Development Board

Meet our Development Board

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British Exploring Society's Development Board consists of a group of accomplished individuals who collectively make a significant difference to the long-term success of the charity. The Development Board’s purpose is to take a lead role in actively contributing to the fundraising of British Exploring Society. They also provide advice and support in key areas of activity like Communications and Marketing.

Rahul Moodgal - Chair

Rahul works independently helping firms build out their businesses. He was previously the Partner who headed Investor Relations and Business Development for the TCI Platform where he worked and built The Children's Investment Fund, Parvus, TCI New Horizon, KDA Capital and Algebris Investments (2005-2009). Prior to TCI, Rahul worked as the Head of International Institutional Clients at UBP London (2004-2005) and as the Head of Client Service at TT International (1998-2004). Prior to working in finance, Rahul was an academic and studied in the UK, USA, Russia and Japan.

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As well as serving on the Development Board of British Exploring Society, in the UK Rahul is a Trustee of Whizz-Kidz, a Patron of The Mulberry Bush Organisation, The Triangle Playground and The British Olympic Association as well as an being an iDiscover Ambassador; In California he is Chair of the Board of Scientific Adventures for Girls in California.

Arabella Connell

Arabella Connell grew up in the Andalusia region of Spain where her parents ran their own walking tours company. She worked in the travel industry in London, has been on Expeditions to the poles and now lives in Perthshire with her husband and two children.

Ben Saunders

Ben Saunders is one of the world’s leading polar explorers, and a record-breaking long-distance skier. Ben is a well-informed positive advocate for British exploring Society. He has made a positive contribution to our work and is a strong and serious advocate for us. His own exceptional professional achievements as an explorer and endurance athlete contribute positively to our reputation. He has regularly spoken at British Exploring Society events, and uses the opportunities he has to invite us to events where we can network and try and secure support for our work.

Carlotta Newbury

Carlotta’s commercial background is in sports marketing and sponsorship. She has worked in senior positions on several sides of the industry; rights holder (LTA, Commercial Director), brand (O2, Head of Sports Sponsorship) and agency (IMG, Commercial Manager). This multi-faceted aspect of her career gives her a unique perspective of the sports and sponsorship industry. During her time in sponsorship, Carlotta has led the negotiations on over £30 million of sponsorship and media deals; including with Arsenal, The Times and the RFU. She has also developed successful commercial strategies for rights holders such as the Irish FA and the LTA and has led award-winning campaigns at O2.

Duncan Souster

Duncan is Chief Executive and a founding member of the Avelios team. Duncan has significant experience working at board level across both the charitable and commercial sectors and is the former Chief Executive of The Jubilee Sailing Trust, where he led the charity’s international expansion and worked with prominent philanthropists and corporate partners to establish high-impact programmes of work. Prior to this, Duncan was Global Sales Director of ManpowerGroup, a Fortune 500 business services firm, where he led on a complex transformation to improve the management of key accounts across 86 countries. Duncan has a BSc (First Class) from University College London, is a Trustee of the Voces8 Foundation (a charity that inspires young people through music) and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Shipwrights.

Jon Slade

As cheif commercial officer, Jon oversees the Financial Times' subscriptions business, global advertising sales operations, print and digital consumer marketing, customer services, business development and FT Strategies, the FT's subscription consultancy. Jon is the FT's first CCO, and was appointed to the FT Group executive board in December 2014. Jon was previously the FT's B2C managing director, and before that the commercial director for global digital advertising and insight. Jon joined the FT in 2022 as technology client manager, left the FT in 2005 to join News International, and returned to the FT in 2007 as commercial director for digital advertising.

Krupesh Patel

Krupesh Patel has over 25 years of experience within the financial services industry focusing on compliance, business management, investor relations, risk management and governance. Krupesh grew up in Kenya and during the course of his career, has lived in the U.K, Ireland and Asia. Krupesh is a trustee of Education for the 21st Century and has previously served as a trustee/board member at Le Cheile Mentoring, The Hygiene Bank Ireland, Stepaside Educate Together National School and East Oxford Primary School.

Petra Dismorr

Petra Dismorr is co-founder, CEO and manages the overall business of NorthPeak Advisory a boutique advisory partnering with asset managers, asset owners and corporates to advance their ESG practices and capabilities to create a lasting ESG approach. Day to day involves supporting financial market players transition to integrate and promote responsible investing across their business areas. Petra has 15 years’ experience of hedge fund business development. Most recently she ran EMEA business development for Bardin Hill. Prior to that she spent 7 years as a Director on Citigroup’s EMEA Capital Introduction team. There Petra assisted Citigroup’s hedge fund clients with their asset raising needs and global institutional investors with their allocation searches. Petra holds a Masters in International Economics from Lund University, Sweden, the ESG CFA and a Masterclass in Private Equity degree from LBS. Petra is also a GAIN mentor and supports specific conservation projects globally.

Stuart Denard

Stuart works for the British Olympic Association, fundraising from private individuals to support Team GB compete at the Olympic and Olympic Winter Games. He has worked in fundraising for over 13 years for Whizz-Kidz and Breast Cancer Care across a range of fundraising practices including Corporate Engagement, Regional and Major Gifts. He is a passionate believer in equal opportunity for all young people and a huge advocate of British Exploring Society’s work in providing these life altering experiences that can broaden horizons and raise aspirations.

Tim Passingham

Tim is the Founder and Chairman of Cambridge Management Consulting. Tim is also a Non-Executive Director of Irish subsea telecommunications company Aqua Comms and a Non-Executive Director of cyber security business C2 Cyber. Tim acts as a strategy adviser to numerous organisations and has extensive senior executive experience in the information and communications technology industry. Tim is passionate about youth work, adventure, travel and the outdoors having travelled to over 80 countries and climbed or hiked in many of them. Tim has previously helped run youth clubs, summer camps and worked as an outdoor instructor.

Meet members of our wider team

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