Board of Trustees
Nick Lambert, Chair
A master mariner and a committed proponent of the maritime users’ perspective, Rear Admiral Nick Lambert concluded a long naval operational career as the UK National Hydrographer in December 2012.
A co-founder and director of NLA International, he advises on a wide range of maritime issues including the significant potential of the blue economy concept, and the importance of spatial data infrastructures and hydrography for maritime economies.
As a former captain of HMS ENDURANCE, he emphasises the criticality of the environment in the polar regions to our understanding of climate change and advocates the value of citizen science as a very efficient means of gathering valuable datasets to inform a wide range of scientific purposes. Nick also chairs the James Caird Society and is a trustee of Seas Your Future.
Nick’s expertise: Maritime Operations, Blue Economy
Dr Alex Cowan, Co-founder
Alex trained as a geologist, working on problems ranging from volcanic processes to CO2 sequestration and solution mining.
With a background in yachting and mountaineering, he transitioned away from academia to expedition cruising and for the last 10 years has been working as geologist and expedition leader in both the Arctic and Antarctic. When not on a ship he can usually be found with skis or sticky rubber on his feet.
Alex's expertise: Geology, Sea Ice, Climate
Dave Finnegan
Dave is an award winning Customer Experience Officer with experience in marketing, digital, supply chain and technology. Dave worked for Orvis (fly fishing company, est 1856) where he helped lead the company to the best results in its history. Prior to Orvis, Dave helped to start up Build-A-Bear Workshop, where he led digital and technology and, most notably, led the store of the future.
Dave has been honored with a number of awards, including Retail Industry Partner of the Year from Vendor In Partnership Awards 2022. In 2019 Orvis was honored with the Omni Experience Innovation Award from Retail Connections magazine and in 2017 Orvis received the Innovation Award for Omni channel retailing.
Dave’s work has been featured in numerous publications and books including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Ad Age, Retail Information Systems News, Integrated Retailer and Retail Connections.
Dave’s expertise: digital marketing, retail, customer experience
Anna Kettley
Anna has been working in the charitable and not-for-profit sector for nearly 20 years, leading on the development, implementation and delivery of services for vulnerable groups, both within the UK and overseas.
Anna is currently the interim Deputy Executive Director for Advocacy and Programmes at the UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK), leading on the organisation’s work to help protect and uphold children’s rights around the world, including over 2.5 million children in the UK. Prior to UNICEF UK, Anna held a variety of different roles, working with large scale NGO’s through to small-scale domestic charities, bringing a wealth of experience and expertise in this field of work.
In addition to Anna’s direct work experience, she also has a specialist Masters in charity management and is currently studying a second Masters in climate change and international development. Anna is an avid traveller, having visited both polar regions and taken part in the Polar Collective’s work in Antarctica.
Anna’s expertise: Charity Leadership, Management and Governance, Operations, Fundraising, Advocacy and Climate Change
Stephanie Martin
Stephanie is a marine mammal scientist focusing on baleen whale abundance and distribution projects. She has shared her passion for the polar regions working on expedition cruise ships for over two decades as a naturalist and expedition leader. During those early years, she worked with many citizen scientists collecting and sharing whale identification photos with whale research groups. With her background in marine policy, she also worked as the environment and conservation policy officer for the government of Tristan da Cunha, the world’s most remote inhabited island community.
Currently, Stephanie is the South Georgia whale project manager at British Antarctic Survey, based in Cambridge, UK.
When not in the field she enjoys photography and is a sports nut.
Stephanie’s expertise: Marine Mammals, Marine Policy, Logistics
Judson Bartlett
Judson is a strategic communications consultant specializing in nonprofit organizations. He has worked extensively with nonprofit leaders and boards throughout his professional career to help them refine strategy, clarify messaging, and enhance performance. He has served on multiple non-profit boards since 2007 in executive positions and as a committee chair for strategy and governance. Judson also owns and operates Pandrake Partners, an Antarctica-only travel advisory that helps clients choose voyages that align with their values and interests. He has travelled to Antarctica twice.
