Meet the Team

solutions to TV and Film in remote and hostile environments for the BBC, Ch4, Discovery and Nat Geo. He has worked in locations as diverse as Afghanistan, Norway and Nicaragua. He spent six years as an Officer in the Parachute Regiment, working in Africa and the humid rain forests of Brunei. He is a qualified Jungle Warfare Instructor and commanded on operations in Afghanistan in 2008 and 2010, where he worked alongside Afghan security forces.

A highlight for him in the early days of Secret Compass was pioneering tourism into South Sudan, where he led a team into the Imatong Mountains. Tom was central to our ground-breaking expeditions into Afghanistan’s Wakhan Corridor, leading the first ever mountain bike expedition through the high mountains. He has explored southern DRC and pioneered a route though Upemba National Park. He has also led jungle trekking trips in the Darien Gap and Madagascar, mountain biking projects in Ethiopia and ski touring expeditions in Lebanon.

Tom’s qualifications include Security Risk Management (Level V), Mountain Leader, MTB Leader, Swift Water Rescue and Wilderness EMT. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and is passionate about ski-touring, snowboarding, kite-surfing and mountain biking as well as travelling through the world’s wildest places.

Ben presented the multi-BAFTA winning Serious Series for the BBC, leading groups of teenagers on expeditions to remote and far-flung corners of the globe to achieve world firsts. He has consulted on series such as Mutiny, Planet Earth 1&2, Gold Rush, Human Planet, Oceans, Tribe, Frozen Planet, Last Man Standing, Around the World in 80 Days, Extreme Dreams, Adrenaline Junkie and various Sport Relief Challenges.

Serving in the British Army for 9 years, he spent time in the Middle East, Northern Ireland and Bosnia. An accomplished mountaineer and polar adventurer, Ben has led expeditions to the Arctic, Antarctic, Himalayas, Rockies and Andes including ascents of two 8000m peaks and a running high level traverse of the Pyrenees in 14 days.

Ben has led security operations to protect wildlife against professional poachers in Central and East Africa developing his love for camels; built eco-lodges and safari camps in Africa and led remote jungle conservation projects where he honed his survival skills amongst the native peoples of Asia, Central and South America. He is also an experienced yachtsman with over 50000 sea miles completing several Fastnet races, trans-Atlantics and building a traditional Arabian Dhow with a friend.

and the West Bank.

She has supported the Natural History Unit’s BAFTA-award winning ‘Blue Planet Live’ in Baja Mexico and designed and delivered the BBC’s ‘Managing High Risk Deployments’ course for senior editorial staff. Sally is a keen advocate of media safety and risk management, she sat on the Board of Directors for ACOS Alliance and lectures internationally on journalist safety.  She has a deep background in crisis and disaster management as an Army Officer, media advisor and Chartered Security Professional along with experience of multiple military operational tours providing emergency medical ground response.

Co-founder of Oxford Alpine Club Publishing, Sally is a Winston Churchill Fellow who has led expeditions in Borneo, Argentina, Kyrgyzstan, Iceland, Nepal and Morocco and received a Mount Everest Foundation funding award.  She enjoys climbing, ski touring and practicing yoga.

He personally served on operational tours of Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan. He has extensive risk management experience gained from his military career, as Regional Manager Africa for a global security company, leading expeditions to remote parts of the world, and mountaineering and climbing internationally for over 20 years.

In recent years he has been applying and expanding this experience as a safety advisor in the TV industry providing risk management advice to A-list celebrities and crews in various high-risk environments.

He is qualified as a Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor, military ski touring instructor, FREC3 First Responder and Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician, he also holds the ‘A’ License for freefall parachuting.

she’s spending time outside!

Always curious, Louise has found herself involved in a wide range of different projects; some of the highlights of which range from having been part of the implementation team for the inaugural Invictus Games, being the British member of the International Federation of Skeleton; Bobsleigh – working to get adaptive ice sports included into the Winter Paralympic Games, developing a trek for a local guiding company in the Indian Himalaya, learning Arabic and working in some remote and hostile locations around the globe.

Having relocated back to the mighty West Country from her beloved Highland’s of Scotland, Louise is itching to get out adventuring. A lover of Winter, she’s keen to dust off her collection of ski’s, sharpen her axes and head out into the mountains!

develop safe and reliable water and sanitation infrastructure.

When she’s not leading with strategy and digital tactics, Claire enjoys climbing, surfing, skiing, hiking and open water swimming. However, her love is trail running, and you’ll usually find her hitting the hills, training for the next race.

Whilst she is most familiar with locations that have a coastline she was initially drawn to expeditions through a love of cold places, ski-touring in Scandinavia with nights in snow holes and skiing on the sea ice through the North West Passage.

