About Atlas USA

Laurence Geller - Board Chair

Laurence S. Geller CBE, Chairman of Geller Capital Partners, is an accomplished businessman and entrepreneur, having led multi-national, hospitality and tourism corporations. In 1997, Mr. Geller founded Strategic Hotels & Resorts.  Previously, he held positions as EVP and COO of Hyatt Development Corporation, SVP of Holiday Inns and Director of Grand Metropolitan Hotels.  

Mr. Geller serves on the Board of Michels & Taylor. He previously served as Chairman of the IREFAC for six non-consecutive terms. He is the Founder and CEO of Innovative Aged Care, a UK based developer and operator of luxury dementia care residential facilities.  Philanthropically, Mr. Geller serves on the Boards of Choose Chicago, Children’s Memorial Hospital, British American Business Consul, and the American Jewish Committee. Mr. Geller is Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the International Churchill Society. Mr. Geller is the leading donor to the University of West London where he is Chancellor. He serves on the Board of the Royal United Services Institute for Defense & Security Studies (RUSI),  is Chairman of the Imperial War Museum USA and the Atlas Foundation USA.  

On December 31, 2011, Mr. Geller was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.  Mr. Geller has over 50 years of experience in lodging and has received numerous awards for service to the industry and his civic endeavors.

David Torres - Treasurer

David is a Professor of the Practice of Global Health and Social Entrepreneurship at Middlebury College, in Middlebury, VT, a role he has held since January, 2019. David serves on the boards of two other organizations focused on youth development, and is thrilled to be joining the Atlas family.

Previously, David served as Senior Advisor to the President and CEO of mothers2mothers, a Cape Town-based NGO working in the field of HIV and maternal and child health.  David worked at m2m for 12 years in a number if leadership roles, covering special projects, business development across Sub-Saharan Africa, fundraising and donor relationship management, and organizational governance. David began his career in finance, working for 22 years in Latin America, the US, and then London at JPMorgan Chase in a number of roles across different markets.

David holds US and UK citizenships, permanent residence in South Africa, and he is fluent in Spanish, French and Portuguese. He is married to Kathryn, and has two children. David is a graduate of Middlebury College, where he first played and fell in love with Rugby.

Christopher "Buck" Dominick - Secretary

Buck is a lawyer registered in the state of Colorado. Buck began practicing law in 1989, and started his own firm in 2002. Buck specializes in personal injury trial work, with a focus on dental malpractice. In 2016, Buck obtained the largest dental malpractice verdict in Colorado history.

Buck grew up in Denver, Colorado, where he lives with his wife Cindy. He is a graduate of Middlebury College, the University of Denver School of Law, and the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution. In his spare time, he enjoys fly fishing, bird hunting, skiing, cooking and tending to his vegetable garden.

Steven James

Steve worked as a pilot for 30 years, taking early retirement from British Airways’ Boeing 777 Fleet, to focus on other projects. He is an enthusiastic golfer and motorcyclist and a keen sportsman in his younger years. He understands how sport engenders not just physical attributes, but social skills, the desire to succeed in life and builds relationships and networks. Life as a pilot is all about teamwork, being able to work easily with new colleagues and socialise with anyone, anywhere. It’s also about being a diplomat and a representative of the organisation. He brought these skills to Atlas, helping establish its work in Argentina.

Steve is honoured to take on the role of Trustee and Board Member of Atlas USA, attending the New York launch and eagerly getting involved with both governance, plus charitable project development and monitoring, as Atlas expand their North American reach, hoping to improve the lives of so many young men and women through the power of rugby."

Suzy Fox

Suzy Fox is an American living and working in London. She has held several C-level roles in the tech industry and is passionate about growing businesses and start-ups. She has a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MBA in International Business and Marketing.

Her love of rugby began as soon as she moved to the UK and is an avid fan of both 15s and 7s. She has relationships with both the Kenyan and Ugandan rugby fraternities and has witnessed the power of rugby in transforming lives so joining Atlas was a natural fit. Suzy now hopes to help disadvantaged youth in America by helping extend Atlas's reach there.

In addition to her charitable pursuits, Suzy is an avid sailor and loves to bake when not watching or attending a rugby match. Her love of East Africa also extends to wildlife conservation and she is the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Uganda Conservation Foundation.

Sally Pettipher

Sally Pettipher is a specialist in sports philanthropy and CEO of the Atlas Foundation. She has worked in the charity sector for 20 years spanning child development, education, medical research and international development. For the last 10 years she has been instrumental in developing national and international sport and education charities. She has held Trusteeships for spinal research, community development and sports charities and was previously CEO of a leading post graduate teaching college.

Brendan Goffinet

Brendan lives and works as a Financial Advisor in Denver, CO having lived in London, New York, Dubai and Sydney, Australia. Most recently, Brendan was the Managing Director overseeing Merrill Lynch's wealth management businesses in Colorado. 

Brendan has over 25 years of financial industry experience, ranging from managing different financial services businesses in various jurisdictions, as well raising capital for governments, institutional tech, media and telecom clients and advising ultra-high net worth individuals and family offices on wealth management investment strategies. Brendan is a keen believer in the power of relationships and is fully focused on finding the right solutions for clients as they pursue their financial goals. 

Brendan holds a BSc "Econ" Honors from University College London and is married to Sam and they have three teenage children. Brendan has been a board member of Big Brothers Big Sisters, Colorado since January 2017 and is a founding board member of the Atlas, USA.

Stuart Bagshaw

As the Managing Member of British American Business LEAP LLC, Stuart helps overseas-based companies successfully establish a presence in the United States.  He and his company do that by taking responsibility for all back office administrative requirements, ensuring they are set up appropriately and thereafter managed efficiently and effectively. 

In addition to his role as Managing Member of BAB-LEAP LLC, he is currently President of the British American Business Council Inc., a non-profit business-networking organisation that oversees 22 different chapters throughout North America and the United Kingdom; and he serves on the board of the British American Business Council of Northern California.  Until his departure from the USA in August 2018, he served on the boards of two charitable organisations, the British Benevolent Society and Play Rugby USA Inc., as well as a board member of several commercial entities in the USA including SOS Hydration Inc., Taulia Inc. and CATERforce Inc.  He remains a board advisor to a number of UK and US based companies. 

Stuart started his career in the Royal Air Force, where he gained his engineering qualifications in radar, communications, and computer systems, at RAF Cosford, RAF Locking and later with the USAF at Peterson AFB CO and McGuire AFB NJ.

James Cameron

James is a senior partner at Milbank with over 25 years’ experience of banking and corporate law.  A former player at Havant, Rosslyn Park and Harlequins, he brings an excellent rugby and business network. His firm, Milbank, provides Atlas with pro bono legal advice and hosts various Atlas events in the UK and the USA. 

Stuart Girling

Stuart is based in New York and works in the insurance industry having previously lived and worked in London. He is the co-leader of ProQuest, the division of Alliant Insurance Services focused exclusively on the legal industry. He has more than 25 years experience in the insurance industry and specializes in professional liability, employment practices liability, management liability insurance and data breach security insurance for mid to large size law firms.

Stuart holds a BA Honors degree in Politics and Economics from Liverpool John Moores University, England. He is sports enthusiast including soccer, rugby, tennis and golf and was previously involved in youth soccer coaching in his home town of Rye, NY.  He is an ATLAS USA board member.