Chamonix, France, 8 March 2024
On International Women’s Day, the Sustainable Mountain Alliance (SMA) carried out its Annual General Assembly 2024 in Chamonix, France. The key decisions taken include strengthening the Board membership and adding two new Scientific and Strategic Committees.
SMA is honoured to have Dr. Heïdi Sevestre, French glaciologist and fellow international of The Explorers Club join the SMA Board Dr. Sevestre has studied glaciers all around the world, from the French Alps to Greenland, from the Arctic to Antarctica.
Currently working with the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme, a Working Group to the Arctic Council, Dr. Sevestre is an avid science communicator and leader of several expeditions to cold places every year. In 2023, she won the inaugural Shackleton Medal for the Protection of the Polar Regions.
Following her appointment, Dr. Sevestre’s stated:
“I am deeply honored to be appointed to the board of the SMA. My profession has given me a profound insight into the impacts of climate change on our mountains. Witnessing first hand the diminishing ice and snow, I have come to comprehend the far-reaching consequences on our health, our economies, our agriculture. In times marked by heightened tensions and divisions, it is imperative that we foster collaboration amongst all stakeholders to envision a sustainable future for our mountains”.
The SMA’s Scientific Committee will be led by renowned specialist Dr. Pascal Emanuel Egli and the Strategic Committee will be composed of industry experts: Ben Lesage, Anna Hellman, and Cedric Girard.
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About Dr. Pascal Egli: a specialist in subglacial hydrology and glacier-climate interactions, as well as glacier surface collapse features, Dr. Elgi is 2018 World Cup champion in Skyrunning and ski mountaineer, currently working at the Institute of Geography at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Dr. Egli will bring key expertise to the SMA for its Science to Advocacy Programme.
About Anna Hellman: Based in the Swiss alps, Anna has been an integral part of the international sports movement for much of her professional career. Between 2014 and 2024 she launched and served as Director for ThinkSport, a non-for-profit association, founded by the Canton of Vaud and the International Olympic Committee, gathering the sport innovation B2B network (sport organisations, academic institutes, startups, businesses). Previously, Anna worked for Além International, served as Executive Director for SportAccord Convention, and was COO for the World Sports Forum.
About Ben Lesage: Global Coordinator at Sustainable Ocean Alliance (SOA), Ben is passionate about the mountains and the oceans. Expert in technology and innovation. Ben worked for the innovation studio of BNP Paribas in San Francisco and is author of the first study dedicated to Ocean Technology startups.
About Cédric Girard: supporting sport leaders in their positive impact journey, Former CEO of Global Sports Week, Cédric had marketing leadership roles in the sports industry (Nike, Decathlon), consumer goods (Coca-Cola, Unilever) and hospitality (Louvre Hotels), Cédric has worked on positive impact projects in Sport, Nutrition, Health and Innovation with MoHo, Schoolab, Fitnext and Publicis Sport.
See the SMA Annual Report 2023 here.
For more information about the SMA:
Web: https://sustainablemountainalliance.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sustainablemountainalliance
Instagram: @SustainableMountainAlliance
Twitter : @SMASportTourism
For more information about Dr. Heidi Sevestre: