Indian Himilaya 2019 Leader Team

Our Leadership Team Indian Himalayas 2019

Exceptional Expedition Leaders have always been critical to the British Exploring Society and are a fundamental part of what makes us a unique charity. We value them very highly. Throughout our history, our leaders have offered their time freely and have shared their professionalism and commitment for the benefit of Explorers in destinations all over the world.

Our Leaders come from a variety of professional Bruce Manning Jennie Richa rdson backgrounds and bring with them a wealth of Chief Leader Chief Leader experience and skills. As we are sure you will discover, they are outstanding individuals, and form a Bruce had his first experience of snow and ice on Jennie studied BSc Environmental Science and remarkable team. Ben Macdui. Skiing, climbing and mountaineering Geography (Bradford) and MA Countryside Management (Bangor) then worked as a right of way have been a major part of his life from a young age. He has taken at least two months each year and access development officer before retraining as a KEY from his professional life to do something geography teacher. She preferred the outdoor adventurous. He has climbed in most of the major classroom. Senior Leadership Team mountain ranges and summited Lhotse, the fourth Leadership Team highest peak in the world. Living in North Wales, Jennie now mixes the world of outdoor pursuits with environmental education In recent years he has become involved with teaching A-level geography and biology fieldwork British Exploring Society, encouraging the self- skills, all for younger students. When not on the water, Jennie who holds the summer ML award, likes development of young people through adventure and science. Now that he has retired, his outdoor to spend time in the UK mountains. In the last year qualifications allow him to work part-time all Jennie’s other travel and adventures have taken her around the world. Bruce intends to pursue across the world. exciting new challenges as long as he’s able. He hopes that he can pass on some of the skills he’s Jennie has led on previous expeditions with British learned throughout his professional and adventure Exploring Society to Arctic Finmark, and twice to the life. Indian Himalayas as trainee leader mentor and adventure leader so she is very excited to return to Ladakh this summer.

Andrew Burrow Alasdair Halford-MacLeod Deborah Land

Deputy Chief Leader Base Camp Manager Chief Science Leader

Alasdair Halford-MacLeod was born in 1970 in After graduating the University of Plymouth with a BSc Edinburgh and educated at Glenalmond College, in Environmental Science, Deborah performed he was commissioned in 1991 into the Black numerous voluntary positions before securing her first Watch and later joining in 2000 the 1st The job with a large environmental consultancy. She soon Queen’s Dragoon Guards Alasdair has served as a discovered her passion was in conservation and this led combat officer on operations and in training in to a career with Natural England. Deborah is a Asia, Africa, North and South America, specialist in habitat management and restoration with throughout Europe and the Middle East. an emphasis on peatlands.

Since leaving the British Army in January 13 This inspired Deborah to take a sabbatical to study a Alasdair completed an MBA at Newcastle MSc in Climate Change to increase her understanding University and went to Eastern Ukraine to work of the importance of the conservation in combating with the Office of Security and Co-operation in climate change. Deborah has travelled extensively Europe as a monitor observing the war in the including trips to the Canadian Rockies, US Cascades Donbas. Alasdair is a training and organising & Olympic National Parks, Ecuadorean Andes, specialist focussing on young people and veterans Nepal Himalaya, Iceland, Cuba, Zambia, Japan and of the Armed Forces. He lives in throughout the European Alps. Deborah’s home is in Northumberland. Him and his wife Laura have the Lake District where she’s lucky to be surrounded four children: Hector, Honor, Flora and Davina. by mountains every day. She keeps fit though her love His hobbies are chain saw, Land Rover, of CrossFit and she is also a keen cyclist, mountain photography, travel, diving and modern history. biker and motorcyclist.

Alistair Nelson James Lucas Graham Johnston Science Leader Science Leader Adventure Leader

Alistair graduated from the University of Cambridge James is working towards a PhD in geology at the Graham lives in Glasgow, Scotland and works as a with a masters in Geology. He currently works as a University of Oxford. Love for the intersection freelance Mountain Leader and Youth Charity management consultant in London, advising some of between geology and the outdoors came early; a Volunteer. His work involves taking young adults on the UK's most well-known businesses. In his spare highlight of his MSc fieldwork was spending six weeks expeditions for Duke of Edinburgh awards and in time Alistair enjoys the outdoors and keeping fit. producing a geological map in the Swiss Alps, roaming the case of the charity work, leading young adults about with a tent and watching the interaction of from deprived neighbourhoods in outdoor Alistair had his first experience with British Exploring geology, geography, biology and human land use in real adventures. His work takes him all over the UK Society as an explorer to the Himalayas in 2015 which time. Mountains and he is an active volunteer with left a very positive impression. He completed the Scottish Mountain Rescue. British Exploring Society Trainee Leader programme Now working on ancient records of global warming, in 2018, culminating in an incredible expedition to the science has taken him from Australia to Greenland. In Graham has also led expeditions further afield; his Yukon and is now making his first appearance as a his free time, he’s a keen hiker, scrambler, poetry- most recent foreign adventure saw him joining a fully-fledged Leader. He is very excited to be going reader, rower and cross-country skier. challenging expedition to Nepal Himalaya to take on back to the Himalayas where it all began and is most a first Scottish attempt of the Baden Powell looking forward to sharing his enthusiasm for life and (Urkema) Peak. the natural world with everyone. Graham is enthusiastic about the emotional benefits of the outdoors and the mental and physical challenges that accompanies it, whether that is a simple day walk in the forest or a longer expedition.

