Meet five pioneers from this year’s Rolex Awards for Enterprise

The five men and women who have earned the title of Laureate of the Rolex Awards for Enterprise are a marine scientist, conservationist, polar explorer, social entrepreneur and a geographer and climate advocate

The Rolex Awards for Enterprise was set up 45 years ago to mark the 50th anniversary of the world’s first waterproof wristwatch: the Oyster. Through the programme, the company supports exceptional individuals with innovative projects that expand our knowledge of the world, protect the environment — helping to preserve habitats and species — and improve human well-being.

Last month, as one of the three pillars of the Rolex Perpetual Planet initiative dedicated to supporting those who contribute to a better world, Rolex announced the five pioneers who have earned the title of Laureate of the Rolex Awards for Enterprise for their bold, visionary projects that have the potential to help reinvent the future. Selected by the Rolex Awards jury and a group of independent experts from around the world, here are the five laureates:

Felix Brooks-church

Felix Brooks-church comes from the United States. He tackles malnutrition in Tanzania by equipping rural flour mills with a ‘dosifier’ machine, which adds critical micronutrients to fortify staple foods.

Gina Moseley

Gina Moseley comes from the United Kingdom. She aims to lead the first expedition to explore the planet’s northernmost caves to improve our knowledge of climate change in the Arctic.

Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim

Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim comes from Chad. She uses the traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples to map natural resources and prevent climate conflicts in the Sahel region.

Luiz Rocha

Luiz Rocha comes from Brazil. He works to explore and protect mesophotic coral reefs and their biodiversity in the Indian Ocean, and to strengthen conservation of these largely unknown ecosystems.

Rinzin Phunjok Lama

Rinzin Phunjok Lama comes from Nepal. He works to protect the richly diverse ecosystems of the Trans-Himalayan region, home of iconic and globally threatened mammals, by involving local communities.

“Rolex has long recognised its responsibility to play a part in creating a sustainable planet, a Perpetual Planet. Rather than venturing into the unknown and discovering uncharted lands, the new breed of explorers is committed to protecting the planet. The five Laureates are prime examples of these guardians of the future,” explained Arnaud Boetsch, Rolex Director of Communication & Image, in closing.

This story first appeared in Prestige Indonesia.