One team. One mission. A challenge with deep, enduring meaning.
Team Syren return to Everest in the Alps this year with an even greater purpose. What began in 2024 as a mission driven by hope for Alex Bernard-Bell has become a legacy. Alex passed away in January 2025 at the age of 23. This year, the team climb in his honour and in determination to help fund the research that could change the future for families facing brain cancer.
Some members return after experiencing the intensity of the last challenge. Others are taking it on for the first time. But all share the same motivation: to help find the solutions that Alex never had.
Martin Bell
Energy Professional | Returning challenger | Father of Alex
“The need to find solutions for Alexander’s brain tumour in 2024, and now to continue after his death, is what drives me.”
Martin returns after completing the challenge last year. He remembers the reality of it well. “End of Day 1 is tough… it’s when you realise you have three more days of this to go.” But the camaraderie is what he most looks forward to.
His fundraising is rooted in partnerships. “The Energy Council and other oil and gas companies have been hugely supportive.”
Training is a daily commitment. “Watching diet and hardcore endurance training.” His must-have kit: “My Camelbak.”
Martin finds motivation in the team’s social media posts. “Instagram and LinkedIn posts are hugely positive and help enormously.”
Team spirit, to him, means “dedication and support.” From the experience, he hopes to gain “support for brain tumour research and a renewed sense of purpose.”
His message is direct.
“Just consider if it were your child.”
Pablo Tejera Cuesta
VP Pre-Salt Assets Brazil | Returning Challenger
Pablo learned in 2024 just how tough – and transformative – EiA can be.
“Nothing can prepare you for the relentlessness of it. But nothing prepares you for how meaningful it becomes either.”
He discovered that ski touring is both technically challenging and mentally demanding, yet the team’s shared purpose kept him going. The experience bonded them deeply, and returning this year feels like the natural next step.
Pablo continues to train consistently while supporting the team’s fundraising efforts. Community-driven events, workplace engagement and shared updates are his way of keeping momentum high.
“We climb because Alex had to fight a battle no young person should ever face.”
Jean-Marc Lopez
Senior Vice President, Halliburton | First-time challenger
“As a father of three sons, Alex’s story struck me deeply. It could have happened to any of us.”
Jean-Marc joins the team with purpose. “I’m looking forward to pushing myself beyond my limits with a purpose. Doing something that truly matters.” He sees the emotional challenge as the hardest part. “Staying mentally strong through long hours while remembering why we’re doing this.”
Fundraising is a full campaign for him.
“I want to bring as many people as possible on the journey to help fund vital research.”
He has already secured press coverage in Norway and is working on a feature in the UK.
Training is focused and disciplined. “Endurance, strength and time on skis.” His essential item: “My ski boots — because if they’re not perfect, I might as well climb Everest in flip-flops.”
Jean-Marc is motivated by the bond within the group. “On a challenge like this, no one succeeds alone. We move as one team, with one purpose, carrying Alex’s story together.”
He hopes to come away with “more compassion, more humility and a deeper sense of caring for others.”
Alex D’Arbost
Communications at The Ned | First-time challenger
“The diagnosis and passing of my friend, Alex Bernard-Bell, inspired me to do this.”
This is Alex’s first time doing a challenge in the mountains. “I’m nervous but excited. I enjoy endurance challenges but I’ve never done anything in the mountains.” He is most looking forward to “the views of the Alps and being with my team.”
He knows what might challenge him most. “Ski touring in general! I don’t have much experience… so I’ll need to pick things up quickly.”
Fundraising is deeply personal. “We want to raise money for vital research into the disease that took his life.”
He plans to use social media, raffles supported by hospitality contacts and possibly “something musical, as that was Alex’s passion.”
Alex trains five times a week. “I always do some form of cardio followed by upper body, leg and strength training.” His essential piece of kit is simple: “A hairband. I have long hair… it’s essential.”
Staying connected with the team keeps him going. “It makes you realise you’re not alone going through the training.”
More than anything, he hopes the challenge brings them:
“one step closer to beating a disease that took someone away from us far too soon.”
Adam Cruickshank
Patent Attorney | Returning challenger
Adam climbs for two reasons: his friend Martin and Martin’s son, Alex. “We lost Martin’s son Alex earlier this year to DLGNT.”
He is “very excited and eager to fulfil training and tackle the challenge.” What he looks forward to most is “teamwork and surpassing perceived limits.” His toughest moments include “the last day physically, the first day mentally, and missing my 9-month-old baby girl every day.”
Adam’s scientific background shapes his motivation. “Raising funds concerns me directly since I’ve researched paediatric leukaemia targets for treatment.”
His training focuses on “a solid cardio base, interval training and strength work.” His essential item is homemade energy bars.
Team spirit means:
“contagious motivation and unwavering support sprinkled with a positive and only slightly competitive atmosphere.”
The driving force behind Team Syren: Katie Bernard
EVP New Ventures, Parex Resources | Mother of Alex
Katie is not on the mountain this year, but she is central to the team’s mission. “My son Alex was diagnosed with a paediatric low grade glioma in 2021. We wanted to raise money for the Everest Centre.”
Her role now spans the UK, US and Canada. “I work with brain tumour charities to make this a truly global event.” She handles “promotion, publicity and working with researchers to understand low grade gliomas and find a cure.”
The toughest part of this year is emotional.
“Knowing our son Alex is no longer with us to wish Team Syren good luck. He died in January 2025 at age 23.”
Katie wants people to understand the urgency.
“If you are under 40, you are more likely to die from brain cancer than any other cancer, yet funding is only 1 to 2 percent. It’s an outrage.”
Team Syren’s motivation comes from Alex’s battle. “We are humbled by the mountain Alex had to climb. We are united to stopping this happening to other families.”
Her message to supporters is heartfelt.
“Without you none of this would be possible. You are bringing hope to families going through the unimaginable.”
A Team Bound by Purpose
Team Syren stay connected daily, sharing workouts, struggles, victories and reminders of why they climb. The chat is part accountability, part camaraderie and part emotional lifeline.
“You realise you’re never alone in the training,” says Alex.
“We move as one,” adds Jean-Marc.
“And we do it for Alex,” says Martin.
Every member is driven by the same purpose: honouring the memory of a remarkable young man and fuelling the research that could save others.
Each climber hopes to take something different from the experience – strength, perspective, humility, connection – but one hope unites them all: to help prevent other families from facing what Alex and his loved ones endured.
If you’d like to support Team Syren’s fundraising for The Brain Tumour Charity, you can follow their journey on Instagram or donate below.
Every metre climbed.
Every message shared.
Every donation made.
All for Alex.
Help fund the cure
