Maritsa Georgiou is a seasoned journalist with extensive experience in crisis communication and political reporting. Over her career, she has covered some of the most complex and impactful events of our time, including wildfires, public health emergencies like COVID-19, and significant political developments. Her ability to convey critical information during high-stakes situations has made her a trusted voice in times of uncertainty.

A 2007 graduate of the University of Montana, Maritsa began her career at NBC Montana, where she specialized in wildfire coverage, helping communities understand and respond to these natural disasters. Her work expanded to cover the COVID-19 pandemic, where she provided clear and timely updates amidst global uncertainty. Maritsa’s expertise in political journalism also shone through during this time, earning her recognition for her investigative reporting on issues like the planned removal of USPS blue collection boxes before the 2020 election. This work earned her the prestigious 2021 Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Television Political Journalism.

She later served as a national correspondent for Newsy and anchored the flagship program America Tonight on Scripps News, where she continued to excel in covering crises and political events. Her dedication to journalistic excellence was further recognized with the Montana Broadcasters Association’s E.B. Craney Award for Broadcaster of the Year in 2019.

Maritsa’s unique combination of crisis response expertise and political journalism experience makes her an invaluable asset to GoCrisis. Her ability to distill complex issues into actionable insights aligns with our mission to support organizations and communities worldwide in navigating challenging situations and learning from past events to improve future responses. GoCrisis is thrilled to welcome Maritsa to the team, where her expertise will be invaluable in supporting our clients across the globe.

Matt Walton is a seasoned expert in crisis management, emergency response, and operational leadership, with a career spanning over three decades across aviation, corporate, and military sectors. His dynamic experience includes overseeing complex crisis operations, leading global commercial strategies, developing emergency response plans, and mentoring high-performing teams in mission-critical environments.

In his previous role as Vice President, Americas, for a global disaster management organization, Matt oversaw crisis response operations across the region while driving international commercial growth. He led initiatives such as facilitating tabletop exercises, developing comprehensive Emergency Response Plans (ERPs), Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs), and Emergency Action Plans (EAPs), and delivering family assistance training to diverse clients. His strategic leadership resulted in expanded service offerings and a more diversified client base across various industries.

During his tenure at Southwest Airlines, Matt contributed to the Emergency Response CARE Team, offering compassionate support to those affected by crises. In addition, he managed some of the airline’s most significant global sales accounts and created a Global Strategic Roadmap aimed at significantly increasing revenue over a multi-year period.

Matt’s military background further highlights his leadership and expertise. As an Information Systems Security Officer with the U.S. Army and Army National Guard, he led the Computer Emergency Response Team for the DC Army National Guard, addressing critical cyber-security challenges. His exceptional service earned him distinctions, including the U.S. Army Commendation Medal.

Matt’s early career at American Airlines provided a strong foundation in operational strategy and revenue management. Over nearly two decades, he held multiple leadership roles, overseeing substantial business segments and implementing transformative technology initiatives to enhance revenue management systems globally.

Educationally, Matt holds an International MBA from Durham University, awarded with Distinction, and a BA in Business and Finance. His commitment to service extends beyond his career—he is an active member of the Montgomery County Search and Rescue Team and a licensed wildlife rehabilitator.

Matt’s combination of strategic vision, operational excellence, and empathetic leadership positions him as a trusted advisor and leader in crisis and emergency management. He is passionate about collaborating with organizations to build resilience, mitigate risks, and navigate challenges effectively. GoCrisis is excited to have Matt on our team as a valuable resource to assist our clients around the world.

Driven and motivated by her beliefs and values, Abi is a Forensic Archaeologist by profession and has built a multi award-winning forensic science consultancy over the last 17 years. Her disaster management work stemmed from her humanitarian work, having worked on forensic evidence from the mass graves in Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

Since 2017 Abi has chaired the Wales board of the charity ‘Remembering Srebrenica’ providing genocide education and commemorative work across the country. In other voluntary roles, Abi provides scrutiny to South Wales Police by holding an executive role within their Strategic Independent Advisory Group and provides ad hoc advice to the Ministry of Justice through the Law Society. Similarly, she advises the Forensic Science Regulator on certain codes of conduct and quality standards in collaboration with the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences, of which she holds Member (Professional) status.

Abi has excelled in a variety of roles within the Disaster Management industry since her inception in 2006. She is as comfortable in her niche area of forensics as she is working in the call centre, dealing with logistics, assisting bereaved families, working at senior management level and liaising with clients. Media trained and an accomplished speaker, Abi also provides an array of training on forensics and crisis management. Abi’s experience within the International Criminal Tribunal arena ensures that her dealing with the aftermath of disasters is effective, efficient and appropriate.

As part of her unparalleled journey, her success and wider contribution have been recognised with a string of accolades and awards. Her academic portfolio, as well as her published writing, is increasingly impressive, and whilst she still maintains the overview and strategic direction of her company, she has significant capacity to share her skills and knowledge in other areas, focusing on human rights advocacy and disaster management. In summary, she is as successful as she is driven and energetic, and her much admired and hugely impressive list of achievements to date is a tribute to her leadership, vision, tenacity, empathy and compassion.

