Hello from the Operation Reach team
Henry Kwok - Trustee
Henry believes in the power of self-confidence and how it can bring limitless opportunities in life and at work. He is inspired by Operation Reach’s mission to help young people flourish through encouraging them to take part in new adventure. He has worked in the finance industry for over 12 years.
René Campbell — Trustee & Inaugural Reacher
René is aspiring to work in cyber security, and loves to travel around the world and experience other cultures. He was excited to join the trustees having been one of the students that took part in the first trip to India and wants other students to have similar experiences. Being a trustee offers the opportunity to make this a reality.
Leila Jarvis — Trustee & Inaugural Reacher
Leila, following her time in India, aspires to be a diplomat. In October 2021 she will start her first year at Oxford University, reading History and Politics; something she wouldn’t have had the confidence to aim for without Operation Reach. As an Inaugural Reacher, she jumped at the opportunity to be a trustee of Operation Reach as she is a strong believer in young people being exposed to unique and challenging experiences.
Alice Clementi — Trustee
Alice joined Operation Reach as she wants to address the inequality in access to adventure and overseas travel for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. She recognises the many benefits of undertaking physical challenges, having taken part in the 3 Peaks Challenge, the Thames Towpath 100km and various offshore sailing races. As a trustee, Alice brings financial expertise as a qualified chartered accountant and having spent 11 years working in the banking sector. In her spare time, Alice is on a mission to inspire more accountants into volunteering for non-profits through her charitable organisation Charterpath.
Flora Vasey — Trustee
Having completed a 3-year stint as a geography teacher in West London as part of the Teach First graduate scheme, Flora is now a management consultant. A sense of adventure was instilled into Flora from a young age and she is lucky enough to have travelled around the world quenching her thirst for the next trip or challenge. Flora recognises the invaluable skills gained through adventures which cannot be taught — confidence, ambition, resilience, empathy — but, her time as a teacher starkly highlighted that adventure is an impossibility for many students — spurring on her passion to become involved in Operation Reach.
Founded by Olivia Hill and a board of trustees and ambassadors who are all passionate about the transformative power of travel to shape young people’s lives.
Olivia Hill — Founder & CEO (volunteer basis)
Olivia has been working in education for the last seven years having previously spent four years working as a qualified solicitor at a global law firm. It is Olivia’s love of travel and prior organisation of school trips overseas which inspired her to set-up Operation Reach. Olivia believes that adventure and life experience is transformative, especially for the young.
Operation Reach was inspired by a school trip Olivia organised in the summer of 2019 which involved taking 11 students from an inner-city, comprehensive school, where she still teaches, on a cultural and trekking adventure to Ladakh, in the outer Himalayas in north-west India.
“It was only on our return that the life changing impact of the trip became obvious. There was a marked increase in confidence & resilience in those students who had taken part.”
Charles Montier — Ambassador & Adventurer
Having taken hundreds of students and adults up mountains, Charles has witnessed first-hand the immense positive impact of outdoor experiences on people — from all backgrounds. His Masters (MA) thesis explored the impact of high level challenges on participants and led him to pursue a full time career in the outdoor sector. Before guiding, Charles worked in finance, TV production and as a maths teacher (8 years). Having led 6 expeditions in the Amazon jungle — and further trips to Iceland, Nepal and Scotland — he’s learnt the magical ingredients for developing an ambitious, capable expedition team; with members thriving on a sense of belonging.
Charles Montier in collaboration with Rewilding Education is spearheading the impact research project for all expeditions in 2022.
The research report will focus on each individual’s growth in terms of ambitions, confidence and wellbeing.
