Chairman of the board of Lindblad Expeditions, Sven Lindblad was born in Switzerland, son of renowned expedition travel pioneer Lars- Eric Lindblad. His belief that bringing travelers to the world’s wild places can make them advocates for protecting them has propelled his explorations in business and life. In 1979, he founded Special Expeditions (now Lindblad Expeditions), an innovative travel company offering small ship-based expeditions to the world’s wildest and most charismatic places. In 2004, Lindblad formed a strategic alliance with National Geographic that combines the strengths of two pioneers in global exploration, with a mission to inspire curious, intelligent people to explore and care about the planet. Sven’s commitment to environmentally responsible travel and ocean advocacy drives the company’s innovation and leadership. He eliminated single-use plastics across the Lindblad fleet in 2018, and took the company carbon neutral in 2019, offset- ting 100 percent of emissions from Lindblad ships, all land-based operations, employee travel, and offices. He has spearheaded summits and conferences aboard Lindblad ships to engage influential leaders from the public and private sector in proactive climate change and marine conservation initiatives, and he has provided his ships as platforms for researchers and scientists in some of the world’s most remote regions. Lindblad is an honorary member of the General Assembly of the Charles Darwin Foundation, serves on the board of the Safina Center and on the Board of Trustees of Rare, is a founding member of the nonprofit Ocean Elders, and serves on the Board of Advisors for Pristine Seas. Lindblad has been honored with numerous travel and environmental awards.