Recognising the best days usually involve a roll mat and camping stove, if she can’t be out on an expedition herself the next best thing is to chat to you about yours.

With a background in environmental science and volcanology, she’s always had a passion for wild landscapes and mountains.  Her favourite place in the world is “probably anywhere in a tent!”.

Though her first love is hiking, she’s willing to use most methods of transport to get herself to a beautiful camping spot, be that hiking, paddling or cycling, and has recently taken up riding lessons to add to her repertoire. Her travels have taken sea kayaking amongst icebergs in Alaska, up active volcanoes in Mexico and to the mountains and valleys of Nepal.

Having swapped scientific experiments for organising expeditions, she has settled into the Secret Compass Operations team.

A geologist at heart, Anya is likely to be found underground, regularly caving in the local Mendip Hills. This interest in karst has taken her all over the world including exploring and surveying cave systems in the Philippines, India and the USA. When not caving Anya is an ocean enthusiast who loves spending time scuba diving off the south coast and spotting the local sea life. Always looking for ways to spend more time in the water, she has recently taken up open water swimming which she hopes will be a year-round activity.

Secret Compass team. Charlie joins us with an abundance of experience in adventure tourism which is complemented with her degree in Outdoor Adventure Leadership & Management. She loves learning about the physiological effects of extreme environments so you can be reassured that you are in safe hands. In her own time she is a sucker for any opportunity to surf, swim, hike or ski either on home soil or further afield with a cat-skiing trip in Kyrgyzstan being a true highlight so far.

management consultant for educational and adventure travel organisations in the UK, US and Canada. 

A qualified Off-Site Safety Management trainer, Liz has written and provided a number of travel risk management workshops and training courses, and is one of the founders of the CORE Risk Conference which meets annually to discuss sector-specific travel risk issues. Liz sits on the British Standards Institute committee for BS8848 (a standard for overseas travel and fieldwork) and over the last 10 years has been an auditor for organisations seeking compliance to the standard. Liz is also part of an international committee writing ISO 31031 – Risk Management for youth travel, alongside colleagues from Europe, Australia, the US, Middle East, Kenya, South Africa and India. 

When Liz isn’t geeking-out about the exciting world of risk management, she can be found in front of an artist’s easel finishing a private commission (her first career); playing viola with a symphony orchestra or singing in one of her two choirs (her life’s passion); channelling her inner Olympian in a single scull on the River Avon (her latest passion) or on standby with her scrubs as an NHS COVID volunteer vaccinator!

has spent the last eight years looking after civilian teams in wild and remote locations around the world. 

He is a highly experienced and qualified Risk Management Consultant and a UK registered Paramedic.

Trevor has experience managing the delivery of large-scale military projects and now works primarily with the media. He relishes passing on his experience and knowledge to teams, and inspiring others to fulfil their own adventures. Based in London, ‘Trev’ likes to keep fit for adventure by running, water sports and snowboarding.

operations and TV / film productions. 

He has a military background and has since become a registered UK Paramedic specialising in expedition and remote medicine, as well as a safety adviser and instructor.

James loves his job for the adventure it brings him, as well as the chance to work with incredible teams on amazing projects. The opportunity to provide support to projects in wild, remote and beautiful areas is not something he takes for granted. He lives in Cornwall and enjoys surfing, spearfishing and is currently training to join the French Mountain Rescue.

of the world and has climbed new routes in dozens of countries. To Dave, the climbing is the ‘icing on the cake’ and the real ‘fruit and nut mix’ is made from the people you meet, the animals you encounter, the sights you see and the wonderful food you eat.

Dave’s adventures have been on the National Geographic Channel and on Sky TV; in four books; and in seven magazines. He has been recognised by the Royal Geographic Society and has been a fellow since his mid twenties. Dave inspires others by speaking about his adventures at numerous public speaking events. Just one of his many adventures was climbing new routes to explore a ruined inaccessible Ethiopian palace for gold, treasure and legends. Dave lives for adventure and this combined with his professional manner and experience has resulted in his being a very sought after expedition guide.

mountains of the Andes and the Himalayas. She first worked for Secret Compass in 2015 and likes to turn her hand to any environment and challenge, although it’s high snowy places that really get her buzzing. Cat lives for expeditions and experiencing new places and local cuisines.

Personal endeavours include a pioneering self-supported 21-day trek through the jungle in India from Irpu Falls in Coorg to Mangalore along the Kerala-Karnataka border, the first ascent of Karbu Ri (6010m) on the Upper Rolwaling glacier on the Nepal/Tibet border, and a self-supported solo through-hike across the Alps from Chamonix to Zermatt over 7 days.

