Discovery Initiatives Team Members
Our team is quite literally, the key to our success. We have some of the best travel consultants in the industry, all of whom have a wealth of knowledge and first-hand experience in their chosen area, ready to provide honest and impartial advice. They regularly return to their own areas of expertise to strengthen our existing partnerships and explore new areas as well as looking to discover new opportunities and destinations worldwide.
Now meet the team below or better still come and meet us in person to discuss your holiday arrangements in depth…
Our Staff
Julian Matthews
Julian Matthews is Founder and Director of nature tour operator Discovery Initiatives. As a pioneer in his field he now lectures across the globe on wildlife tourism and sets up new tours and safaris in partnership with wildlife NGO and researchers. Click to read more
Kieran Murphy
Kieran is the new Managing Director of Discovery Initiatives. He has worked in the travel industry for over 20 years and settled in London after travelling through Europe and North America after studying. Click to read more
Chris Johnston
Having travelled extensively throughout Asia and Africa, Chris has been lucky enough to explore the savannahs of East Africa, the mountain forests of Uganda and Rwanda and the wilds of Central Africa.He has also tracked orangutans in the wilds of Borneo. Click to read more
Mandy Mountjoy
Born and raised in South Africa, Mandy's passion for the African bush and its people began at a private game reserve adjacent to the Kruger National Park. This led to far wilder experiences further afield in Botswana, Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia. Click to read more
Dawn Smith
Having lived and worked in South America for a number of years, her passion and experience for the region is second to none. From the wildlife of Galapagos, the wilds of Peru or the rich marine life in Mexico she is our resident South American expert. Click to read more
Rupert Cue
Rupert looks after our tours to the Indian Subcontinent and continues to travel throughout the region developing new and unique trips. Rupert first visited India in 1997 when he spent 6 months travelling throughout India and Nepal. Click to read more
Jane Pearce
Having worked in various travel companies for a number of years, Jane has developed and now manages our complex administration process and operations and has travelled as far afield as the Galapagos, Brazil and Botswana. Click to read more
Deborah West
Deborah's career in travel has roots in hard won experience at the travel office for the Ministry of Defence - a perfect background for keeping the rest of us in order.
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Alex Mudd
Fostered by a childhood in the West Indies, the travel bug bit Alex early. He's travelled to over 45 countries across 7 continents, counting Arctic, Antarctica, Galapagos, Bolivia, Japan, Burma, Australia and Argentina as possibly his favourites. Click to read more
Lara Paxton
Lara has worked in the travel industry for a few years. Her enthusiasm for travel began in India where she spent time as an exchange student. This led to further travels, around Europe and further a field including Thailand, Cuba and New Zealand. Click to read more
Our Experts
Art Taylor
Art Taylor has owned Searcher since 1985 and has been guiding vessels in Baja's waters for over 20 years. He is dedicated to the people and wildlife conservation of Baja California and enjoys sharing this with his passengers Click to read more
Ashley Leiman
Ashley Leiman, O.B.E. now the Director, formed the Orangutan Foundation UK in 1990 and is one of the leading figures in orangutan conservatiokn. Her passion and knowledge of orangutan conservation is a huge part of the success of this tour. Click to read more
Cheryl-Samantha Owen
Cheryl-Samantha Owen is an award winning wildlife photographer, conservation biologist and author. Her work has appeared in Africa Geographic, BBC Wildlife and SWARA. She holds an MSc degree in Conservation Biology and works as public relations for the Save Our Seas Foundation. Click to read more
Christine Watts
Christine Watts is an Australian ecologist and primatologist and has spent the last three years researching Golden Monkeys in Changqing Nature Reserve. She is project leader of the Giant Panda Ecotourism Project, assisting the development of ecotourism in Click to read more
Dan Freeman
This tour will be led by Dan Freeman, who began his career working on Australian birds for London's Natural History Museum and has been a writer, producer and director on some 40 wildilfe documentaries. Click to read more
Davide Rimoldi
Davide Rimoldi has spent three years working as a guide on the island, particularly on whale shark expeditions, where he has accrued significant knowledge of their behaviour and movements in the area. Click to read more
Dr Raghu Chundawat
After fourteen years of work on high altitude mammals, Dr Raghu is an acknowledged expert on the Himalayan and trans-Himalayan regions. He completed his Ph.D. in 1992 on the Ecology of snow leopard and its prey species in Trans-Himalayan region of Ladakh, Click to read more
Eweme Yeti
Eweme (meaning 'fish' in the Huao Terero language) is one of the lodge's key local guides. Originally from Enkeriro, he comes from a distinguished family lineage of warriors and came to the community of Quehueri'ono four years ago. Click to read more
Fernando Felix
