Earle de Blonville, FRGS

ORI Director & Chief Executive Officer

• Adjunct Professional Fellow
• Southern Cross University, NSW, Australia

Award: QEII Silver Jubilee Award (Greenland Expedition)

Earle is co-founder of ORI, responsible for long-term development of shore-based and oceanic programs and international research partnerships. He is supervising skipper of the fleet of Research Expedition Vessels (REVs) and will personally lead ORI’s first two Arctic expeditions. Earle is a veteran Arctic explorer, having led Australia’s first expedition to East Greenland in 1985-86, with the Prince of Wales as Patron. To watch the trailer of Savage Coast, Earle’s one-hour documentary of this expedition, click on the video link below.

Read more.

Professor Jennifer M. Gidley, PhD

ORI Director & Director of Research

• Adjunct Professor, Institute for Sustainable Futures
• UTS University, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Award: Chancellor’s Gold Medal (Doctoral Research)

Jennifer co-founded the ORI driven by her growing concern about climate crisis, the plight of the oceans, and threats to small island nations and coastal cities from sea level rise.  As Director of Research she is responsible for ORI’s long and short term research programs, and contributes significantly from her academic and leadership experience as a researcher in ‘sustainable futures’.

Read more.

Paul Snelgrove, LLB

ORI Director & Corporate Lawyer

• SSI Dive Control Specialist
• Former Vice President & Dive Coordinator of Queensland Nautilus Scuba Club

Paul joined the Oceanic Research Institute as Director in March 2019. He has extensive business experience, including corporate law, residential property development, holiday accommodation and adventure tour operations. His strong entrepreneurial energy and flair will help drive ORI’s development. Paul will manage legal frameworks, compliance and insurances for our international operations.

Read more.

Arnold Toynbee, A.Inst. IB, Cert. Bus. Mgmt.

ORI Chief Operating Officer

• Chartered Quantity Surveyor UK
• Business Management Specialist

Arnold joins ORI as Chief Operating Officer, responsible for business planning and management of global research expeditions, and overall GHQ operations in Australia. Originally a Chartered Quantity Surveyor in the UK, and qualified Business Management specialist in Australia, Arnold has a quarter century in corporate IT with roles including Managing Director of Australian and international companies.

Richard Mitry, LLB

ORI Corporate Counsel

• Partner: Mitry Lawyers

Richard is a founding partner of Mitry Lawyers, Sydney and Melbourne, and is ORI’s Corporate Counsel. His main areas of practice are defamation and media, property and environmental law, commercial litigation, and insolvency.

Read more.

Sonja Ceri, MA, Economic Geography

ORI Chief Marketing Officer

• Agency Owner, Four Drunk Parrots

Australian-based CMO Sonja Ceri has almost 20 years experience in journalism and agency directorship roles in Europe and Australia,  plus senior roles as Marketing Strategist, CMO and Hubspot Partner.

Read more.