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Tom Avery
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Tom Avery Biography
Topics:
- Adventure
- Inspirational
- Leadership
- Motivation & Teamwork
As one of the freshest speakers on the circuit, Tom Avery is passionate, inspiring, personable, modest and entertaining. But what makes Tom such a unique after dinner or keynote speaker is that before embarking on his exploration career, he worked in the City as an accountant with Arthur Andersen, meaning that as well as having a high level of professionalism in everything he does, he can directly relate to corporate audiences, subtly drawing out key business and personal lessons.
Love of Mountains
Tom's passion for adventure began at an early age when he first read about Captain Scott. He knew then that his life wouldn’t be complete until he followed his hero’s footsteps to the South Pole.
His mountaineering career began at the age of sixteen with a series of rock and ice climbs in Wales and Scotland. At university he organised and led expeditions to the Andes, New Zealand, the Alps, Tanzania, Patagonia and Morocco. After graduating from Bristol University in 1998 with a B.Sc. in Geography and Geology, he began his working life an accountant with Arthur Andersen, but eventually forced to choose between the city and the mountains, Tom chose the mountains.
The Expeditions
As one of only 41 people in history to have reached both the North and South Poles on foot and a veteran of over a dozen mountain and polar expeditions, Tom Avery is one of the brightest stars amongst the UK's new generation of explorers.
Tom is best known for leading the expedition described by the Guinness Book of Records as "the fastest surface journey to the North Pole", which retraced Robert Peary and Matthew Henson’s footsteps to the Top of the World. To quote The Sunday Times, "Avery is shaping up to join the ranks of such British immortals as Sir Ranulph Fiennes and Dame Ellen MacArthur."
In 2000, Tom led a pioneering British expedition to a previously unexplored 20-mile mountain range close to China’s western border. His team scaled nine unnamed virgin summits up to 6,000 metres high.
On 28 December 2002, days after his 27th birthday, Tom Avery became the youngest Briton to complete the perilous journey to the South Pole on foot. His team also broke the South Pole Speed Record; using state of the art kites to power them across the ice, they covered the last 47 miles to the Pole in an amazing 31 hours.
Tom electrified the exploration world by recreating Robert Peary’s disputed 1909 expedition to the North Pole. The five-strong team travelled in a similar style to Peary with teams of Eskimo dogs and replica wooden sledges. Tom's ambitious aim was to prove the sceptics wrong and match Peary’s 37-day journey to the Pole. After an epic dash across the most unforgiving environment on the planet, Tom’s exhausted team rewrote the history books by making it to the Pole with five hours to spare.
A Born Leader
A born leader, this remarkable young man runs every expedition himself, organising everything from the fundraising to the training to the logistics to the selection of his teams. His expeditions have received a huge amount of international print and TV media coverage, in the UK and the US in particular. Tom's highly acclaimed book, Pole Dance, was published in 2003.
Tom works as an ambassador for both the London 2012 Olympics and The Prince’s Trust and is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
Inspirational Speaker
Illustrated with a stunning collection of images and video clips, Tom’s uplifting and fascinating presentations bring the raw beauty of the polar regions to life and describe how his teams battled with the elements during their record-breaking journeys.
Drawing on his own experiences in the worlds of both exploration and business, Tom involves each individual as he makes the analogy between Mother Nature's most extreme challenges, and the day-to-day challenges facing those of us in slightly less dangerous occupations. Tom’s talks are guaranteed to inspire any audience, whether they are male, female, young or old.
Tom's presentations provide a unique and highly motivating lesson for any organisation by stressing how communication, planning, goal setting, creative thinking, patience, organisational skills, enthusiasm, flexibility to meet and overcome unexpected obstacles, risk analysis and individual determination are vital ingredients in achieving results when under extreme pressure. Tom always puts building the right team and remaining highly motivated at the top of his list.
After Dinner or Keynote
Tom adapts his talks not only to suit each audience or conference theme but also to keep up to date with his latest expeditions. You can choose either a 20-minute after dinner talk or a longer spectacularly-illustrated hour-long presentation. Tom is always happy to take part in Question and Answer sessions.
