Meet the Team

The inspired individuals behind the Lewis Pugh Foundation

FOUNDING PATRON

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu

1931-2021

The Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town and Nobel Peace Laureate was a veteran anti-apartheid activist and peace campaigner, who emphasised the importance of protecting the environment to promote peace. He was regarded as ‘South Africa’s moral conscience’ and is sorely missed, not only for his guidance but also for his delightful sense of humour.

Patrons

Asha de Vos

Patron

Asha is a Sri Lankan marine biologist and ocean educator best known for her Blue Whale Project. Besides being passionate about the world's largest animal, she is a senior TED fellow, a WEF Young Global Leader, and in 2018 was chosen for a BBC 100 Women award for her endeavours to increase diversity, inclusivity and opportunity in her field.

Nour Farid

patron

Nour Farid is the MD of HEPCA, an Hurgada-based NGO specialising in marine and land conservation. Nour spent his childhood diving the coral reefs of the Red Sea, which instilled in him a love of the ocean and a desire to protect it. Under his leadership, HEPCA was instrumental in the declaration of Egypt’s Great Fringing Reef, as well as other innovative measures to protect the Red Sea’s delicate eco-system.

Anika Krog

arctic patron

Born and raised in Greenland, Anika’s early experience of the Arctic wild was following the ancient Inuit hunting traditions with her parents. Knowing that true respect for nature grows once you have experienced it at its most untouched and primal, she founded Nomad Greenland and Kiattua, an award-winning wilderness camp. She is passionate about protecting Polar wilderness.

José María Figueres

patron

Former President of Costa Rica, José has been dedicated to making a difference from his earliest years, with a particular focus on social justice and protecting the environment. Since leaving office, he has been CEO of the World Economic Forum, Co-Chair of the Global Oceans Commission and Chairperson of the Antarctic 2020 Group

Team

Lewis Pugh

FOUNDER

Lewis is an ocean advocate and endurance swimmer. Over 30 years he has pioneered swims in the most challenging environments on earth, including the Antarctic, the North Pole and the Himalayas. In 2013 the United Nations appointed him as the first UNEP Patron of the Oceans. He is an adjunct professor in International Law at the University of Cape Town.

David Bush

chief operating officer

David was born in Japan and educated in the UK. After graduating from SOAS University of London, he was an equity trader for Nomura Securities. He worked as a media producer and consultant for Japanese television before joining the Lewis Pugh Foundation.

Sally Burns

General MANAGER

Sally has a wealth of experience in client relations from 25 years in event and project management. While based in London, her global clientele spanned the US and Caribbean, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and South Africa. Sally is passionate about animal welfare, and shares her home with four rescue dogs and one cat (so far!).

Jacqui L’Ange

head of WRITing

Jacqui is an award-winning author, editor, journalist and scriptwriter, with a focus on nature and critical environmental issues. She grew up across five continents before settling in South Africa, where she now balances playing with words and rewilding a regenerative farm and writer’s retreat on the Garden Route.

Michael Booth

HEAD OF VISUALS

Michael spent over a decade working on wildlife and environmental films, winning a number of international film festival awards. He recently served as Head of Multimedia for UNEP, and spent a year living in a campervan with his family documenting their journey from the tip of South America to Canada.

Sue Disler

COMMUNICATIONS

Sue is an award-winning designer, art director and communication strategist with more than 25 years experience in advertising and marketing. She lives in Cape Town and is a founding member of the Internet Advertising Bureau of South Africa.

Kelvin Trautmann

Expedition Photographer

Kelvin is an action photographer and filmmaker who uses his lens to examine both humans and the environment. His images have appeared in the New York Times, and National Geographic. A passionate yachtsman, Kelvin spent four years racing around the world.

Sarah Rumboll

Communications

Born in Cape Town, currently residing in Spain, Sarah leverages her background in Psychology to weave compelling narratives that drive social change. Passionate about the power of storytelling, Sarah is dedicated to making a positive impact through her work.

Amie Pearce

Communications

Amie was born and raised in the Lake District. Her love of mountains and lakes grew into a passion for ocean conservation and whales. Amie is currently working as a digital nomad while she travels through Europe. Besides writing, she also enjoys horse riding, cooking and hiking.

Robyn de Villers

DESIGNER

Robyn is a User Interface and graphic designer based in Cape Town, South Africa. Passionate about the ocean and all the interesting things in it, she hopes to drive positive change through compelling visual storytelling.

Dave Duarte

COMMUNICATIONS

Dave is a communications strategist and founder of Treeshake, running campaigns aligned with the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs). He is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and Chairman of the Reach Trust, which develops mobile apps to improve literacy and numeracy.

Lorne Farquharson

Accounts

Lorne spent ten years in the UK working in finance for large global corporations. After relocating to Cape Town he focused his energy on the not-for-profit sector. He loves the ocean and is passionate about sport. He has been training with Lewis during expedition preparation since 2014.

Trustees

Lewis Pugh

TRUSTEE

Roxanna Samii

Trustee

Roxanna has over 30 years of communications experience in the development sector. As Chief of Digital Strategy at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), she led the organization’s digital transformation, raising awareness about environment, rural development, water resource management, agriculture and food security. Born in Iran, she lives in Italy.

Stuart Makin

TRUSTEE

Stuart combines a flair for finance with a head for hard facts. After reading Law and Accounting at the University of Cape Town, he worked for Deloitte in South Africa, North America and London before joining the Stonehage Group. Stuart enjoys surfing, kite boarding and mountain biking.

David Becker

Trustee

David runs a sports law practice representing some of the world's leading athletes, including Sir Ben Ainslie (sailing), Chad le Clos (swimming), Francois Pienaar (rugby) and Graeme Smith (cricket). David supported Lewis on expeditions to Svalbard, the North Pole and Mt Everest.

Tessa Graham

Trustee

Tessa is a business strategist with experience spanning the environment, technology, food and sport. Born and raised in Canada, her passion is collaborating with fast growing, entrepreneurial companies with strong leadership, and she has advised household names like Stella McCartney and Jamie Oliver.

Dermot McDonogh

Trustee

Dermot is a passionate open water swimmer and loves to swim in the sea close to Dublin where he has spent much of his life. He has worked in investment banking for over 30 years, much of it at Goldman Sachs. Dermot now works for Bank of New York Mellon and lives in New York.

Contributors

Steve Peters

Drone Cameraman

With over 20 years experience in broadcast television, working for the likes of Top Gear, as well as commercials, features and live sports, Steve is at ease flying his drone in the most challenging situations, from the Arctic to the Antarctic and everywhere in between. He lives with his family outside London.

Olle Nordell

Photographer

Olle is a Swedish adventure and lifestyle photographer. His passion for the outdoors began as a child camping and trailblazing in Kenya. During his career in advertising, Olle has worked as copywriter, creative director and brand strategist. He lives in Stockholm with his wife and three children.

Our Passion

What We Do

How We Do It

Why We Do It

Meet the Team

FOUNDING PATRON

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu

Patrons

Asha de Vos

Nour Farid

Anika Krog

José María Figueres

Team

Lewis Pugh

David Bush

Sally Burns

Jacqui L’Ange

Michael Booth

Sue Disler

Kelvin Trautmann

Sarah Rumboll

Amie Pearce

Robyn de Villers

Dave Duarte

Lorne Farquharson

Trustees

Lewis Pugh

Roxanna Samii

Stuart Makin

David Becker

Tessa Graham

Dermot McDonogh

Contributors

Steve Peters

Olle Nordell

Letter from our Founding Patron, Desmond Tutu

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