I’ve worked in tourism since the mid-90s, and sustainable tourism since the mid-00s, in destinations, marketing and ecommerce, heading up operations abroad from the UK and online for major tour operators like TUI and Virgin Holidays, travel agents and media. This included package and specialist qualified holidays, ski, tours, charity challenges and voluntourism, NGOs and sustainable tourism accreditation. I’m a ranger in Africa, charity challenge tour leader and acclaimed academic for a published MSc Responsible Tourism Management thesis (a top 10 download of all time in the Journal of Sustainable Tourism) on the online marketing and greenwashing of volunteer tourism. Further I serve on the Trustee board for charity SEED Madagascar, and was an Ambassador for the UK Government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) Year of Green Action in 2019 for my work on my sustainable tourism start-up www.earth-changers.com. We promote positive impact, regenerative tourism around the world, and were voted Travelmole UK’s Best Responsible Travel & Tourism website 2019.

I also help develop the Global and European Ecotourism Networks, through which I met Kirsi in 2018. We’ve always worked well together, caring about many of the same things – to make the world a better place through inclusive means of sharing information and educating, for real sustainable tourism with integrity and accountability. She’s smart, approachable, practical and finally fun!