAM’s multi-asset team, and as Head of Asset Allocation. Neill also served in senior investment positions in JPMAM’s Currency Group and in the International Portfolio Group at Jardine Fleming Investment Management. Neill began his career at Standard Chartered Bank working in both Hong Kong and Thailand.

As well as his time in New York, Neill has worked for 20 years in Asia and 18 years in London.

 Neill graduated from the University of Exeter in 1977 with a BA (Hons) in Politics.

Norah Odwesso

Norah is a corporate business leader, who currently serves as Senior Director, Social Impact at The Coca-Cola Company, based in Atlanta, Georgia. She leads the Company’s and the Corporate Foundation’s global social impact efforts, including economic empowerment programs. She joined The Coca-Cola Company in 2007 as the Public Affairs and Communications Executive Director for the business in Central East & West Africa, before moving to Atlanta, GA, where she has lived and worked for four years.

Her corporate career spans across both Finance and Humanities within the food and beverage sector. She has also served on various commercial Boards as Non-Executive Director in the financial services and as a Trustee of various not-for-profit entities in Kenya. She has a wealth of experience in driving business strategy and building initiatives that protect and enhance business reputation, while strengthening critical relationships with Government, civil society organizations and businesses.

She holds an MA in Finance & Investment (University of Exeter, UK) and a Bachelors’ Degree in Commerce (Hons) (University of Nairobi, Kenya). She is also a certified Investor Relations (UK) professional.

Her passion in life is about delivering a lasting positive impact in her community. She is a founder of a not-for-profit entity, Sense of Worth, whose core mandate is to enable academically gifted but disadvantaged young people in her country access high school education and mentorship opportunities for future leadership. 

She also sits on two US-based not-for-profit organizations whose goals are aimed at enabling communities to thrive and nations to prosper.

Norah is a mother of three young adults, Marsha, Kevin and Pat.

Doug Ebanks

Doug studied undergraduate Economics and Mandarin, followed by a masters in Financial Analysis and Fund Management at the University, graduating in 2016. While in Exeter, Doug lived in Holland Hall and later on Pennsylvania Road, playing rugby all four years and earning 1st XV honors.

After graduation, Doug emigrated to the US and worked in private investment for Brightwood Capital Advisors before leaving in 2020 to help found Lafayette Square - a startup impact investment platform that sought to invest in impactful opportunities in less trafficked markets across the US.

Doug is currently leading corporate strategy at Supply Factory Brands, a consumer-focused venture studio, and is a consultant for TGC Impact Management, a growth equity investor with a mission to invest in underrepresented founders.

Doug spends much of his time building businesses and working with other founders. Outside of work, he still plays rugby and is an avid reader of history and geopolitics.

Jon Davies

Jon has spent the last 20 plus years working within the recruiting and talent industry, having successfully built, scaled, and managed several talent functions in the United States, Europe and Asia.

Jon was appointed Partner and Head of Talent for Z Capital Group in November 2023 where he oversees the hiring and evaluation of all C-Suite executives, Board members and Operating Partners across ZCG’s portfolio companies.

Prior to this, Jon was Managing Director and Head of Talent at Lightyear Capital from March 2020. In his role, Jon focused on sourcing and hiring Senior Advisors related to Lightyears investing themes as well as hiring Board Directors and C-Suite Executives to the Lightyear Funds and affiliated Portfolio Companies. Jon previously worked at Point72 Asset Management, Blackstone, RBS, and Origin HR Consulting in various recruiting roles.

Jon holds a BSc (Hons) from the University of Portsmouth and a Graduate Diploma in Law (CPE) from the University of Exeter.

Jon is an avid sports fan and having spent over 16 years playing rugby, he is a big believer in the power of sport to develop core skills of leadership, communication and teamwork.

He is delighted to be a Board member of Play Rugby USA, an organization that uses the sport of rugby to inspire and empower youth, primarily from underserved communities.

Jon is married with two children and lives in New Canaan, Connecticut.

Officers positions: 

• President/Chairman: Graham Hill 

• Treasurer: Susan Alderton 

For more information about the University of Exeter US Foundation please contact the following. If you would like a personal telephone call, do please let us know and we will call you back – we would love to hear from you!

Jane Harding, International Alumni Engagement Officer, University of Exeter: J.E.Harding@exeter.ac.uk 

Eve Basher, Head of Development, United States, University of Exeter: e.basher@exeter.ac.uk

If you'd like to donate to support University of Exeter activity you can find all the information on how to do so on our donate webpage.