Senior management team
Dr Claudia Canales Holzeis, Chief Executive
Dr Claudia Canales Holzeis, Chief Executive, obtained her DPhil in Plant Sciences from the University of Oxford in 2001. She has a near-decade experience in plant genetics research, and eleven years’ experience in projects related to rural development in Asian, African and Latin American countries. Claudia was appointed to the role of Chief Executive of the Kirkhouse Trust in 2020 and leads the charity’s Senior Management Team.
Emma Graham, Head of Administration
Emma Graham, Head of Administration obtained her BSc (Hons) in Biology from the University of Leeds in 2004 and joined the Kirkhouse Trust in 2006. She was promoted to the post of Deputy Trust Secretary in 2010, and to her current post in January 2020. She is a member of the charity’s Senior Management Team.
Dr Fleur Geoghegan, Operations Manager
Dr Fleur Geoghegan, Operations Manager, obtained her PhD in Environmental Toxicology from the University of Birmingham in 2008. Having previously worked as a research projects manager on EU FP7 projects, she joined the Kirkhouse Trust in 2011. Fleur is a fluent French speaker. She is a member of the charity’s Senior Management Team.
Dr Sonia Morgan
Dr Sonia Morgan, the charity’s former Trust Secretary (2000 to 2019) now focuses her support for the charity on financial oversight and investment liaison activities. Sonia holds a PhD in Genetics from the University of Edinburgh.
Administration team
Dr Philip Pinheiro, Science Project Coordinator
Dr Philip Pinheiro, Science Project Coordinator, joined the charity in August 2018. Philip obtained his PhD in Molecular Biology at the University of Portsmouth. He has 19 years of postdoctoral research in Developmental Biology, working for the University of Nottingham, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine and the University of Oxford. Philip’s research involved transcriptional signalling in blood stem cells and Leukaemia. Philip works on the charity’s ABC projects.
Dr Cynthia Sam, Science Project Administrator
Dr Cynthia Sam, Science Project Administrator, obtained her PhD in Cardiovascular Physiology and Pharmacology at Kingston University and St George’s, University of London before completing two years of post-doctoral research at the University of Oxford in Pharmacology and Physiology. Alongside her PhD studies, Cynthia was involved in pedagogical research. Cynthia joined the Kirkhouse Trust in August 2017 and she can communicate effectively in English, French, Cantonese and Seychelles Creole. Cynthia works on the charity’s West African Cowpea Consortium (WACC) projects.
Mr Mark-Sharbel Asman, Science Project Administrator
Mr Mark-Sharbel Asman, Science Project Administrator, joined the charity in December 2022. Mark-Sharbel obtained his MSc in Public Health at Oxford Brookes University in 2019. He is also a registered associate Nutritionist (ANutr) since 2019. Mark-Sharbel can communicate in English, Arabic and French.
Helen Holt-Davies, PA to Senior Management Team
Helen Holt-Davies, PA to Senior Management Team joined the charity in January 2019. Helen has solid PA & secretarial experience over 25 years. She has worked in varied settings, for both public and private entities.
Ann Lonie, Procurement & Dispatch Officer
Ann Lonie, Procurement & Dispatch Officer obtained her BSc (Hons) in Natural Sciences with Biology from the Open University in 2000. Ann manages the charity’s store and handles the purchasing and dispatch of equipment and consumables to KT-funded projects. Prior to joining the charity in 2016, Ann worked in a commercial role at Fisher Scientific and as laboratory manager for Allied Grain, running a busy cereal testing laboratory.
Malcolm Little, Kirkhouse Trust Maintenance Officer
Malcolm Little, Kirkhouse Trust Maintenance Officer joined the charity in 2014. Malcolm is a qualified mechanical engineer and holds a Certificate in Education. Malcolm carries out maintenance and repairs to the charity’s office.
Gordon Spankie, Accounting & Finance
Gordon Spankie, Accounting & Finance joined the charity in 2022. Gordon is a Chartered Accountant and has 36 years’ accounting experience. Gordon has a BA in Economics from the University of Leeds.
Gordon was Finance Officer at the Queen’s College in Oxford, a registered charity, for 16 years. He is also a Trustee of the North Oxford Overseas Centre, a charity providing affordable and welcoming accommodation to international post-graduate students, research workers and visiting scholars from all parts of the world.