Our Bureau
Washington
The National Geographic Society announced the appointment of four new members of the board of trustees – Kate E. Brandt, John K. Delaney, Evan G. Greenberg and Sandesh V. Kadur. Kadur is a National Geographic Explorer and photojournalist, author and BAFTA Award-winning documentary filmmaker. His groundbreaking wildlife documentary films have appeared on National Geographic, Discovery and the BBC.
The addition of these members and their varied expertise will help bolster the Society’s commitment to illuminating and protecting the wonder of our world through the power of science, exploration, education and storytelling.
“We are delighted to welcome these four distinguished individuals to the National Geographic Society Board of Trustees,” said Board Chair Jean Case. “It is essential to have a team of strong leaders with varied expertise and unique viewpoints in order to make real change and highlight global issues, and the addition of this exceptional group will prove invaluable as we continue to work towards our ambitious commitment of exploring and protecting the wonder of our world.”
As part of the Society’s commitment to building on the invaluable knowledge of the Explorer community, Kadur has been named the second-ever Explorer Trustee. This role is a recently created board position to be held for a two-year term by a National Geographic Explorer — exceptional changemakers in their field who receive funding from the Society to support projects that advance the organization’s mission. Kadur brings his talents as an Explorer and storyteller in the hopes that his work will reveal places and species people rarely see and will inspire new passion to protect them.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kate, John, Evan and Sandesh to our board of trustees,” said Jill Tiefenthaler, CEO of the National Geographic Society. “Their collective expertise, dedication to our work and visionary leadership are invaluable in driving our audacious mission forward, accelerating our impact and addressing global challenges facing our planet and its people.”
Sandesh V. Kadur is a BAFTA Award-winning filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer who creates documentary films that have aired worldwide on prominent networks such as National Geographic, the BBC, Netflix, Discovery Channel and Animal Planet. Most recently, he worked on “Our Planet” by Netflix and “The Okavango Experience”; a 360o, virtual reality series that follows National Geographic Society’s Okavango Wilderness Project and BBC’s Seven Worlds One Planet and Planet Earth II. Kadur is the producer of a three-part docuseries for National Geographic titled “Wild Cats of India” and a two-part series titled “India’s Wild Leopards.” He is also the co-author of two books: Sahyadris: India’s Western Ghats—A Vanishing Heritage (2005) and Himalaya—Mountains of Life (2013). His first documentary, accompanied by his first book, earned critical acclaim while drawing attention to one of the world’s top biodiversity hotspots and helped convince UNESCO to name the Western Ghats a World Heritage Site in 2012.
Kadur’s work has won a slew of prestigious international awards, including a 2017 Emmy nomination and the 2017 BAFTA Award for his work on BBC’s Planet Earth II, as well as numerous awards for his photography.
The National Geographic Society is a global nonprofit organization that uses the power of science, exploration, education and storytelling to illuminate and protect the wonder of this world. Since 1888, National Geographic has pushed the boundaries of exploration, investing in bold people and transformative ideas, providing more than 15,000 grants for work across all seven continents, reaching 3 million students each year through education offerings, and engaging audiences around the globe through signature experiences, stories and content.
