10.14.2014 Interview with Pen Hadow
How did you end up becoming a keynote speaker?
With my unprecedented solo journey to the North Pole having featured as the main story on the front page of The Times on four different occasions, businesses were interested to hear about the insights and lessons I had learned to achieve this feat against the odds.
What are your most popular keynote topics?
Personal motivation, despite one’s perceived limitations; achieving ambitious goals; resilience in challenging and changing operating conditions; the science behind, and consequences of, environmental change such as Arctic sea ice loss; and leadership towards environmental responsibility.
What types of audiences benefit from your talks?
I speak to a wide range of British and European corporations, including executive management teams, whole-company gatherings, themed conferences, and after-dinner events.
How do you typically strive to motivate an organization?
I suggest that if even I can achieve what I did pushing back the boundaries of what was known to be humanly possible by going solo to the North Pole, there are good reasons to believe you can achieve your own goals too.
Who or what is your biggest inspiration and why?
Norwegian polar explorer, Fridtjof Nansen, as the complete explorer and statesman; British aviator and yachtsman, Sir Francis Chichester as a pioneering navigator, adventurer and entrepreneur; and Mark McCormack (USA) for his entrepreneurial and business abilities seen through his creation of the rights agency, International Management Group.