Mount Everest Foundation
Supporting the exploratory
MEF trustees are drawn from the membership of the Alpine Club and the Royal Geogrphical Society. The committee of trustees (listed below) are assisted in their work by an Honorary Secretary and a Screening Committee.
It was with a pencil and notebook that Rebecca Stephens first went to Everest to report on an expedition for the Weekend FT, in 1989. Fascinated by the mountain, she returned to climb it in 1993 – the first British woman to reach the summit, and the following year, to complete the seven summits.
Her travels as a writer have taken her from the Arctic to Antarctica, Africa and the Himalaya, and today she leads treks around family and work - writing, lecturing, coaching, and leadership consultancy. Her book titles include On Top of the World, The Seven Summits of Success, Everest Eyewitness Guide, Due South, and Making it Happen: Lessons from the Frontline of Strategy Execution.
She has been a trustee of the Himalayan Trust UK for some 30 years and is a fellow of the RGS and member of the Alpine Club.
Richard is a retired Chartered Accountant who spent his career working in wide variety of industries.
He has been treasurer of several sports clubs and local charities and is a former treasurer of both the ABMSAC and the Alpine Club.
Richard has spent much of his spare time with an active role in the climbing community. In retirement and now less active than he once was, he enjoys walking in the hills and dedicating his time to conservation work in his local area.
Malcolm has been an explorer all his adult life, firstly in caving and cave diving, then mountaineering, with 11 expeditions to the Himalaya/Karakoram and 3 to Alaska, all attempting technical new routes or first ascents, with many successes.
In 2010, with Paul Figg, he made the first ascent of the west face of Vasuki Parbat in India (6780m) which was nominated for the Piolet d’Or. In 2018 Malcolm, Paul and Guy Buckingham made the first ascent of Janhukot, a 6805m Indian peak.
Malcolm served a term as Vice President of the Alpine Club, and chaired the Montane Alpine Club Climbing Fund sub-committee for many years.
When not in the mountains, Malcolm worked as a clinical psychologist in NHS mental health services, and also held a variety of managerial and leadership posts. As a beneficiary of many MEF grants, Malcolm is delighted to now be able to contribute to the work of the MEF as a Trustee.
After suffering a debilitating stroke a few years ago, Malcolm is finding new ways to explore the natural world. He particularly enjoys mentoring less experienced climbers on their way to explore in the Greater Ranges.
Tim is a Partner at Scott Capital Partners, advising a select group of high-value families. His career so far has included global private banking in both London and Zurich.
A former British Army officer, Tim has had the privilege of serving overseas on several occasions. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Natural Sciences from Durham University, majoring in geology and geography, reflecting a longstanding interest in the natural world. He also has an MA in Finance and Investment Management from the University of Bern.
Alongside his professional career, Tim has a strong personal commitment to heritage conservation, nature and country pursuits. For his sins he has also completed a number of ultra-marathons.
He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a full member of Leander Club and the proud father of a daughter who is already starting her own exploration adventures at the age of 11.
Mike is a retired IT company executive and has been an active climber for over 40 years. He has been on several exploratory expeditions supported by the MEF and has served on the Alpine Club committee in a number of roles.
Since retiring Mike has been Trustee of an educational foundation and a volunteer Mountain Leader supporting Duke of Edinburgh expeditions.
Adele is a retired medical research director, a role that involved overseeing collaborative projects with a multidisciplinary team of clinical and scientific researchers.
She has been climbing, skiing and mountaineering on six of the seven continents over a period of nearly 30 years, during which time she has made a number of modest first ascents.
She was Vice President of the Alpine Club for the years 2022 and 2023 and found herself an inadvertent champion for women alpinists. Her experience as often the lone woman on an expedition has resulted in a desire to encourage and facilitate women to overcome both real and perceived barriers in the mountaineering world.
Simon is a former president of both the Alpine Club and the Scottish Mountaineering Club. He has climbed extensively throughout the globe, receiving his first MEF expedition grant in 1981 for an Oxford University Mountaineering Club trip to the Kishtwar Himalaya. In the decades since he has made over 1,000 first ascents.
Today Simon lives in Aberdeen, where experience gained in the Alps, Andes, Patagonia, Canada, the Himalaya, Caucasus, Alaska and the Yukon is put to good use most winter weekends whilst exploring and climbing in the Scottish Highlands.
With a background spanning the natural and social sciences, Poshendra brings extensive experience in interdisciplinary research, teaching, consultancy, and project management within the realms of environment and development.
In addition to his role as a trustee of the Mount Everest Foundation, he currently holds the position of Senior Policy Manager at BirdLife International in Cambridge. He also serves as an Affiliate Senior Research Fellow at the Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies in Nepal.
His academic journey includes a PhD in Environmental Policy from The Open University, UK (2005-2009), an MPhil in Environment and Development from the University of Cambridge (2001-2002), a BSc (Honours) in Agriculture from Haryana Agricultural University, India (1996-2000), and a BSc from Tribhuvan University, Nepal (1994-1996).