With a cross-sector background spanning public policy, media, land care and tourism, Blake brings a unique combination of complex problem-solving skills, storytelling acumen and field-tested leadership. For nearly two decades, he has built longstanding, trust-based relationships with landowners across Papua New Guinea.

Trained in anthropology and environmental studies, Blake has spent years studying Papua New Guinea’s ethnographic, political and ecological history, but the real source of his knowledge comes from years of lived experience. Since his first solo crossing of PNG in 2006, he has walked vast tracts of the country, living in remote villages and forging friendships that have endured for decades. This long-term presence has earned trust and respect at community level, making him adept at navigating local governance systems, brokering partnerships, and ensuring projects are embraced and sustained by those they are designed to serve.

Blake is also General Manager of Oceania Expeditions, a bespoke adventure travel company operating in the most logistically complex parts of PNG. Under his leadership, the company has delivered high-impact journeys for ultra-high-net-worth travellers, many of whom arrive with exacting standards and zero margin for error. Blake has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to mobilise entire communities, many hosting visitors for the first time, to co-create experiences that are authentic, respectful, and unforgettable. These same skills; relationship-building, community mobilisation, and meticulous execution make Blake an ideal implementer at the village level.

He resides in Sun Valley, Idaho, with his wife and two children, who have been raised in close relationship with the land, people, and spirit of Papua New Guinea.

blake@niunaturepng.com