Our founder Lewis Pugh has been honored in the inaugural National Geographic 33 – a distinguished list recognizing 33 global changemakers leading the way in protecting our planet and its future.
The National Geographic 33 celebrates individuals across a wide range of fields, from climate activism and scientific research to filmmaking, sport, sustainable entrepreneurship, and environmental advocacy. Fellow honorees include Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh, Africa’s First Chief Heat Officer in Sierra Leone, Eugenia Kargbo, and actor and ocean advocate Jason Momoa, among others.
Lewis’s selection highlights his unwavering commitment to ocean conservation – from being the first person to complete a long-distance swim in every ocean of the world to his diplomatic efforts advocating for the protection of fragile marine environments.
“I’m very grateful to National Geographic for this honor. I’m especially grateful for its continued commitment to educating people about the accelerating challenges facing our planet,” says Lewis. “National Geographic has brought the world’s natural wonders to its readers and viewers for nearly a century and a half. In the process, it captured and documented the wanton disruption of precious ecosystems and the eradication of countless species.”
View the full National Geographic 33 list here and look out for the April issue of National Geographic magazine.
Images (in order of appearance)
- Lewis Pugh in Ilulissat, Greenland. Contributing Visual Direction: Liana Blum; Bookings: Ruth Hilton. (Photo by Jonas Fredwall Karlsson for National Geographic)
- Lewis Pugh in Ilulissat, Greenland. Contributing Visual Direction: Liana Blum; Bookings: Ruth Hilton. (Photo by Jonas Fredwall Karlsson for National Geographic)
- Lewis Pugh and his trainer Lasse Petersen in Ilulissat, Greenland. Contributing Visual Direction: Liana Blum; Bookings: Ruth Hilton. (Photo by Jonas Fredwall Karlsson for National Geographic)
- Lewis Pugh in Ilulissat, Greenland. Contributing Visual Direction: Liana Blum; Bookings: Ruth Hilton. (Photo by Jonas Fredwall Karlsson for National Geographic)
