eXXpedition Core Team
Emily Penn
Founder and Director
Emily is an ocean advocate, skipper and impassioned expert on plastic pollution. For 15 years she’s been at the helm of change: putting the plastics issue on the map, shaping the conversation and catalysing action.
She’s sailed 80,000 miles – from the tropics to the Arctic – leading voyages that have changed science and lives. She’s inspired and worked with everyone from community leaders to CEOs and scientists to heads of state. In 2021 she was awarded the British Empire Medal by the Queen.
Louise Watson
General Manager eXXpedition Travel Limited
With a background in military logistics and operational planning, Louise has continued to build on this experience through her roles within adaptive sports, outdoor leadership, adventure travel and TV risk management.
A passionate advocate for the benefits of time outdoors, Louise believes in the power of adventure. Happiest in the sea, up a hill or whizzing downhill!
Emily Graham
Operations
Emily has almost 20 years of experience working in the outdoor industry, magazine publishing and operations management. She has also spent months on the water, running logistics and participating in expeditions.
Alongside eXXpedition, Emily runs quirky holiday lets with her family; and is happiest when up a hill!
Dr. Taylor Maddalene Myers
Science and Research Lead
Dr. Taylor Maddalene Myers is a Research Faculty member in the College of Engineering at the University of Georgia and Director of the Circularity Assessment Protocol at the Jambeck Circularity Informatics Lab.
Her background is in marine conservation, pollution prevention, and science communication, working on projects around the globe with organizations such as National Geographic, NOAA, and Rare.
Her current research focuses on the impacts of plastic pollution and tying human behavior and waste management infrastructure on land with that we find in the ocean.
Kathryn Youngblood
Senior Research Engineer
Kathryn Youngblood is a Senior Research Engineer at the Jambeck Circularity Informatics Lab at the University of Georgia College of Engineering. Building on her environmental engineering background, Kathryn’s work focuses on data collection and geospatial data analysis to prevent plastic pollution at the community level. Kathryn directs Marine Debris Tracker, a community science app used to log open data on plastic pollution.
Zoe Stanton
Organisational Development
Zoe is a strategic designer, social entrepreneur and business leader. Zoe is focusing on the organisational development of eXXpedition, contributing her skills and experience from founding and growing businesses and leading organisational transformation.
Zoe has a life long love of the ocean and is constantly looking for ways to be in, on or near it, most recently through endurance sea swimming.
eXXpedition Advisors
Lucy Gilliam
Lucy co-founded eXXpedition, has sailed on three eXXpedition voyages and supports the project as a technical advisor and ambassador for the cause. Currently, she works for One Planet Port, tackling climate impacts and pollution from shipping.
Lucy is a professional changemaker with a Degree in Biology and Phd in Molecular Microbiology. Her career has spanned academia, government, grassroots activism and supranational policy making. Lucy has a life-long passion for tackling climate change and toxic pollution.
Elizabeth Pryce
Elizabeth has diverse experience from finance through manufacturing to the arts. She’s a proud Trustee of the National Theatre and Director of eXXpedition C.I.C.
Jeff Twentyman
Jeff is a business director, consultant and a coach working in a range of roles across sustainability, governance and business development – currently with the Green Finance Institute, Blueprint for a Better Business and the Greenhouse incubator programme at Imperial College.
He is Honorary Professor of Practice at the Faculty of Law of UCL and sits on a number of advisory committees and working groups. Jeff was a practicing lawyer and formerly Global Head of Private Equity and also Chair of Sustainability at the law firm Slaughter and May.
Larissa Clark
Larissa leads high impact PR, media and communications campaigns for mission-driven organisations through This Chapter PR. With a background in sustainable development and adventure travel she’s worked with eXXpedition since 2018 to drive awareness, action and powerful collaborations back on land.
Join our team
Do you want to join our dedicated and passionate team to help deliver our mission to help people discover their role in tackling plastic pollution?
We are not currently recruiting for any permanent positions but opportunities will be posted here so please check back if you are keen to work with us.
If you are interested in joining our Guest Crew, visit our ‘Join an Expedition’ page.