Jud's expertise: Strategic Communications, Non-profit Governance, Antarctica Travel
Secretariat
Dr Annette Bombosch, Co-founder
Annette is a biologist by training and studied habitat suitability of humpback and Antarctic minke whales in the Southern Ocean for her PhD. She not only has a deep passion for whales, but is also interested in the small stuff – such as the phyto-and zooplankton that supports the big marine mammals. She is interested in our understanding of how the different players in the food web work together and how we can ensure the conservation of the beautiful but fragile polar regions in our changing world.
Since her first time in Antarctica camping at the base of Mount Erebus, Annette has enjoyed working in the polar regions for 7 years. When not on board a ship, she can be found in Bavaria, Germany either on a bike or with hiking boots on her feet and a camera around her neck on the lookout for the local fauna.
Annette’s expertise: Project Relations, Marine Biology
Conny Bartl
Having grown up near the German Alps, Conny was introduced to the wonders of nature early on, developing an unwavering love and respect for nature's beauty and the natural world.
Conny’s enthusiasm and passion for Antarctica was born after embarking on her first expedition cruise in 2016. Witnessing Antarctica’s breathtaking majesty and untouched beauty first-hand, as well as experiencing close encounters with Antarctica’s wildlife changed her profoundly as a person – a change that has led her to leave the “corporate world” behind and seek a new career within the polar industry, working both on and off expedition ships.
With a background in Commerce and an MBA degree, she spent the past 20 years travelling the world – living and working in Asia, Australia, and the Middle East – until she now settled in the Canadian Rockies. When she’s not in Antarctica, you can find her exploring the beautiful peaks, turquoise lakes, and lush forests of her surroundings.
Conny’s expertise: Communications, Logistics
Liz Teague
Since a young age, Liz has had a strong affinity for the natural world and it’s wildlife which guided her studies in marine biology and geology at university. She first visited Antarctica in 2012 and since then has spent 12 seasons working in the polar regions. She is an advocate for conservation and is passionate about connecting visitors with the fragile ecosystems that they explore, with the hope to create ambassadors for these regions.
Liz now resides in Sydney and spends most of her free time in the mountains rock climbing or exploring all that the ocean has to offer.
Liz's expertise: Geology, Marine Biology
Additional Founders
Lauren Farmer, Co-founder
Originally Australian, Lauren grew up in the States and has been collecting "homes" ever since. With a background in TV marketing, she spent a decade living in New York City before transitioning to a career in photography. A grand pursuit of adventure took her to Antarctica in 2012 and fast forward, she is now enjoying her 7th year in the polar tourism industry as an Expedition Leader.
When not in the polar regions, Lauren splits her time between Canberra, Australia and the Scottish Highlands.
Lauren's expertise: Logistics, Communications
Ted Cheeseman, Co-founder
Ted grew up in California, whale watching and getting seasick in Monterey Bay from the age of a toddler. He was fortunate to be born into a wildlife expedition tour company, studied tropical conservation biology at Duke University, then was seduced by the glory of polar extremes, leading expeditions to the polar regions for the past quarter century. Ted has been deeply involved in Antarctic tourism management, and has increasingly focused on using citizen science to answer the void of data in these remote waters with the founding of the whale identification and tracking website www.Happywhale.com. When not at work or aboard ship, Ted prefers to be kite surfing, backcountry skiing or rock climbing.
Ted's expertise: Tourism Management, Marine Biology
Robert W. Gilmore, Co-founder
Bob (Robert) was born in Chicago, Illinois in the United States, but didn’t stay there long. Ever since he could crawl he was drawn to the natural world. He has enjoyed 18 seasons working in the polar regions and now wishes to help support scientific inquiries in those harsh and fragile ecosystems.
When not in the polar regions, Bob continues exploring and resides in the Rocky Mountains near Aspen, Colorado spending his time hiking, fly fishing, camping and whitewater rafting.
Bob’s expertise: Glaciology, Geology
Friends and Supporters of the Polar Collective
Allison Cusick
Allison was born and raised in Seattle, enjoying all that the rainy Pacific Northwest has to offer and now lives in sunny San Diego as a student in the Biological Oceanography PhD program at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Prior to her time in graduate school, she spent 10 years as a research biologist combining her love for science and for travel around the world.
