s Denver Barrows

Was there a moment that made you interested in ethics in your professional or personal life? I spent a lot of time at undergraduate studying at the intersection of politics, economics, and philosophy—and ethics was a big part of that. I particularly remember courses and tutors that pushed us to grapple with ethical questions in international relations, in security and conflict, and in the context of contemporary British and American politics.

Was there a moment that made you interested in ethics in your professional or personal life? This moment goes way back to when I was just eight years old. In 2008, there was an attack in Mumbai, India, by the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which took more than 150 lives. It was a very shocking incident for an eight-year-old to see live on television. I saw the commandos going down to secure the building and everything.

Was there a moment that made you interested in ethics in your professional or personal life? My earliest lessons in ethics did not come from classrooms. They came from my family, growing up in sub-Saharan Africa, where ethical behavior was modeled daily through discipline and the quiet affirmation of what was considered right. From a young age, I developed a strong internal compass. That clarity began to fracture in my teenage years.