Sea Change

Kat is the Founder of NatureMetrics, a UK-based nature technology company that specialises in the use of environmental DNA to measure and monitor biodiversity. Originally a tropical ecologist, Kat has previously led several expeditions in the Peruvian Amazon. She is a keen rower and took part in GB Row Challenge 2022 as a member of Team Albatross, the only crew to complete the challenge that year.

A convert to life at sea, she has now completed her sailing qualifications and undertaken a sailing expedition in the Arctic during summer 2023.

Aoife Is a Net Zero Consultant within the Sustainability Hub at Accenture. She has been working in the sustainability field for over five years and is passionate about reducing the impact of the built environment as well as implementing aspects of biodiversity and social value in her work.

Aoife also leads the women’s squad at Twickenham Rowing Club and is ready to take on GB Row Challenge to row around Great Britain. Aoife will undergo her skipper qualifications later this year.

Chrissy is based in Austin, Texas, in the United States. She is the Vice President-Growth and Impact at Arbimon and Rainforest Connection, which are organisations utilising acoustic monitoring to understand and protect ecosystems using artificial intelligence and machine learning. Chrissy has been working in ecoacoustics for over five years developing collaborations with indigenous communities, corporations, NGOs, and governments.

Chrissy is a passionate adventurer and advocate for healing our relationship within nature, spending much of her time hiking, tree climbing, biking, sailing, and advocating for animal rights.

*Laura has had to withdraw from this year's GB Row Challenge

Laura is a PhD student based at the University of Portsmouth, UK, working on the scientific data collected by GB Row Challenge teams. Through her research she hopes to empower and enable the public to engage with research on ocean health to collaboratively drive evidence-based policy decisions.

Laura is often seen outdoors with frequent cycling trips and five years of water sports experience, including rowing and sailing. By taking part in GB Row Challenge 2024 she hopes to further demonstrate how to sustainably enjoy the outdoors and live adventures.

Lorena is a finance professional (FCCA) and director of an Essex based consultancy business, Property Risk Inspection Ltd (PRI). She is responsible for the environmental, social and governance strategies of the business as well as the corporate sustainability objectives of key stakeholders.

Outside the workplace Lorena is a keen rower and in 2021 took part in leg 4/6 of an alternative circumnavigation of Great Britain, starting in Mallaig and going ‘Over the top’ to Fraserburgh in a 12-person ocean rowing boat. She is a member of her local rowing club and competitively takes part in an annual winter league, racing traditional gigs against 11 other clubs all based along the Essex coast. She has also taken part in the world pilot gig championships in the Scillies each year since 2018.

Lorena is excited to take on GB Row Challenge 2024, not only for the physical and mental challenge but for the principles and purpose of monitoring the health of our coastal seas while navigating the challenging coastline of Great Britain.

Jess Mc Iver is a cultural heritage consultant at ERM in London, originally from Cape Town South Africa where she studied archaeology, social anthropology, and environmental and geographical science. Jess undertook archaeological research exploration for two seasons in northern Kenya in 2011 and 2012 camping and excavating potential hominid sites for 6 weeks at a time.

Jess rowed during her teenage years representing her school before taking an interest in sailing where she raced inshore bay and longer distance races along the coast of South Africa. She lived and worked on board a 75 ft sailing catamaran as a deck/stew for a few years sailing between Cape Town and Vilankulos in Mozambique for guests and owners before immigrating to the UK with her partner Richard.

Jess enjoys sailing, paddle boarding, swimming, mountaineering, camping, hiking and is most happy generally being outdoors! She is looking forward to getting to know the Sea Change crew and engaging in some serious team effort in the GB Row Challenge!

Madeline is an environmental researcher, writer, and visual artist focused on sustainable development. She has worked with organisations like the World Wildlife Fund and Smithsonian to improve global seafood sustainability and protect biodiversity in Central America. Her years living in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Panama, and Costa Rica have led her to believe that the future of climate change adaptation and mitigation lies in landscape-scale conservation efforts led by locals.

A lifelong outdoor enthusiast and endurance athlete, Madeline is excited for GB Row Challenge 2024 to shed light on how oceans connect us and inspire future generations through stories of community-based environmental innovations. She may also be the first Canadian to make this circumnavigation with the GB Row Challenge.