Ollon, Vaud, Switzerland
After 20 years as an investment banker, and 15 years in the world of sustainability & climate, I recently started my 3rd "career" as an Explorer and a student in Earth Systems science. And as the Founder & CEO of Ocean Science Expeditions, I'm now embarking on an exciting new project involving a dozen ocean expeditions across the globe. Previously I was the CEO of Race to Belém, a campaign to stop deforestation in the Amazon and other forest biomes in Brazil. Former Chairman of Energy Transition & Sustainability at Citi. Many years ago I was the Head of Investment Bank at Goldman Sachs Australia. It was an honour to serve as the CEO of The B Team, an NGO founded by leading CEOs and civil society leaders to accelerate business leadership on sustainability. Founder of NEUW Ventures, an impact investment company that creates and finances new businesses whose core purpose is to reduce the human ecological footprint. I serve on the boards and councils of several organisations that promote conservation and climate action, including the Villars Institute (Switzerland), the EO Wilson Biodiversity Foundation (US), and the Climate Leaders Coalition (Australia). In 2024 I lead a 4-month sailing expedition to sail across the Northwest Passage from Norway to Iceland, Greenland, the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, and to Alaska, onboard my yacht the "Abel Tasman". This project promoted ocean health and restoration, informed the science of Planetary Tipping Points, and conducted world-first scientific sampling across the NWP. I am passionate about exploring nature and supporting scientific expeditions, which led me to become an International Fellow of the Explorers Club in 2021. I am the first person to cycle a new route from the coastline of Antarctica to the South Pole - on a new 620km route from the Ross Ice Shelf, and with two team-mates we became the first people to traverse the Reedy Glacier through the Trans-Antarctic Mountains. In the same year I skied to the North Pole (the last 1.5°), becoming one of a few people to ski or cycle to the South and North Poles in the one year. I have also climbed most of the 4,000m+ peaks in the European Alps; and have sailed to the Antarctic Peninsula in a 45ft yacht. In my "Grand Tours Project" in 2013, I became the first person to cycle solo all 10,500 kms (150,000m vertical) of the 3 Grand Tours (Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, La Vuelta a Espana) on the same day as the races in one season. All of my adventures have been undertaken to promote the conservation of the planet's nature and biodiversity.
The Abel Tasman is my 75-foot Bermuda Schooner adventure yacht, and I use it to change the world! I founded Ocean Science Expeditions in 2021 to take scientists, storytellers, film-makers, and artists to some of the world's great destinations. In 2022 and 2023, we sailed along the Lofoten Islands ("Sailing, Science & Diving Expedition"). In 2024, I led a 5-month journey through the infamous Northwest Passage - from Norway to Iceland, Greenland, the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, and Alaska - to bring attention to the 6 Planetary Tipping Points in the Arctic, and to conduct essential ocean science. In 2025, I led a film & science expedition to Tonga to swim with humpback whales.
Grand Tours Project creates unique adventures and tours that celebrate the culture of cycling on the most beautiful roads in Europe, South America, North America, and Asia. GTP is a "positive impact" business, with sustainability being core to its mission. We are proud that Grand Tours Project is a Certified B Corporation, the first cycling tour company to achieve this. I started up Grand Tours Project after solo cycling every kilometre (10,000+ km, over 63 days) of the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and La Vuelta a España in 2013, on the same day as each race ... and wanted to offer the same sort of life-changing experiences to others.
Elected as an International Fellow of the Explorers Club in 2021, in recognition of expeditions to the North and South Poles in 2016 and contributions to awareness of the science of climate change, earth systems and oceans. Founded in 1904 with its HQ in New York, the Explorers Club has been supporting scientific expeditions of all disciplines, and uniting members in the bonds of good fellowship for over a century.
The Villars Institute is a nonprofit foundation based in the Swiss Alps dedicated to accelerating the transition to net zero emissions and a healthier planet through intergenerational collaboration and systems leadership. Each year the Institute hosts the Villars Symposium (in July) and the Villars Summit (in March) amongst numerous other curated events and gatherings.
The Climate Leaders Coalition is a group of over 50 Australian CEOs that supports the Paris Agreement, sets emissions targets, drives solutions and investments to achieve these targets, and provides a common voice on why big business sees decarbonisation as a way to ensure long term economic sustainability. An initiative of The B Team Australasia.