The polar regions are what we do. From our expert expedition guides to our impeccable crew to our diversely skilled office staff, the OEX team is all about giving you the utmost experience of the Arctic, Antarctica, and the sub-Antarctic. Seasoned passengers of our own epic voyages, we bring to the table not only a love of the exotic polar world but also a combined wealth of expertise unrivaled by any other polar tour operator. Join us on one of our adventurous voyages, and let us share with you all there is to see, do, and explore in Earth’s most remote frontiers.
Our staff
Expedition staff
- Adam Burke
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: British
Adam has always had a love of the outdoors and adventure, from an early age he dreamt of visiting exotic places and immersing himself in other cultures.
This love of the outdoors led him to work teaching adventurous activities and for over fifteen years this pursuit has given him the opportunity to live and work all over the globe. He has taught sailing in Australia, paddle sports on Europe’s rivers and led expeditions in Africa.
After spending five years teaching white water safety & rescue and boat handling techniques to the fire brigade, he moved on to providing marine science support in Antarctica. He has spent over five years living between the Antarctic continent and the island of South Georgia, including overwintering twice.
Whilst providing science support he spent his time in Antarctica managing boating operations and helming RIBs for diving operations. This covered understanding environmental changes and its effects, wildlife monitoring and counting as well as water sampling for a long-term data collection.
Adam enjoys travelling with his partner who shares the same values and love of the outdoors. This has taken them from deserts to rain forests and ultramarathons in the mountains.
- Pippa Low
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: British
Pippa has worked as a marine guide and skipper for 10 years, primarily in Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, and the polar regions.
- Hans Verdaat
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Dutch
Hans’s fascination for nature and traveling has been present throughout his life. From a young age, he has been an active birder traveling across Europe, studying coastal zone management in the Netherlands and in Norway.
- Ali Liddle
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: British
- Philipp Schaudy
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Austrian
- Adam Turner
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: British
- Florence Kuyper
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Dutch
- Marcel Paul
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Dutch
- George Kennedy
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Australian
- Rinie van Meurs
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Dutch
- Christian Engelke
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: German
- Jan Belgers
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Dutch
- Claudio Ghiglione
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Italian
- Eduardo Rubio
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: Guatemalan
- Chris Long
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: New Zealander
- Sara Jenner
- Function: Expedition leader
- Nationality: British
Activity staff
- Jonny Baird
- Function: Mountain Leader and Advisor
- Nationality: British
Jonny Baird grew up in the small village of Taynuilt near Oban on Scotland’s west coast, where he first discovered his passion for climbing and skiing. He is now based in the French Alps near the Chamonix Valley and has worked as an IFMGA-certified Mountain Guide since 2005.
Since 2017, Jonny has worked regularly as a mountaineering guide aboard the Oceanwide expedition ship Ortelius and as Lead Mountain Guide aboard Hondius on the Antarctic Peninsula.
Over the years, his deep appreciation for the Antarctic has grown—not only for its mountaineering potential but also for its unique and abundant wildlife.
In winter, Jonny primarily guides ski mountaineering trips across France, Italy, and Switzerland, with regular expeditions further afield. His Arctic guiding experience includes trips to Arctic Norway (Lofoten Islands, Kvaløya, Tromsø, and Arnøya), Greenland, and Iceland’s Troll Peninsula.
During the summer months, Jonny focuses on alpine climbing, mountaineering, and rock climbing, sharing more than 35 years of personal climbing experience with his clients. His climbing has taken him around the world, including the European Alps, Kyrgyzstan, Peru, Canada, the U.S., Morocco, New Zealand, Australia, and of course Scotland, where it all began.
Beyond guiding, Jonny has worked in mountain safety for television, film, and photography projects. He is the co-author of a ski touring guidebook and has contributed to several online publications.
Jonny is a member of the Syndicat National des Guides de Montagne (SNGM), the French national mountain guiding association. Over the years, he has climbed, skied, and guided on every continent.
- Henrik Enckell
- Function: Dive Team Leader & Advisor
- Nationality: Swedish
Henrik is an experienced dive leader, rebreather instructor trainer, and one of the first dive masters to bring tourists diving in Antarctica.
- Michael Green
- Function: Dive Team Leader and Advisor
- Nationality: British
Michael began diving in 1980, training with the Royal Navy in Portsmouth Harbour.
