About Us
About Alma
Alma comes from the Greek word άλμη which means saltwater. This doesn’t come as a surprise. Our founders grew up and always lived in countries surrounded by the sea.
The climate and biodiversity crises of our time have brought an increased understanding that we live in a connected world. The challenges we face, require collective action at the local scale. Although countries are important contributors, ideas and solutions are increasingly coming from the actors that are positioned on the frontline of the pressures and threats caused by intensified anthropogenic activities and climate change. The urgent need to source and multiply ‘local actions that bring global effects’ is what made Alma to be formally established in 2019.
Our Board of Trustees think beyond the task and see around corners. Alex, Maria, Sam and Patricia, our four trustees combined, have over 50 years of professional experience in environmental research, national and international policy, management, business and communications, with diverse stakeholders and across international environments.
Our Team
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Alex Kent
Head Trustee
Background: Following a misspent youth rock pooling on various UK beaches, I decided to study Marine Biology at Newcastle University. This led to the study of Tropical Coastal Management at Newcastle University, and a PhD on Fish Ecology and Parasitology.
Why you started Alma: My academic background has given me a breadth of knowledge on marine, coastal and freshwater environments, however, I was unable to see how my research made an impact on a human scale. Consequently, we setup Alma with the sole purpose to develop projects where we could apply our knowledge and expertise with the aim of making tangible differences to the communities we work with, and the surrounding natural environment.
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Maria Potouroglou
Trustee
Background: “No we should not go to this beach for swimming, because it’s full of “algae” - AKA dirt”. That’s what my parents used to tell me when I was a child. After nearly 35 years (of life) and 15 years of commitment to researching and loving seagrasses, I am now proud that my parents a) don’t call seagrasses, algae anymore, and b) know that the water is clean and safe, at least where seagrasses are.
Why you started Alma: ‘So what?’ The desire to start Alma was born when I asked myself this exact question towards the end of my PhD. A few years later, and while working with coastal communities in Africa, the answer became apparent - ‘Give communities the tools to stand on the environmental frontline’.
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Sam Fletcher
Trustee
Background: I studied at Newcastle Business School and I am fortunate to have spent a lot of time travelling the world for adventure, education and work. Having attained my degree but (despite my best efforts) failing to cure my travel bug, I decided it was time to focus on my true calling of starting and running a business.
Why you started Alma: Over a decade on I still have passion for enterprise, and I feel compelled to share the experience and knowledge I have gained to help others better their livelihoods and everything that their projects touch, most specifically, the impact on our environment. I knew that by helping to start and continuing to support Alma I could achieve this; the direct input I have into Alma as an organisation will naturally have a ripple effect and there will be projects where we specifically intend to leave a legacy of a sustainable business model with a sustainable and positive impact on their local environment.
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Patricia Arenas González
Trustee
Background: I am an Environmental Engineer by background with a passion for protecting the world’s remaining tropical forests. Prior to joining Alma, I have worked in environmental organisations such as GRID-Arendal, WWF and Proforest where I currently support companies deliver on their responsible sourcing commitments with a strong focus on palm oil.
Why you started Alma: Over the last few years, I have conducted research in the Chilean Patagonia, Kruger National Park and Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve in Mexico, expanding my knowledge in diverse data analysis and ecosystem restoration techniques. At Alma I aim to advance the concept of seagrass restoration by implementing GIS and remote sensing tools to estimate changes of seagrass extent and biomass in multi-stakeholder landscapes where spatial data can inform coastal managers identify and quantify existing and emerging threats to coastal marine habitats.
