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Claire Wathen

Managing Director, Global AlliancesSkoll Foundation

Biography

Animated by the power of connection, Claire cultivates and leads strategic relationships, Foundation-wide engagements, and regional activations of the Skoll network to advance social progress. Since joining Skoll in 2016, Claire has led multi-year global network building efforts and launched initiatives to increase access and inclusion, including the Skoll Fellowship and TEDx Skoll Series across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Claire is a co-creator and hosting team member of Wasan Network and advises organizations on growth and network strategies.

As a University of Oxford Visiting Fellow, Claire applies her multi-disciplinary background in contemporary dance, ecology, and philanthropy. She collaborates with Oxford researchers, industry practitioners, and the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship to teach and write about networks, collaboration, and collective leadership.

Prior to Skoll, Claire managed the San Diego Zoo's internal innovation and biomimicry lab under the CFO. She worked with corporate R&D teams, co-led organizational experiments, and developed programs to help deepen human connection with biodiversity. She is an alum of Seth Godin's altMBA, CCL, AVPN Impact Investing Fellowship, RSA, and JPCatholic University.

After 15 years of studying and teaching contemporary dance, Claire now choreographs spaces for people to connect and co-create a more just future.

Regional Focus

Caribbean, Central America, Central and Southern Asia, Eastern and Southern Africa, Eastern Asia, Middle East and North Africa, Oceania, South America, Southeast Asia, West and Central Africa

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