Fernando Felix first started whale studies here in 1991 after studying the large numbers of Bottlenose Dolphin in the Gulf of Guayaquil and has continued each season to collect data on their welfare, behaviour, and population size. Click to read more
Harriet Davies-Mostert
Harriet Davies-Mostert is founder of the Shashe Limpopo Predator Research Group, chairperson of the Wild Dog Advisory Group and project co-ordinator for the Endangered Wildlife Trust Wild Dog Metapopulation project. Click to read more
Jeanetta Selier
Jeanetta Selier's vital pioneering research plays a significant role in trans-frontier conservation and is crucial to successful elephant management. Click to read more
Jean-Pierre Somon
From working out the complicated logistics of planes and pirogues, to the cold beers at the end of the day, Jean Pierre's local knowledge and enthusiasm are a huge part of what makes these trips such a success and is an invaluable member of the team. Click to read more
Jef Dupain
Jef Dupain is Head of the African Wildlife Foundations Congo Heartlands programme, studying the elusive Bonobos in the Lomako Forest. Jeff arrived in 1994, and has remained a passionate advocate for bonobo's, helping to create the Lomako Reserve itself. Click to read more
Jose Calvo Samayoa
Jose Calvo Samayoa "Indio" has worked as a professional naturalist & general guide since 1987, leading natural history and bird watching tours into every part of Costa Rica and many other areas of Central America. Click to read more
Julia Lloyd
This journey is led by Julia Lloyd, a respected and experienced primatologist who has spent a number of years living and working in the area with a team of researchers, habituating and studying primates. Click to read more
Julio Mayer
Your naturalist guide Julio has over 21 year's wildlife experience in Venezuela, ranging from guiding eco-tourism trips, such as river expeditions, trekking, jeep adventure tours plus many others Click to read more
Koustubh Sharma
Koustubh Sharma has been working with Indias most well known conservation organisation, the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) as a Research Analyst for over three and a half years in Panna. He has extensive knowledge and is involved in various projec Click to read more
Les Brett
Les Brett has been leading these Game Ranger Safaris for the past 6 years. His abiding passion, humour and insight into the wildlife and wilderness of this region is highly infectious. He has over 20 years experience in the African Bush and is a corporate member of the Field Guides Association of Southern Africa, a SATOUR registered specialist guide and is accredited by the South African Wildlife Society. Click to read more
Louise Murray
Louise Murray is an experienced Arctic Explorer, photographer and biologist in Canadian Artic, Greenland, Scandinavia and Spitzbergen. Click to read more
Peru, Jose Antonio Padilla
Jose Antonio Padilla was born in Lima and obtained a licensed degree in Nature Tourism at Centro de Formacion en turismo. He started work as a Naturalist guide in 1999 at Tambopata National Reserve then as a naturalist at "Tambopata Lodge" . Click to read more
Quentin Bloxam
Quention has worked with Gerald Durrell in Madagascar and his many trips to the islands has given him and depth of knowledge on the incredible arrange of wildlife which is matched only by his infectious enthusiasm Click to read more
Ravi Corea
Ravi Corea is the founder president of the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society, established in 1995 to promote sustainable conservation in Sri Lanka.
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Rinchen Wangchuk
Rinchen Wangchuk oversees Snow Leopard Conservancy projects in local herding communities in Ladakh, and provides the necessary input for developing their ongoing programmes. Click to read more
Rod Cassidy
A specialist bird and primate guide, Rod has travelled extensively throughout Africa. His knowledge of the Congo region and his friendship with the people there, offers our clients an insight into the area that is simply not possible with anyone else. Click to read more
Stephen Brend
A zoologist, Stephen Brend works in Borneo as a Senior Conservationist for the Orangutan Foundation UK. For many years, he and his colleagues have been battling against local timber and palm oil companies to protect the orangutans home. Click to read more
Stephen Mills
This trip is led by Stephen Mills who has been a professional naturalist all his working life. As a leading wildlife filmmaker he has nearly been 'eaten' or 'trampled on' by most of the world's big animals. Click to read more
Tanmoy Ghosh
Tanmoy has a degree in Zoology and now works as a field biologist and conservationist within the Sunderbans National Park. Tanmoy will lead this tour alongside local trackers and spotters. Click to read more
Thomas Peschak
Thomas Peschak is a marine biologist, award winning underwater photographer and author. In addition to research on marine reserves, illegal fishing and great white sharks, he has written and photographed articles for prestigious publications such as BBC Wildlife, Africa Geographic, GEO, WWF and the Save our Seas Foundation. Click to read more
Alex Romero
Alex is a La Paz native and grew up fishing with his family. He is a Baja Kayak Association instructor which certifies sea kayaking guides. Alex has worked with us since 1991 in our sea kayaking program as well as whale watching camps. Click to read more