Gail has over 30 years of experience in the aviation industry, starting her career as cabin crew and later taking on various roles at British Airways. Her last two years there were spent training safety and emergency procedures for flight deck and crew.

After leaving aviation, Gail retrained as a clinical counsellor with a specialism in Organisational Psychiatry and Psychology. This led her to establish her own consultancy and work for various organisations, deploying on their behalf for their clients. To date, Gail has responded to 43 international and UK-based incidents, often serving as a Senior Incident Director, Director of Family Assistance, or Head of Mental Health.

Gail has responded to incidents in countries including France, Cyprus, Libya, Tunisia, and the UK. She also delivers strategic level lectures for various international institutions and is a guest lecturer at the Emergency Planning College in York.

A published author and researcher in the field of aviation disaster and crisis management, Gail currently works as an Associate Professor in Aviation and Security at Buckinghamshire New University in the UK, where she is also the Course Leader for the MSc in Aviation Operations Management.

Gail is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a full Member of the Emergency Planning Society. Her work reflects a commitment to safety, education, and mental health in both aviation and beyond.

Charlotte brings a wealth of experience and expertise to her role in disaster management, with a focus on training responders and leading personal effects operations worldwide.

With a strong moral compass guiding her work, Charlotte has dedicated her career to supporting disaster response efforts and managing personal effects with precision and compassion. While not a sworn officer, she has immersed herself in the world of policing, working closely with senior officers during various disaster incidents, where she honed her skills and understanding of effective crisis management.

Charlotte’s academic background in Crime and Investigative Studies has equipped her with a comprehensive understanding of critical subjects such as Major Investigations, Anthropology, Crime Scene Analysis, Mass Disasters, and Forensic Management. Her dissertation on policing, which she presented at a prestigious industry seminar in Cambridge, earned her a First Class degree, showcasing her commitment to excellence and her ability to contribute valuable insights to the field.

Throughout her career, Charlotte has successfully managed numerous major projects involving mass fatalities, including nine Personal Effects Incidents. Her presence in Crisis Management Centers during eight live incidents over a decade underscores her ability to thrive in high-pressure environments and provide effective leadership during times of crisis.

In addition to her extensive experience in disaster management, Charlotte brings 18 years of banking experience to the table, where she specialised in identifying and managing risk. Her background in emotionally and physically challenging work has equipped her with the resilience and focus necessary to see projects through to completion within tight timeframes and budgets.

Charlotte’s unique blend of academic knowledge, hands-on experience, and leadership skills makes her an invaluable asset in the field of disaster management. With her dedication to excellence and her unwavering commitment to supporting communities in times of need, she is well-prepared to make a meaningful impact in her role.

Michael Appleton is a senior psychotherapist in two NHS services specialising in adult and childhood trauma. He has been a clinical lead at MIND, has worked in various specialist trauma environments and has consulted on mental health for major corporations.

He previously worked as a producer for the BBC and in independent production, and his journalism appeared in the Belfast Telegraph, The Observer, The Washington Times and United Press International (UPI). Documentaries such as Facing The Enemy, Shrinking Childhoods, Desert Generals and The Trouble With Peace aired on the BBC, PBS, Channel 4 and The History Channel. He has a special interest in early intervention and the current mental health crisis.

After having spent over 35 years in various training, facilitation and communication roles for luminary aviation organisations including Air Canada, Star Alliance, IATA and Dubai Airports, Lorne has amassed extensive expertise and experience in all facets of corporate communications and reputation management. Prior to setting up his own communications consulting firm in the UAE where he is currently based, Lorne led the Dubai Airports communication department for over a decade and managed the organisation’s message and protected its reputation through a wide variety of crises during his tenure at the world’s busiest international airport.

A journalism graduate with a comprehensive understanding of all facets of aviation, Lorne has built an extensive network of media and industry contacts across the globe and has a reputation as a strategic thinker, effective leader and highly skilled communicator.  

For the last three decades, David has worked as a frontline presenter and broadcaster for the BBC. He has been Europe Correspondent, Ireland Correspondent, Senior Sports News Correspondent and Transport Correspondent, covering stories as wide-ranging as the death of Princess Diana, the construction of the Channel Tunnel, the Peace Process in Northern Ireland, the launch of the Euro, Brexit, the deaths of Nelson Mandela and Queen Elizabeth. 

David has interviewed figures including President Clinton, Prime Ministers John Major and Tony Blair, as well as stars like David Beckham and Pele, Sir Clive Woodward, Andrew Flintoff and industry giants from Central Bank Governors to Sir Martin Sorrell and Michael Evans of Ali Baba.

As a presenter, David has focused overwhelmingly on both television and radio, fronting election coverage, flagship news and business shows as well as many other debates and programmes. He has also developed his own ‘Climate Critical’ show, focusing on key issues around energy, transport and construction.

David has also worked on countless conferences, building specialist knowledge on issues including engineering, sustainability and climate. David is a fluent French speaker, having lived in both France and Belgium, and he is also fluent in German.