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Welcome to King's Regional Society US West Coast
Max Kirby (OK 2005)
Max left KCS in 2005 to read Modern History at Magdalen, Oxford. He joined Lehman Brothers on their graduate programme, straight into the teeth of the financial crisis. After two whirlwind years as a debt capital markets banker, he moved to Stockholm to work for a (then tiny) Swedish fintech startup called Klarna, where he led preparations for global expansion. On returning to London, Max advised alternative asset managers on raising capital and became the youngest partner at the boutique advisory house, VCP Advisors. In 2016, he accepted an offer from then-CFO at Stripe to join the payments unicorn. Today, Max is Director of Market Intelligence at Stripe and lives in San Francisco. He's an active member of the Episcopal church, and his other interests include history, politics, classic cars, and cycling through sundrenched mountains.
Our Regional Societies aim to unite the King's community internationally, providing the opportunity for our alumni to make new connections, cultivate meaningful relationships, have career related discussions, and attend events and get-togethers in cities around the globe where our alumni live and work.
Our Regional Societies are run by alumni for alumni – King’s College School works closely with a team of volunteers who stage events globally to connect alumni.
The King's Regional Society US West Coast was established in 2024 and will be staging its first event in 2025.
Max Kirby (OK 2005)
Chair of the King's Regional Society US West Coast
Max left King's after completing his International Baccalaureate in 2005, followed by a BA in Modern History at The University Max is Director of Market Intelligence at Stripe, based out of San Francisco. He has been with Stripe for nearly 8 years - prior to which he was Partner at VCP Advisors in London, providing tailored execution and advisory services to corporates, limited partners, and private equity and hedge fund managers. He has also worked in Stockholm for Klarna for two years.
Ryan Houghton-Berry (OK 2010)
Co-chair of the King's Regional Society US East Coast
Ryan left King's in 2010 and went on to study a BA in Public Policy at Duke University, followed by an MBA at The University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business. He is currently VP Business Planning and Communications for Goldman Sachs in New York where he leads Global Marketing's functional business planning and communications, including management of firmwide marketing budget, senior leadership reporting, and CMO-led events and comms.
Jin Hyung Lee (OK 2010)
Chair of the King's Regional Society of Asia
Jin was educated in Singapore before joining King's for his IB, and and then went on to gain a BA as well as an MEng in Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from the University of Cambridge. Jin is currently Business Development Manager at GreeneGene, as well as Managing Partner at Advanced Growing Labs.
James Smith (OK 1995)
Chair of the King's Regional Society of Australia & New Zealand + Global Chair of the King's LGBT+ Knowledge Network
James (He/Him) studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Warwick, graduating in 1999. He began his career at the BBC, focusing on technical project management and engineering operations. In 2010, he joined the London 2012 Olympic Games, managing venue technology procurement. Afterward, he worked at SkyTV, the BBC, and on the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. James became Head of Technology for the 2018 Invictus Games and the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. He now works as Director of Court Technology Services in Queensland. A longtime advocate for LGBTIQ+ inclusion, James has supported LGBT+ networks and committees throughout his career and is eager to assist with Kings’ LGBT+ alumni network, as well as growing the King's Regional Societies in Australia and New Zealand. He lives in Brisbane with his husband.
Peter Cureton (OK 2006)
Co-chair of the King's Regional Society US East Coast
Peter left King’s in 2006 and studied Money, Banking, and Finance at Birmingham University. He spent most of his early career at Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse in London, New York, and Hong Kong. He is currently working with Private Equity portfolio companies, driving business transformation and value creation.
Outside of work, his world is dominated by his three small children and their various football commitments, watching Arsenal on his phone while standing on the sidelines and dreaming of the days when his weekends were free to play golf.
Max Kirby (OK 2005)
Chair of the King's Regional Society US West Coast
Max left King's after completing his International Baccalaureate in 2005, followed by a BA in Modern History at The University Max is Director of Market Intelligence at Stripe, based out of San Francisco. He has been with Stripe for nearly 8 years - prior to which he was Partner at VCP Advisors in London, providing tailored execution and advisory services to corporates, limited partners, and private equity and hedge fund managers. He has also worked in Stockholm for Klarna for two years.
Ryan Houghton-Berry (OK 2010)
Co-chair of the King's Regional Society US East Coast
Ryan left King's in 2010 and went on to study a BA in Public Policy at Duke University, followed by an MBA at The University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business. He is currently VP Business Planning and Communications for Goldman Sachs in New York where he leads Global Marketing's functional business planning and communications, including management of firmwide marketing budget, senior leadership reporting, and CMO-led events and comms.
Jin Hyung Lee (OK 2010)
Chair of the King's Regional Society of Asia
Jin was educated in Singapore before joining King's for his IB, and and then went on to gain a BA as well as an MEng in Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from the University of Cambridge. Jin is currently Business Development Manager at GreeneGene, as well as Managing Partner at Advanced Growing Labs.
James Smith (OK 1995)
Chair of the King's Regional Society of Australia & New Zealand + Global Chair of the King's LGBT+ Knowledge Network
James (He/Him) studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Warwick, graduating in 1999. He began his career at the BBC, focusing on technical project management and engineering operations. In 2010, he joined the London 2012 Olympic Games, managing venue technology procurement. Afterward, he worked at SkyTV, the BBC, and on the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. James became Head of Technology for the 2018 Invictus Games and the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. He now works as Director of Court Technology Services in Queensland. A longtime advocate for LGBTIQ+ inclusion, James has supported LGBT+ networks and committees throughout his career and is eager to assist with Kings’ LGBT+ alumni network, as well as growing the King's Regional Societies in Australia and New Zealand. He lives in Brisbane with his husband.
Peter Cureton (OK 2006)
Co-chair of the King's Regional Society US East Coast
Peter left King’s in 2006 and studied Money, Banking, and Finance at Birmingham University. He spent most of his early career at Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse in London, New York, and Hong Kong. He is currently working with Private Equity portfolio companies, driving business transformation and value creation.
Outside of work, his world is dominated by his three small children and their various football commitments, watching Arsenal on his phone while standing on the sidelines and dreaming of the days when his weekends were free to play golf.
development@kcs.org.uk
+44 (0) 208 255 5408
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