Captains
- Remmert Koster
- Function: Captain
- Nationality: Dutch
Remmert Koster was born in the Netherlands, and from a young age he was convinced he would become a captain.
After completing nautical college, he sailed general cargo ships for several years before switching to heavy-lift ships, transporting such loads as offshore platforms, Dutch Royal Navy vessels, submarines, parts for petrochemical plants, dredgers, cranes, and other such items.
Since 2016 he has captained passenger vessels, starting with two mega-yachts and later becoming a captain with Oceanwide Expeditions on its Polar Class 6 vessel, Hondius.
Remmert is married and lives with his wife and her daughter in an old farmhouse in north Holland. When he’s not busy renovating the house, he likes to cook, travel, and spend time with his family and friends.
- Arthur Yakovlev
- Function: Captain
- Nationality: Russian
Arthur Yakovlev was born in Petrozavodsk, the capital and largest city of the Republic of Karelia, in northwestern Russia.
- Per Andersson
- Function: Captain
- Nationality: Swedish
Assuming the role of Captain with Oceanwide Expeditions in 2021, captain Per orchestrates expeditions through the Arctic and Antarctic aboard M/V Ortelius.
- Ernesto Barria
- Function: Captain
- Nationality: Chilean
- Joachim Schiel
- Function: Captain
- Nationality: German
Office
- Marissa Medrano
- Function: Accounting
- Nationality: American
- Nyrée Siereveld-Verstraete
- Function: Account Assistant
- Nationality: Dutch
- Michael Frauendorfer
- Function: Hotel Operations Manager
- Nationality: Austrian
- Bas Jumelet
- Function: Assistant Hotel Operations Manager
- Nationality: Dutch
- Karin Toornstra
- Function: Reservations
- Nationality: Dutch
- Danique van Burken
- Function: Senior Marketing Manager
- Nationality: Dutch
- Grace Vidal
- Function: Reservations, North-America
- Nationality: American
- George Janes
- Function: Senior Copywriter
- Nationality: British
- Maria del Pilar Fernandez
- Function: International Sales Manager
- Nationality: Chilean
- Marina Joglar
- Function: Reservations, North-America
- Nationality: American
- Majanda Fens
- Function: Reservations Manager
- Nationality: Dutch
- Alexandra den Dikken
- Function: Senior Graphic Designer
- Nationality: Dutch
- Gabi Merten
- Function: Reservations for the German speaking market
- Nationality: German
- Sytze Posthumus
- Function: Financial Controller
- Nationality: Dutch
- Michel van Gessel
- Function: Director
- Nationality: Dutch
- Ko de Korte
- Function: Consultant
- Nationality: Dutch
- Adam Turner
- Function: CXO - Head of Expedition Operations
- Nationality: British
- Toto Vermue
- Function: USA and Canada Sales Manager
- Nationality: Dutch
- Jornt de Meurichy
- Function: E-commerce officer
- Nationality: Dutch
- Elza Back
- Function: Account Assistant
- Nationality: Dutch
- Sebastiaan Schijf
- Function: CFO
- Nationality: Dutch
- Stefan Pruimboom
- Function: Staffing and Operations Advisor
- Nationality: Dutch
- Kees Matthes
- Function: Nautical Superintendent
- Nationality: Dutch
- Florian J. Piper
- Function: Director Sales | Arctic program
- Nationality: German
- Loraine van Huizen
- Function: Online Marketeer
- Nationality: Dutch
- Piet Vink
- Function: Managing Director
- Nationality: Dutch
- John Yeh
- Function: Sales Representative China & South Asia & Oceania
- Nationality: Chinese
- Franklin Braeckman
- Function: Antarctic Program Manager
- Nationality: Belgian
- Rémi Bouysset
- Function: CEO
- Nationality: French
- Marie Rose Porreca
- Function: Reservations, North-America
- Nationality: American
- Femke Wolfert
- Function: Staffing Manager
- Nationality: Dutch
- Arjan Gunnink
- Function: Senior Polar Diving Advisor
- Nationality: Dutch
- Sasha Rachkova
- Function: Online Marketeer
- Nationality: Russian
- Helen de Jong
- Function: Sales Account Manager
- Nationality: Dutch
- Dorine van Boekhout
- Function: Reservations
- Nationality: Dutch
- Teun van ‘t Verlaat
- Function: Technical Manager
- Nationality: Dutch