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