TRUSTEES
Nekton operates as a wholly transparent and ethical organisation, governed by strong principles and values, operating in the service of the ocean, humanity and our planet.
We strive for efficient and productive operations, linking funding directly with measurable performance, and ensuring a high impact and return on investment. The management team is accountable to the Trustees and responsible for making sure all funding is invested to maximise our ability to meet the charitable objectives.
Trustees
Rupert Grey, Chair is a leading Intellectual Property lawyer with an associated specialism in expedition related legal matters. Formerly Legal Counsel for the Royal Geographical Society, Operation Drake, Raleigh and others, Rupert also represents Magnum Pictures and is the board of The Mary Rose Trust and other charities.
Juliet Burnett (Larcombe) was the Director of the Shoals of Capricorn Programme, a mutli-disciplinary and multi-year field research initiative undertaken by the Royal Society and Royal Geographical Society in the Indian Ocean. She is a marine scientist and founding Trustee of a marine educational charity in the Rodrigues.
Paul Crowther is Group CEO of Castle Ship Technical Management operating a fleet of offshore subsea vessels predominantly for theoffshore wind construction industry.. Paul is a ship's Master, YachtMaster and Aviation pilot with 30 years of experience as both a ship owner / manager, and super-yacht manager.
Paul Jardine was formerlyis CEO of XL Catlin UK (a founding partner of Nekton) and Executive Vice President and Chief Experience Officer of XL Catlin Group. Paul was previously Catlin’s Chief Operating Officer and has responsibility for XL Group’s Communications & Marketing function, Claims and Distribution Strategy. Paul joined Catlin in 2001 with responsibility for the development of new financial products. He was appointed chief executive of the Catlin Syndicate in 2003 and chief operating officer of Catlin in 2004. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries and an Associate of the Casualty Actuarial Society.
Rob Mccallum is one of the world’s leading experts on submersible-based expeditions. Previously the General Manager for Deep Ocean Expeditions, he lead and organised expeditions to the RMS Titanic (3780m) and the Bismark (5500m), planned the first manned submersible dive at the North Pole, coordinated the PNG test programme of James Cameron’s ‘Deep Challenger’ prior to its dive to full ocean depth in the Marianas Trench, managed the M.V. Alucia, the vessel that achieved the successful search for Air France 447. Rob was also the Expedition Leader of the Five Deeps Expedition, diving to the deepest points in every ocean and partner and VP at Williamson & Associates, one of the world’s foremost providers of deep-water sonar expertise and a provider of deep-water engineering innovation. Rob is the Managing Director of EYOS Expeditions, organizing bespoke expeditions to the Earth’s most remarkable places (www.eyos-expeditions.com). EYOS Expeditions are a Partner of Nekton and provide Mission logistical support, direction and advice
Emily Penn is an oceans advocate and skipper. She co-founded Pangaea Explorations, helped to discover unknown oceanic gyres and huge areas of plastic pollution accumulation. She runs eXXpedition - a series of all female voyages which focus on the relationship between plastics and toxics and female health - and working on solving the ocean plastics issue with Parley for the Oceans and other corporate clients. Emily was honoured with the Fitzroy Award at the 2016 Ocean Awards and is also the youngest and only female recipient of both the Yachtmaster of the Year, awarded by HRH Princess Royal, and the Seamaster of the Year award. http://www.emilypenn.co.uk
Angelique Pouponneau is the Chief Executive Officer of Seychelles’ Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust (SeyCATT), an innovative financing mechanism supporting marine scientific research and conservation efforts in Seychelles. Angelique is a lawyer (Seychelles and UK) specializing in the law of the sea and natural resources law, a climate change negotiator under the UN’s AOSIS Climate Change Fellowship Programme and served as a legal expert for the African Group of Sixth Committee at the UN. In addition, Angelique has worked globally on a wide-range of projects relating to sustainable fisheries, sustainable management of marine biodiversity within and beyond national jurisdiction, climate change, in particular, climate adaptation and climate finance.
Vanessa Rice is the Director of Finance and Corporate Services for Interpol. Her previous roles have included Global Chief Financial Officer, Oxfam International, International Finance Director, Oxfam UK, Head of International Finance, British Red Cross Society and Group Development Manager, Old Mutual Plc. Vanessa has also worked extensively across Africa in a range of roles including financial strategy, risk management and business development with Oxfam and as an independent consultant with clients including World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF), Merlin, and the International Federation of the Red Cross/Crescent Societies (IFRC).
Callum Roberts is Professor of Marine Conservation at the University of York. His research focuses on threats to marine ecosystems and species, and on finding the means to protect them. His main research interests include documenting the impacts of fishing on marine life and exploring the theory and practical effectiveness of marine protected areas for conservation and fisheries management. For the last 28 years he has used his science background to make the case for stronger protection for marine life at both national and international levels. His team provided the scientific underpinning for a new ocean protection target – 30% by 2030 – which is gaining widespread support as a follow on to the UN 10% by 2020 target. Recently, with a group of leading scientists, he showed how expanded ocean protection can help mitigate climate change. Callum Roberts’ award-winning book, The Unnatural History of the Sea, charts the effects of 1000 years of exploitation on ocean life. His second book, Ocean of life: how our seas are changing, shows that the oceans are changing faster and in more ways than at any time in human history, setting out a series of reforms that could lead to a more sustainable future.
Will Goodlad is a Principal at Oxford Sciences Innovation, where he is a member of the Deep Tech investment team. He represents OSI on the Boards of Alloyed, Animal Dynamics, Brill Power, First Light Fusion, Odqa Renewable Energy Technologies, ORCA Computing, Oxford Quantum Circuits, Oxford Ionics, Util and YASA. Will has previously worked for the China Britain Business Council in Beijing, E.L.I. Holdings in Chengdu, Text Publishing in Melbourne, and as a Publishing Director at Penguin UK.