Meet The Team

Explorer, former Royal Marine, author and philanthropist

Alan Chambers MBE is a world-renowned polar explorer, leadership expert, author and motivational speaker, and the Founder of Mission Spiritus®. A former Royal Marine, serving from 1985 to 2001, he has spent much of his life leading teams in some of the world’s most remote and demanding environments.

His expeditions include the first British unsupported trek from Canada to the Geographic North Pole, alongside numerous polar, mountain and endurance challenges around the world. His adventures have taken him to more than 70 countries and, through exploration and fundraising initiatives, he has helped raise more than £15 million for charitable causes.

Alan founded Mission Spiritus® to bring together exploration, environmental science and education, using ambitious expeditions to support scientific research in some of the planet’s most remote and environmentally significant locations.

In January 2024, Alan and fellow former Royal Marine Dave Thomas completed the inaugural Mission Spiritus® expedition, skiing 1,150km from Hercules Inlet to the Geographic South Pole. Over 60 days, they collected 52 scientifically controlled snow samples for specialist analysis at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, contributing to research into the presence of micro and nanoplastics in remote environments.

Alan subsequently led Mission Spiritus® expeditions across the deserts of Oman in early 2025 and throughout the Faroe Islands in July 2025, continuing the programme’s global scientific research.

He is also the founder of Extreme Classrooms, an initiative that uses adventure and challenging environments to help young people develop resilience, confidence and aspiration.

A Fellow of both the Royal Geographical Society and The Explorers Club, Alan has advised elite sports teams, business leaders and global organisations on leadership, resilience, endurance and mindset. His humanitarian work has included leading Arctic rescue missions and supporting wounded veterans through demanding, life-changing expeditions.

A committed ambassador for several charities, Alan continues to use exploration as a force for positive change – bringing together planet, people and purpose while inspiring others to challenge perceived limits and make a meaningful difference.

‘The only limits are those of vision’

A former Royal Marines officer, Billy retired from the military in 2023 after 32 years of service, having built a career around operational leadership, training and working with people in some of the world’s most challenging environments.

His career included operational deployments to Kuwait, Northern Ireland, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone and South Sudan, alongside extensive training and exercises in Norway, Belize, Brunei, Jordan, Oman, Australia and the United States.

Billy held several instructional and leadership appointments, from training recruits at the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines to mentoring officers and NCOs while serving in the Czech Republic and supporting the training of Iraqi security forces in Baghdad. He later worked in strategic operations and planning at the Ministry of Defence before completing his military career as the UK’s Senior Military Adviser to Cameroon.

Since leaving the Royal Marines, Billy has continued to focus on leadership, service, exploration and charitable causes. He is a trained Samaritans Listening Volunteer and has taken part in a number of endurance challenges, including cycling the 1,000km Western Front Way, summiting Mount Kilimanjaro and completing a demanding trek through the mountains of Bhutan, helping to raise funds for a range of charitable causes.

As Operations Director for Mission Spiritus®, Billy is responsible for helping plan, coordinate and deliver its science-led expeditions into remote and environmentally significant regions of the world.

He completed the Oman expedition in 2025, crossing more than 1,100km through the Empty Quarter and Wahiba Sands, followed by the Faroe Islands expedition later that year.

Billy brings together more than three decades of operational leadership with a passion for exploration, teamwork and using challenging expeditions to create positive environmental and social impact.

Co-Founding Dean Emeritus, Columbia Climate School

A globally distinguished marine geologist and climate scientist at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. Dr. Raymo was the first climate scientist to lead the Observatory and is a co-founding dean emeritus of Columbia Climate School, she really has been a trailblazer in her field.

Her ground-breaking research delves into the history and causes of climate change, with a particular focus on its impact on future sea levels and ice sheet stability. Her work has been prominently featured in leading publications, including The New York Times, The Atlantic and Discover Magazine, and has been showcased on renowned media outlets such as the History Channel.

