Ben Saunders has just returned from a record-breaking expedition to the North Pole. On his latest expedition in February 2004, Ben set out from Cape Arktichevsky in Northern Siberia in an attempt to be the first person in the world to make a complete crossing of the frozen Arctic Ocean in a 1,240-mile journey ending in Canada, solo and unsupported. The expedition was a traumatic one: out of four solo attempts, Ben's was the only one to reach the North Pole. A Finnish woman died within 24 hours of being on the Arctic Ocean, a French Marine fell through thin ice and was rescued with severe frostbite and an American was airlifted out with frostbite and a broken ankle. Ben holds the record for the longest solo arctic trek by a Brit, and became the youngest person ever to reach the North Pole on May 11th 2004.

Mark Gallagher has moved from Jordan to become Head of Business at Jaguar Racing, the official Formula One team of Jaguar, itself a subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company. Mark is perhaps one of the most prolific speaker from the exciting world of Formula One on leadership and teamwork.

Matthew Pinsent will be attempting to win his fourth consecutive Gold medal at next month’s Athens Olympics.

Charles Leadbeater gave a keynote speech and then lead a creativity masterclass for Bond Bank, in Nigeria. Charles found it a fascinating experience “Lagos was great, an amazing city, difficult to describe. 10m people living in self-organising chaos of markets and shanty towns, rutted roads and breaking down cars, canoes and shacks and markets larger than you could imagine”. The client was equally pleased, “The event was very successful indeed. It helped us to position Bond Bank as a learning institution and one that is ready to actually commit resources to supporting enterprise. Charles went down well with the audience who gave him a standing ovation and the masterclass with our staff gave Bond Bank a chance to pick his brains.”

The doyenne of French television interviewers Christine Ockrent chaired a European management conference in London for Ernst & Young.

Joe Simpson’s book “Touching the Void”, the story of his amazing survival, having shattered his leg and been left for dead in a crevasse high in the Andes, has sold over a million copies worldwide. The film of the book won a BAFTA award for Outstanding British Film of the Year 2004. Joe spoke for our client Halcrow, who were so impressed by his motivational story that they have asked to him speak at two more of their conferences this year.

England rugby captain Lawrence Dallaglio conducted a Q & A session on motivation and peak performance for 1,000 delegates at the CBI annual conference.

Playing to Win is the latest book by Karren Brady. At 23 she took over as Managing Director of Birmingham City Football Club and single-mindedly revolutionised it. She cleared the debt, and made history by taking it into the Premier League, whilst transforming it into a viable business along the way. So how did a 23-year old woman with little or no management experience walk into a man's world and achieve such incredible success? Karren Brady reveals her secrets and shares with you the techniques you can adopt to succeed in your own life, on your own terms

If you are thinking of inviting a guest speaker to your next conference, call us today!