One year after Dr James Martin’s untimely death, we pay tribute to and celebrate his extraordinary life and the lasting and wide-ranging legacy that he left to the world.
In Oxford, Jim created a flourishing, vibrant community of the world’s leading minds, coming together in the Oxford Martin School to address the greatest challenges facing humanity.
Jim’s founding vision continues to drive the Oxford Martin School forward. Over the past year the School has moved into a new, permanent home in the centre of Oxford, with seminar, meeting and work spaces designed to spark new collaborations and conversations.
Beyond supporting research, Jim was passionate about the School’s ability to reach new audiences, across Oxford and beyond. In the past year we have hosted many public events including lectures with three Nobel Laureates, Al Gore, Professor Joseph Stiglitz and Professor Edmund Phelps; Kumi Naidoo of Greenpeace; Andy Haldane of the Bank of England and others. Partnerships with the World Economic Forum, Oxford Literary Festival, Virgin Unite, Citi and others have further extended our reach.
In October we launched Now for the Long Term, the report of the Oxford Martin Commission for Future Generations, the School’s flagship policy initiative chaired by former Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Pascal Lamy. Jim was committed to the aims of the Commission, which plays a key role in our endeavour to provide opportunities for policy makers, industry leaders and experts to explore and debate critical issues of the 21st century. Since its launch the Commission report has been accessed over one million times in 166 countries, and over 50 meetings have been held to take forward the report’s recommendations.
As we look back on the past year and develop plans to take the School to an even higher gear, we remember with immense gratitude the guiding vision and support that Jim gave to us. Despite our continued sense of loss, we celebrate Jim’s towering intellect and the wonderful generosity, friendship and warmth of the inspiring founder of the Oxford Martin School. In honouring his life, the Oxford Martin School is committed to realising his lasting vision.