Adjunct Associate Professor of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

Dr. Yan holds a Ph.D. focused on the source apportionment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Globally recognised, he founded the Environmental Organic Geochemistry Lab, where he developed expertise in extracting, isolating, and identifying organic contaminants and biomarkers from environmental and biological samples.

He successfully traced metals and aromatic hydrocarbons in New York City’s air and water, linking these pollutants to paediatric asthma outcomes. He is currently leading a collaborative study to explore the relationship between air pollution and respiratory health in children.

Additionally, Dr. Yan is researching the ecological impacts of microplastics in estuaries and oceans.

Cuizhu (Chloe) Ma is an emerging environmental scientist and postdoctoral researcher at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University. Her research lies at the forefront of micro- and nanoplastics science, focusing on their environmental distribution, transport pathways and implications for the ecosystem and human health.

Her current research expands to global-scale environmental systems, with a particular emphasis on micro- and nanoplastics in remote regions such as the Antarctic snow. By integrating field observations with advanced analytical techniques, Chloe investigates atmospheric transport, deposition processes and environmental fate of plastic particles across extreme environments.

Karim is the founder of E‑Innovate, a performance-driven digital agency built for ambitious brands that want to accelerate growth. With over 15 years’ experience in digital strategy and technology, Karim brings clarity, structure and momentum to Mission Spiritus®’s marketing and communications.

At Mission Spiritus®, he helps align digital delivery with the organisation’s purpose, ensuring every campaign is strategic, joined-up and built for impact.

Known for translating complexity into clarity, Karim bridges the gap between vision and execution. His strength lies in turning ideas into outcomes – always grounded in strategy, shaped by data and delivered with purpose.

David is the Founder of the Mako Group. He serves the company and its network of businesses with guidance on strategic initiatives, major partnerships and developing new assets. David also operates a family office, Segel Group Limited (SGL), as the platform for overseeing a business portfolio in entertainment, tech and media activities, as well as philanthropy. He is also Co-Founder and Chairman of the independent motion picture producer Mpower Pictures.

David is an avid outdoorsman and a competitive sailor in Nautor Swan class. He’s a qualified airplane pilot and focuses primarily on backcountry and aerobatic flight. He has explored much of the unvisited world, including a trip on skis to the true North Pole in 2004, and a shorthanded journey on a Rigid Inflatable Boat through the Northwest Passage from Greenland to upper Alaska in 2010.

Andy is a Professor of Psychology at Manchester Metropolitan University, a Director of DNA Definitive and a human performance specialist.

Andy develops high performance environments and supports elite teams. He does this through applied performance psychology and a development of evidence-based resilience focused strategies.

Andy works with political leaders, high net-worth individuals, corporate business leaders, world leading athletes and coaches, the emergency services, humanitarian aid specialists, as well as with specialist police, military, and defence organisations.

A former Royal Marine from 1971 – 1995. During his 24-year military career he served on HMS Hermes, with Naval Party 8901, 45 Commando Royal Marines, and as a Physical Training Instructor at the Joint Services Mountain Centre Scotland, and Joint Services Training Centre Llanrwst. He also served in Commachio Company, at Royal Marines Poole, and the Royal Marines School of Music.

Dave is an accomplished outdoor expedition leader and instructor. His expeditions have taken him to Norway, Canada, Costa Rica, Borneo, Corsica, Panama, Kenya, Tanzania, Nepal, Switzerland, Austria, Australia, France, and Vietnam. Notably, he completed the first successful winter crossing of Iceland on skis, covering the country coast-to-coast in challenging winter conditions.

Beyond his expedition achievements, Dave is a highly qualified instructor with certifications in a range of outdoor skills, including kayaking, skiing, caving, rock climbing, and winter mountaineering. His coaching and mentoring skills are backed by a certificate from the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development.

The culmination of Mission Spiritus® – Antarctica on 19 January 2024, saw Dave, aged 68 became the oldest person ever to reach the South Pole.