Cat’s qualifications include the Winter Mountain Leader, Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician, Rock Climbing Instructor, Level 3 Canoe and Kayak Coach, White-water Rescue Technician, and specialist high altitude medicine training with ENSA in Chamonix.

home country: Panama.  As an expert naturalist and expedition guide, Rick has explored some of Panama’s most remote areas and other neighbouring regions including the Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama. He is highly recognised for his skills and knowledge of Panama’s abundant and diverse wildlife and has had personal encounters with indigenous species including viper, jaguar, monkey, quetzal, puma, ocelot and tapir.

Rick is the founder of the TransPanama Project which aims to develop map sections of trail connecting regions and people throughout Panama. In 2011 Rick became the first person to walk the Panama Trail, a through-hike from the Colombian border to Costa Rica.

and overseas and holds the Winter Mountain Leader, Mountaineering Instructor Award and International Mountain Leader qualifications.

Her work and personal expeditions have taken her to all seven continents and most of the Greater Ranges. When not leading expeditions or instructing she is planning her own climbing trips. She has climbed 7000m peaks, first ascents in South Georgia, Antarctica, a major ascent in the Hindu Kush, Afghanistan and been exploratory mountaineering in Tajikistan. In 2011, she returned from Nepal overland and has cycled the length of Lake Malawi solo. Last Autumn Rebecca made a first ascent of a 6000m peak in the Far West of Nepal.

Rebecca has a PhD in Glaciology, is a Wilderness First Responder, is a Winter Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor and sits on the Mount Everest Foundation expedition committee, Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Member of the Alpine Club and is a brand ambassador for Lowe Alpine.

Read about Becky’s First Ascent of Lasarmula (6250m), Nepal in Sidetracked Magazine.

got interesting. Rock climbing and a need to explore led him to quit his job and teach English amongst the limestone towers in South Eastern China. Later he spent a year and a half travelling along the Andes, from Argentina to Columbia, stopping to climb and trek along the way.  Rich is now settled in Snowdonia, North Wales where he works as full time as Mountaineering Instructor and Expedition Leader.  Alongside his extensive expedition experience, he holds a Wilderness First Responder medical qualification as well as MIA and WML certifications.

and is a linguistic sponge and walking Wikipedia according to the many happy walkers, trekkers and adventurers with whom he has travelled.

His favourite journeys to date include London to Beijing overland, Istanbul to Cape Town and Quito to Ushuaia. We look forward to working with Luca more on future expeditions.
Read about Luca in Wanderlust

Now, from battling through Bolivian jungle to hiking high passes in Tibet, Tom thrives on culturally diverse and exploratory river expeditions. Working as a Paramedic, he affords plenty of time to both personal and professional expeditions and highlights some of his favourite journeys as the Humla Karnali; Western Nepal, Grand Canyon of the Stikine, British Columbia and the Yangtze river, Western Sichuan. Awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship in 2016 he also plays an active role in river conservation.

Andes, Rockies and South African and European Alps; to the deserts of the Middle East; and to the jungles of Central America and Madagascar.

He is Mountain Leader, Wilderness First Aid and Vector Borne Disease Control qualified and is a member of the Alpine Club. Career highlights include climbing L’Esfinge (a 22 multi-pitch, 5.10d Alpine rock route in Peru at 5,300m) and guiding Cholo Peak (6,091m) plus volcanoes in the Pacific NW of the USA and European 4,000m peaks from the Matterhorn to Mt Blanc.

Dave joined Secret Compass in 2013 and has led our expeditions and TV crews successfully across deserts, through jungles and summiting unclimbed peaks. This followed 14 years in the military as a Royal Engineer with whom he worked in Iraq and Afghanistan, and qualified as an Army Diver and Airborne Sapper.

almost a decade on multiple continents including, Antarctica, the Middle East and the Americas, specialising in medical support and private services in high risk areas.

His qualifications include Red Cross Advanced Wilderness and Remote First Aid Instructor, Certified Wilderness Instructor for the Professional Association of Wilderness Guides and Instructors (PAWGI) and multiple Military qualifications in medicine and advanced warfare. He is passionate about wilderness survival and wilderness medicine, and currently serves in the Army Reserves as an Infantry Instructor.

when climbing, running and leading on mountains. He’s been to the top of a number of Alpine classics such as the Matterhorn, the Eiger, Mont Blanc and the Dent Du Geant to mention a few.

Further afield he has climbed and guided in Wadi Rum in Jordan, on Kilimanjaro, summited Island Peak and thoroughly explored the Himalayan Khumbu Valley. Between summits he turns his attention to long distance running and has completed the iconic UTMB (106 miles with 10,000m of elevation) race, was one of only 40% of starters to finish the inaugural OMAN by UTMB (137km across the heights of Jebel Akhdar) and finished in the top ten of the Jurassic Coast ultra. Paul is passionate about the mountains and truly believes in their power to inspire people’s positive outlook on life .

