Expedition Staff
Aaron Russ
Expedition Leader
Aaron has grown up surrounded by wildlife and wilderness. He has been Expedition Leader on over 100 expeditions to the world’s most remote regions. With a degree in zoology, a passion for photography and a desire to showcase the world’s premier natural history destinations, Expedition Leading comes naturally.
Nathan Russ
Operations Director & Expedition Leader
Nathan has also grown up in the family business and has worked as a chef on expedition vessels around the world. A keen and capable Expedition Leader, he has led numerous expeditions, including Spitsbergen, Antarctica, the Subantarctic Islands and all of our voyages in Russia. He also manages the company’s vessels.
Samuel Blanc
Expedition Leader
Samuel grew up in the French Alps and spent 15 months at the French Antarctic research station Dumont d’Urville studying seals, petrels, skuas, Adelie and Emperor Penguins. A keen photographer and passionate polar specialist he has a degree in biological sciences and the management and protection of natural areas.
Adam Walleyn
Expedition Leader
Adam was born in the Canadian Prairies. Becoming a birder and naturalist from a very young age, he spent his youth in the field and has found his niche in Expedition Travel as a guide and naturalist. Knowledgeable and unflappable he is the perfect guide and companion when travelling to remote shores.
Alex Fergus
Expedition Leader
Receiving an Enderby Trust Scholarship triggered Alex's ongoing Subantarctic research projects. Studying in Switzerland before joining the Campbell Island Bicentennial expedition, his forays into Russia have fuelled his passion for plants. Alex is a field botanist when he’s not exploring the Subantarctic Islands.
Judd Hill
Expedition Leader
Judd grew up playing in, on and under the water. He has been a professional adventure guide since leaving the chef world behind in 2000. The first to guide commercial sea kayaking along the Northeast Passage coastline of Russia and Macquarie Island he is passionate about all things connected with the oceans.
Helen Ahern
Expedition Leader
Growing up in a family passionate about the natural world and all things conservation, Helen thrives on exploration. While expedition travel is her forte, she is also the Founder and Project Manager of Learning Resources for Villages a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and an International Member of The Explorer’s Club.
Julia Mishina
Asst. Expedition Leader
Julia Mishina was born and raised in Kamchatka. Her first vocation was teaching, but she has been involved in travel and tourism for a number of years. She is responsible for obtaining the permits and
permissions required to operate our expeditions and regularly joins us as an Assistant Expedition Leader.
Dan Brown
Lecturer/Zodiac Driver
Dan grew up in Bangor University’s botanic garden, North Wales. After 18 years surrounded by plants and animals, it was only natural that he went on to complete an Ecology degree. Dan has set up his own ecological consultancy which provides field and technical support on biodiversity related projects.
Chris Collins
Lecturer/Zodiac Driver
Chris has been a keen birder for as long as he can remember and has visited over seventy countries and territories around the world in search of birds. He fell in love with ship-based expeditions after being the first birder to do the full Atlantic Odyssey (Ushuaia to UK via many of the islands of the Atlantic) in 1998.
Grigory Tsidulko
Lecturer/Zodiac Driver
Grigory graduated from the Moscow State University with a Masters in Marine Biology. He has spent many years working ‘in the field’ in the Commander and Sakhalin Islands and has specialised in the behaviour of Arctic Foxes of the Commander Islands, and the ecology of Gray Whales off the Sakhalin Coast.
Courtney Rayes
Lecturer
Courtney's passion for the life aquatic steered her towards a career in marine biological science. An avid scuba diver, Courtney spent a year-long scholarship working on marine conservation projects around the world including marine education in Papua New Guinea. When she’s not working you'll find her in or on the water.
Martin Cawthorn
Lecturer & Zodiac Driver
Martin turned his lifelong passion for the ocean into career as a marine mammal scientist. His work includes roles with the International Whaling Commission, co-authoring the New Zealand Marine Mammal Protection Act 1978 and was awarded the New Zealand Antarctic Society's Conservation Award for his work on Hooker's sea lions and Southern Ocean whales.
Matt Vance
Lecturer & Zodiac Driver
A writer, lecturer, expedition leader and sailor, Matt has worked with Heritage Expeditions in the Southern Ocean and South West Pacific for more than 14 years. Published extensively, he has also worked with Antarctica New Zealand accompanying writers, journalists, artists and politicians to Antarctica.
Agnès Brenière
Lecturer & Zodiac Driver
Agnès’ love of nature came easy growing up in the French Alps. A self-taught naturalist, she studied environmental law and management and has managed to combine her love of nature with a passion for travel into a satisfying career as an expedition guide, where she is happiest exploring the Polar regions.
Chris Todd
Lecturer & Zodiac Driver
Chris grew up exploring New Zealand's great outdoors, studied natural history, nature conservation and National Park management has run his ecological restoration, worked for the Department of Conservation and Forest and Bird. He enjoys sharing his love and knowledge of wildlife and wild places, plants, nature and conservation.
Heidi Dohn
Cruise Director
Heidi has a passion for travel, unique experiences, the outdoors, and a great appreciation for seeing wildlife in their natural habitat – be it Polar Bears roaming the sea ice in the Arctic, canoeing down the Amazon River observed by alligators, African safaris or Antarctica's impressive penguin colonies.
Rachael Iveson-Brown
Cruise Director, Lecturer
Rachael is a passionate naturalist with a particular love for coastal wildlife. During her career as an ecologist she has provided expert advice on species and landscape ecology throughout the United Kingdom. In between Heritage tours Rachael and her husband, Dan, are based in South-East Asia.