Meet Our New Board Members
The 251st Annual General Meeting on 27th January saw the election of five new members to St. George’s Society of New York’s Board of Directors.
Victoria Hanson
Tori is a media industry veteran with 15+ years’ experience launching, growing and licensing brands for both startup and legacy businesses—most recently at The New York Times. In October, she joined the world of entrepreneurship, where she will be using her business development/growth skills to identify ways to reduce the growing levels of social isolation accelerated by the pandemic.
Tori is a graduate of Durham University, England and MBA candidate at Cass Business School, University of London.
Why did you join St George's Society? Initially to meet like-minded people after my husband and I moved to NYC. We knew nobody. But we’ve stayed members in order to support the beneficiaries across New York City and the incredible team at SGSNY who make that possible.
What are you looking forward to as a Board member? Increasing awareness of the great work that the team are doing, and therefore hopefully, increasing the number of people SGSNY is able to help.
What brought you to New York City? Classic expat story of a work transfer (my husband’s not mine). Originally, we planned to stay for 2 years, and that was 8 years ago. NYC is a special place, and we now call Long Island City, Queens home.
Where’s your favorite place to visit in New York? There are too many to mention, but I love the unknown, out-of-the-way places that are real hidden gems. Recent discoveries include the Color Factory and Rosecrans (a coffee shop / flower store) and my favorite for live music Brandy’s on the Upper East Side.
Ricardo Hollingsworth
Ricardo is a Partner at Akerman LLP who focuses his practice on the representation of private equity and venture capital firms in connection with their fund formation and portfolio company investments. In addition, he represents institutional investors, including foundations, endowments, public and private pension plans, and insurance companies in connection with their investments in alternative assets, direct investments, and secondary transactions. He is a retired US Air Force Captain and formally served as a law clerk for the Honorable Joseph W. Hatchett, US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
Why did you join St George's Society? I joined St. George’s Society because my long-standing interest in its charitable mission and programming.
What are you looking forward to as a Board member? Joining the Board allows me to act on furthering those interests and playing a greater role in the growth and success of SGSNY.
Where’s your favorite place to visit in New York? Central Park
Rita Kakati-Shah
Rita is an award-winning, gender, diversity, inclusion and career strategist, speaker and advisor to Fortune 500 companies. She is the Founder and CEO of Uma, an international platform that partners with organizations to attract, retain and develop women and minorities in the workforce. Prior to Uma, Rita lead Business Development globally in CNS healthcare. Rita began her professional career at Goldman Sachs in London, where she was awarded the prestigious Excellence in Citizenship and Diversity Award. She is also the recipient of the King’s College London Distinguished Alumni Award in recognition of her outstanding professional achievement, civic leadership and service to her alma mater. Rita is also the triple Stevie Awards for Women in Business winner in recognition of her global leadership, entrepreneurship and services to business.
Rita is a graduate of King’s Business School, and actively involved with the King’s Leadership Mentoring program, Diversity Mentoring Program, Entrepreneurial Institute and is also a member of the New York and Los Angeles Alumni Committees. She is also a LeanIn USC Mentor where she mentors women veterans and military spouses, survivors of domestic violence, women in technology and STEM, schoolgirls and university students. Rita also served on the Women in Legal Profession Committee of the New York City Bar Association, Co-Chairs the Working Moms of the J at the JCC of Manhattan, is an ACP Women Veteran’s Founding Circle member in the US, Governing Board member of Ormiston Park Academy in the UK and an Oversees Ambassador to the London Bihu Committee.
Why did you join St George's Society? I initially joined St. George’s Society to meet fellow Brits who moved to NY from the UK. As I attended more events, I became an official member and truly got to appreciate not only the fun events and get-togethers, but more importantly, saw firsthand the incredible breadth and impact of the Society’s various philanthropic endeavors both here as well as back home.
What are you looking forward to as a Board member? I’m passionate about diversity, inclusion and equality, so am looking forward to meeting and learning from other Board Members, and getting my teeth into growing the Society’s presence to wider backgrounds and voices around NYC.
What brought you to New York City? A girl from Hornchurch, northeast London originally, I moved to New York in 2011 after getting married.
Where’s your favorite place to visit in New York? Lincoln Center
Marcus Rayner
Vice Chairman in Colliers’ New York office, Marcus focuses on strategic planning and transactions for tenants especially in the Technology and Legal sectors. With over 30 years of real estate experience, he is a truly global professional with a broad real estate background, having transacted on three continents and engaged in tenant and owner representation, investment sales, appraisal and development in the United States, Europe and Asia.
Marcus began his career as a Chartered Surveyor with Weatherall Green & Smith (now BNP Paribas Real Estate) in the United Kingdom. He relocated to New York in 1987 to manage the firm’s U.S. business, became a Partner, and developed global alliances with First Pacific Davis (now Savills) in Asia, and Cresa in the US, before merging it with Cresa. As Managing Principal and Global Board member, Marcus grew Cresa in New York to approximately 40 professionals before joining Colliers in 2016.
Marcus is a leader within CoreNet Global, the association for Corporate Real Estate professionals. He served as a Global Board member (2014-2015) and New York Chapter Chair/President/VP/Secretary (2009-2012) during which time the Chapter won Global Chapter of the Year twice. He founded its Public Policy and Landlord Circle Committees and currently serves as an Advisor to the Board. Marcus also served on REBNY’s Commercial Board of Directors from 2011-2014. He is the former Vice Chair for the Board of the West Side YMCA and a preferred provider for the Robin Hood Foundation in New York City.
Marcus earned a BSc in Estate Management from Oxford Brooks University and qualified as an Associate of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (ARICS).
Why did you join St George's Society? My original interest stemmed from wanting another British connection in New York, particularly one with a charitable focus. I was fortunate to have two friends heavily involved with the organization in Philip Warner and Anna Titley, and was always impressed with their commitment St. George’s Society’s worthwhile causes. I have been involved with a number of large associations but have also been attracted to the impact that smaller ones can make and the community they foster.
What are you looking forward to as a Board member? Getting involved in any area I can be of help, working with Clare and her team and my fellow Board members. I am interested in the Scholarship Program, partly because I have experience mentoring younger people looking to advance careers at my firm, other associations and even with students in the Business Management Department at CUNY. I have two teenage boys in various stages of applying to or attending college and am therefore very familiar with the daunting reality of needing to pay for higher education. I also believe in the importance in the long term of giving younger people an opportunity to participate in and feel the benefits of being connected to St. George’s Society.
What brought you to New York City? I had an American godfather that sparked my interest in coming here in my teens and was fortunate to get a posting here in my mid-20s for a London-based firm I was working for. It was only meant to be for two years, but life in New York and then meeting my future wife persuaded me to stay a little longer.
Where’s your favorite place to visit in New York? Choosing a single place in New York is virtually impossible for me, but I love the ever-changing New York skyline and always send visitors to the “Top of The Rock” for a perspective of the City from that vantage point. But New York is really about life on the street in neighborhoods, with restaurants, entertainment and a variety of people, which I feel fortunate to experience in colorful detail through my job in commercial real estate.