Greg Sykes Hannah McKnight Ross Archibald Adventure Leader Adventure Leader Senior Medical Leader

Hailing from Cumbria, Greg has spent his life in the Hannah currently works as a Physics teacher at Friends’ Ross qualified as a doctor from the University of Cumbrian Fells, running, mountain biking, paddling, School Lisburn, Northern Ireland. She is involved in the Dundee in 2013 and is now in higher specialty training swimming and mountaineering. Enjoying life and schools Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme and enjoys in emergency medicine in his home city of Edinburgh. having fun is always high on the agenda. Having supervising and assessing expeditions. She is also He has an interest in pre-hospital and remote/extreme graduated from Lancaster University, Greg has member of North West Mountain Rescue Team where environment medicine and has spent time with the worked helping the most vulnerable in order to she enjoys volunteering her time to help others and Icelandic and London helicopter emergency medical improve their quality of life through the power of learn new skills. In her spare time, she volunteers with services, as well as NASA in Texas and ESA in exercise and the outdoors. Whilst also working as a the Scout Association and is an Explorer Scout leader. . Prior to embarking on his medical career, Mountain Leader in his spare time, Greg has worked he graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a with Duke of Edinburgh groups, taught navigation, Her travel experience includes expeditions in the degree in electrical and mechanical engineering and led walks and expeditions throughout the British Canadian Rocky Mountains, French and Italian Alps, spent an extended period travelling and trekking in Isles. Greg has always enjoyed travelling and has Iceland and UK. She has also enjoyed cultural South and Central America. He tries to spend his spent his life exploring different cultures and places, explorations of India, Peru and Japan. spare time in the outdoors as much as possible – most enjoying the mountainous areas around the world. often hill running, climbing and cycling in the Scottish As a history buff, Greg likes to read about the mountains. history of exploration especially the feats of Sir Ernest Shackleton and George Mallory, whilst also learning about the great explorations of the Vikings.

Hanna Kuhn Nathan Hudson-Peacock Peter Whitehead Medical Leader Medical Leader Medical Leader

Hanna grew up in Germany and studied medicine at Nathan trained as a doctor at Cambridge University Peter works in the emergency department of a Major the RWTH Aachen. After graduating from University before moving to the South East to complete his Trauma Centre in the UK. He qualified as a doctor in her love for the mountains took her to . foundation training. He currently works in King’s 2015 from the University of Nottingham and currently Her curiosity and wide-ranging interests allowed her to College Hospital, London, as a Junior Clinical Fellow divides his professional time between emergency get training in orthopaedic surgery, general surgery and in Emergency Medicine. Through his work as an medicine and instructing on both human factors and general medicine before starting her current work in expedition doctor, he has been fortunate enough to go life support skills courses. A&E. In her free time Hanna enjoys the endless to Chamonix, the Sahara Desert and Mt Kilimanjaro, possibilities of the Swiss Alps. where he spent 3 weeks at high altitude covering 6 Peter spends most of his free time wandering the Peak groups of trekkers. District. He has previously explored the Julian Alps on She loves to take her camper van to hidden spots, snowshoes, the Norwegian Fjords by canoe and enjoying beautiful sunsets and getting an early start to In early 2019, he will be supporting a trek to Everest recently returned from the Peruvian Andes. Peter climb the mountains. Depending on weather and base camp and another trek around the foothills of the works in the emergency department of a Major Trauma season you will find her exploring the area by trail Indian Himalayas, both prior to working with British Centre in the UK. He qualified as a doctor in 2015 running, mountaineering, climbing, ski touring or Exploring Society to return to the Himalayas in from the University of Nottingham and currently biking. She has the opportunity to develop important Summer 2019. In his free time, Nathan enjoys playing divides his professional time between emergency skills for life. Convinced of the potential for personal squash, skiing and bouldering, and he is also a keen medicine and instructing on both human factors and growth that lies in challenging experiences she is keen musician, currently singing with the London life support skills courses. to support young adults on expedition to develop their Philharmonic Choir. His overall aim to combine his full potential by combining her medical skills, her love love for music and for the outdoors with his career as a for nature and her enthusiasm for personal doctor. transformation.

Hugh Roberts Ben Sullivan Medical Leader Media Leader

Hugh qualified from Newcastle University in 2016 and Ben Sullivan Media Leader Ben is a professional spent a further two years in the North-East completing science and technology journalist, having worked his medical foundation training. In August 2018, he internationally for several magazines and newspapers moved South-West and now works as an Emergency since graduating in journalism from University College Medicine Doctor in Bristol. In his free-time he enjoys Falmouth in 2011. Most recently, Ben was the UK hill-walking, climbing and scuba-diving. Editor at VICE Media’s award-winning tech and science website Motherboard, commissioning features Earlier this year, Hugh completed an expedition to and documentaries investigating what’s coming next Kilimanjaro. He will also be going on expedition to for this world of ours. the Indonesian jungle for 3 weeks this summer, prior to the BE Himalaya expedition. He is a passionate climber and mountaineer, and after climbing trips to the Alps and the USA last summer, Hugh has lots of adventure travel experience. In recent Ben opted to go freelance. With experience working years, this has included trekking in , canoeing in across multiple media platforms, including longform and climbing in the French Alps. reporting, photography, and video production, Ben’s goal is to help our explorers document, understand, and ultimately share with the world their experiences on this expedition.