A recognized pioneer in the field of sustainable hospitality, Richard Bailey is the founder of French Polynesia’s largest luxury resort group, developer of the multi-award-winning resort, The Brando, and founder of Tetiaroa Society, which conducts ground-breaking scientific research into new solutions for oceanic sustainability.
Sample innovations include the world's first Seawater Air-conditioning (SWAC) system, which uses deep ocean water —an inexhaustible source of carbon neutral non-fossil energy—for cooling at the Brando and other resorts, as well as Tahiti’s main hospital; a natural mosquito eradication technology, now being scaled for application to other islands communities; and frontier research in ocean chemistry and acidification using the deep sea resource.
In 2018, Richard launched the Blue Climate Initiative (BCI), inspired by a conversation with Barack Obama while staying at The Brando. The aim was to assemble the world's greatest minds to accelerate oceanic based solutions to climate change by pairing scientific research with bottom-up innovation.
The Blue Climate Initiative is now working globally across numerous countries and supports solutions that address "transformational opportunities".
Richard is passionate about French Polynesia, where he has spent most of his life, and about the potential of business as a force for good. He has been awarded the prestigious Legion of Honor in France, and was recently named an Ocean Elder, joining luminaries such as Drs Sylvia Earle and Jane Goodall. Richard holds a BA and MA from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard University.