IN MEMORIAM · POLAR RESEARCH AND POLICY INITIATIVE
Wall of Honour
Remembering the friends and contributors who helped shape our story.
PRPI is built on the people who share their knowledge, their time and their friendship. Here we pay tribute to those we have lost, honouring their contribution to our past and the example they leave for our future.
Scientist, international public servant and advocate for sustainable development
Sergio C. Trindade brought a lifetime of experience in energy, science and international cooperation to PRPI’s BRICS Engagement Forum Steering Committee. His work connected scientific knowledge with the decisions that shape communities and their futures.
A chemical engineer educated in Brazil and at MIT, he served as a United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and led its Centre for Science and Technology for Development. He contributed to the IPCC’s work and helped bring Brazilian and wider BRICS perspectives into Arctic discussions.
We remember Sergio with gratitude for his contribution to PRPI and his commitment to dialogue across borders.
Mayor of Nome, Alaska, 2015–2020, and champion of his community
Richard Beneville brought the people, stories and possibilities of Nome to audiences far beyond Alaska. A performer, tourism entrepreneur and public servant, he made his adopted home the centre of a life devoted to welcoming others and championing the North.
Through Nome Discovery Tours and his service as mayor, Richard celebrated the region’s history and culture while advocating for its future. His enthusiasm for the arts, Arctic tourism and community life made him a memorable ambassador for Nome.
We honour Richard as a friend of PRPI and remember his generosity of spirit, warmth and devotion to the community he loved.
Investor, philanthropist and advocate for responsible Arctic investment
Scott Minerd saw the Arctic’s future as a shared responsibility. As Global Chief Investment Officer and a Managing Partner of Guggenheim Partners, he helped bring the region’s need for thoughtful, long-term investment into international financial discussions.
His work on the Arctic Investment Protocol supported an approach to development that considered communities, the environment and economic opportunity together. His wider philanthropic commitments reflected a concern for human dignity and the lives that finance can help improve.
We remember Scott as a friend of PRPI and honour his contribution to conversations about a more sustainable and prosperous Arctic.