Belize and in Sierra Leone where he spent a year running a battle school near the Liberian border. He is now a mountain and expedition leader who, when not travelling, enjoys fell running and ultra marathons. He has completed the Marathon des Sables and the Brecon Beacons Traverse (31 peaks over 2,000 ft in 24 hours) and came joint first in the inaugural ‘Hadrian’s Hurdle’ race along Hadrian’s wall. Paul also works with Team Rubicon UK and been deployed on operations to Nepal, Haiti, South Carolina (USA) and Keswick, Tadcaster, UK.

Highlights include an ascent up the 7105m high Pik Korzhenevskaya in the Tajik Pamirs, an expedition in the off- limits border zone of the Caucasus between Azerbaijan and Russian Dagestan and two long-distance treks in the Afghan Wakhan Corridor.

Jan is co-author of the very first printed guidebook Trekking in Tajikistan, published by Cicerone Press. He’s also co-founder of the Zaghouan Mountain Film Festival, Tunisia’s first event of its kind. In 2019 he co-produced an adventure film in Lebanon, descending the highest mountain in the country to the Mediterranean on snowboard, mountain bike and surfboard. Currently he resides in Kampala, Uganda with his family from where he’s guiding expeditions and working on a new trekking guide dedicated to the mountains of Uganda.

northerly Inuit settlements in the Canadian Arctic. He has led successfully on 8,000m peaks but is now going back to his routes as a first ascentist and leading on virgin Himalayan peaks. Supported by RAB, Phil aims to start working towards IFMGA certification this year. Phil’s also qualified as a Remote Medical Practitioner, is a member of the International Society of Remote Medical Practitioners and is a Fellowship Candidate for the Academy of Wilderness Medicine.

Pat has travelled to around 60 countries and lived and guided in Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Central Asia for over a decade; he speaks fluent Russian and specialises in exploratory adventures in the Russian speaking world. His first official job in Kyrgyzstan was ‘Hutman,’ and helped manage a mountaineers hut at 3000m. Adventure Highlights have been a 6000km solo MTB escapade across West China and Tibet, including Everest Base Camp and the Aksai Chin; riding 200km above 5000m. Pat has guided in Ecuador, Vietnam, Indian Himalaya and Nepal and currently guides Secret Compass Nenets Expeditions to the Yamal Pennisular in the Russia Artic. He led the first commercial crossing of the frozen Gulf of Ob back in 2016. Pat graduated Anthropology at university in Australia, has a background in outdoor education and a keen interest in traditional cultures and immersion.

became orienteering and where he competed at an international level, representing Hungary at 6 world championships including both normal and ski orienteering events. Specialising in central Asian and Arctic environments, Robert has worked as an outdoor instructor and educator for more than 20 years and has led more than 30 expeditions around the world. With a degree in sports science, a masters in altitude physiology and a wilderness EMT qualification, he also has a keen interest in expedition medicine. Now based in Norway, Robert has spent the last 14 years working winter seasons as a head instructor and guide for a mountain hotel where he manages all the winter activities including skiing and snowshoeing. For the rest of the year Robert splits his time between teaching outdoor education and sports to the younger generation and leading expeditions around the world.

From the unrelenting cold of the Scottish Highlands, the flash floods in the unforgiving Mojave Desert, surviving a massive rockfall on Mont Blanc and the snake-ridden jungles of West Africa. Alongside his years spent advising the media and humanitarian sectors, he has spent many months of his life leading and working in the mountains – notably Oman, Scotland, the French alps, Nepal and Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush. He has finished the infamous Marathon des Sables, rowed across the Atlantic ocean in a team of 5 (setting a world first record in the process), led teams to complete the gruelling Devizes to Westminster canoe race and UK Ironman triathlon. As well as a passion for getting to places that others cannot, he brings his skills as an accredited remote area medic (EMT-B), mental health first aider, disaster response volunteer and photojournalist to Secret Compass expeditions. Outside of adventure, he is a keen supporter and advocate of sports teams in conflict zones, regularly visiting Afghanistan to work with millennial athletes across the country.

shoot on the top of Kilimanjaro, across deserts of Kazakhstan on an 8000 mile journey in Fiat Panda, and down to the jungles of Costa Rica for 10 months of remote conservation work, without electricity or running water. As a Mountain Leader and active Mountain Rescue member near his home of Sheffield UK, he is most happy in boots and a backpack, but brings substantial experience from all angles of expeditions from desk-based planning & logistics, to leader training & development and emergency support. He has worked with Secret Compass since 2015 and when not overseas, he works as a Personal & Business Coach and National Park Ranger. He likes to call himself an “Ironman” but his wife says these things have an expiry date after 3 years so he has to do another to keep the title.