Her first expedition to Antarctica occurred in 2013, where she lived aboard the US Nathaniel B Palmer for 53-days in the Ross Sea. In an effort to share her current research with others, she developed the FjordPhyto Antarctic Citizen Science project in partnership with Dr. Maria Vernet, IAATO operators, and diligent guides.
When not doing science you can find Allison traveling, scuba diving, ultra-running, cycling, or drinking a good cup of coffee.
Fun Fact - Allison ran a marathon on the Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica, dressed as a banana, the same day she boarded the Palmer icebreaker for the two-month expedition at sea.
Allison's expertise: Oceanography, Genetics
Susan Adie
Having grown up in the mountains and lakes of upstate New York, Susan developed a passion for the environment around her. As a graduate of Cornell University, she worked with both state and national governments to facilitate environmental education in the area of resource management and Endangered Species re-introduction.
30 years ago, Susan had her first opportunity to go to sea as an educator. First traveling to Alaska she worked as a naturalist and lecture which eventually lead to her becoming Expedition Leader. Susan has lectured and lead expeditions in wilderness areas around the world.
She joined the G Adventures Team nine years ago as Expedition Operations Manager and Expedition Leader, and has instituted participation in UNEP Clean Seas initiative.
Susan serves on the committees of the polar industry groups, IAATO and AECO to help manage environmentally responsible tourism. Over the years she has helped design guidelines for access to ecologically sensitive areas and wildlife protection guidelines.
Additionally, she has just been honored by the United Kingdom British Antarctic Survey for her commitment to responsible tourism in Antarctica with the naming of a cove after her – Adie Cove is on the west side of the Antarctica peninsula.
Dr. Audrey Taylor
Audrey grew up spending summers on the coast of Maine enthralled with the wildlife and people that live and work in the cold Gulf of Maine ecosystem. “North” became one of her favorite words, and she later spent six summers on the North Slope of Alaska studying Arctic-breeding birds as a PhD student at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
She is now a faculty member in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Alaska Anchorage, and moonlights as the President of the Board of Directors for the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S., a Fairbanks-based non-profit devoted to facilitating a better connected Arctic research community. Audrey is an active practitioner of citizen science in her research, and a proponent of including data derived from citizen science projects in the polar tourism industry in the effort to build and sustain a global Arctic observing system.
Audrey’s expertise: Avian ecology and migration, design of citizen science projects
Ben Wallis
Ben is an Auzzie second generation Antarctic mariner with over two decades of experience spanning both poles.
In the early 2000’s he realised his job satisfaction in supporting science onboard his vessel by developing a fellowship program which has since grown into regularly supporting multiple government level dedicated science voyages on his own vessel R/V Australis. He likes the idea of 'just a citizen' supporting polar science.
He serves on committees of IAATO to help manage environmentally responsible tourism and is also the founder of PolarTag.org which is a wildlife resighting portal which feeds citizen photographs of tagged polar animals onto its scientific tagger.
Ben’s expertise: Constantly in the field, logistical know how & large polar science network
Penelope Wagner
Penelope Wagner has been a sea ice researcher at the Norwegian Ice Service (NIS), part of the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, since 2013 where she supports operational research and development at NIS. She has worked since 2007 with both the University of Texas at San Antonio and the University of Delaware to support the U.S. National Ice Center with improvements in operational data standardization for the Arctic and the Antarctic, and evaluating operational ice charts for climate monitoring applications. At NIS she has helped expand the open source QGIS ice charting system (Bifrost) and is currently working on novel products that will provide improved operational information for ice type and thickness proxies in routine ice information products.
She is co-leading the World Meterological Organization (WMO) Global Cryosphere Watch (GCW) Sea Ice Best Practices for Operations for sustained in situ monitoring. Additionally, Penelope is leading the partnership between the NIS and marine navigational users to implement mechanisms which will provide for enhanced data exchange and communication between the two communities and ensure optimal measures for maritime safety.