Clients
Tom has been working in the corporate speaking market for several years, giving motivational talks all over the world to a broad spectrum of audiences including Barclays Capital, ABN AMRO, Diageo, Lloyds TSB, HBOS, Dare, KPMG, Johnnie Walker, Hays MacIntyre, PWC, Pernod Riccard, the NHS, Barclays Bank, CSL Behring and the John Lewis Partnership to rave reviews.
TV & Radio
Tom’s profile continues to grow, with a number of TV presentation roles for the BBC and Channel 4 already under his belt. He is currently working on a number of documentary programmes with Darlow Smithson Productions, makers of the award-winning Touching the Void.
For further information or to book Tom Avery, call us on +44 (0) 20 8365 3200 or email info@speakerscorner.co.uk
Tom Avery Video
Tom Avery Speaker Showreel - Click play to watch a short sample video clip of Tom Avery. For more information on Tom Avery please contact one of the Speakers Corner booking agents on +44 (0) 208 365 3200 or email info@speakerscorner.co.uk
Outside of appearing and speaking at live corporate and private events Tom Avery has a number of retail products available that can be purchased through Speakers Corner. For upcoming new book and product launches related to Tom Avery then please contact one of the Speakers Corner booking agents on +44 (0) 208 365 3200 or email info@speakerscorner.co.uk
Tom Avery Books
Tom Avery News
A selection of relevant news related to Tom Avery and Adventure stories. For more information on Tom Avery or details as to how to book Tom Avery for your corporate event, then please contact one of the Speakers Corner booking agents on +44 (0) 20 8365 3200 or email info@speakerscorner.co.uk
Who got to the North Pole first? Tom Avery's latest book attempts to settle the debate
6th April 2009Many cannot name the explorer who first stood at the Earth's most northen extremity, because the dispute over who got there first was never settled. Robert Peary claimed to have reached the North Pole in 37 days in April 1909, however sceptics claim that he lacked evidence to support his claim. Tom Avery is hoping that his latest book which describes his expedition to the North Pole using techniques similar to Robert Peary will help settle this debate.
6th April 2009Many cannot name the explorer who first stood at the Earth's most northen extremity, because the dispute over who got there first was never settled. Robert Peary claimed to have reached the North Pole in 37 days in April 1909, however sceptics claim that he lacked evidence to support his claim. Tom Avery is hoping that his latest book which describes his expedition to the North Pole using techniques similar to Robert Peary will help settle this debate.
The noughties - a decade of adventure
9th December 2009As we near the end of the 1st decade of the 21st century, the Telegraph has taken a look at the daredevils, adventurers and explorers who have pushed themselves to the limits and beyond. People who have pushed themselves to the boundaries of human possibility include Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Ann Daniels, Pen Hadow, Jamie Andrew, Tom Avery, Dee Caffari, and celebrities, Ewan McGregor, David Walliams, James Cracknell and Ben Fogle.
9th December 2009As we near the end of the 1st decade of the 21st century, the Telegraph has taken a look at the daredevils, adventurers and explorers who have pushed themselves to the limits and beyond. People who have pushed themselves to the boundaries of human possibility include Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Ann Daniels, Pen Hadow, Jamie Andrew, Tom Avery, Dee Caffari, and celebrities, Ewan McGregor, David Walliams, James Cracknell and Ben Fogle.
Kirsty Moore is the first woman pilot to train with the RAF's Arrows display team
12th November 2009The Red Arrows have made history by taking on their first ever female pilot. Kirsty Moore will join the Red Arrows, based in Lincolnshire, next season - which starts in 2010. The RAF said that until now no female fast-jet pilot had advanced far enough in their flying career to join the display team. Flight Lieutenant Moore, who has flown combat missions in Iraq, says it's a great honour to be chosen. Kirsty was based with a Tornado squadron at RAF Marham in Norfolk before she got this job.
12th November 2009The Red Arrows have made history by taking on their first ever female pilot. Kirsty Moore will join the Red Arrows, based in Lincolnshire, next season - which starts in 2010. The RAF said that until now no female fast-jet pilot had advanced far enough in their flying career to join the display team. Flight Lieutenant Moore, who has flown combat missions in Iraq, says it's a great honour to be chosen. Kirsty was based with a Tornado squadron at RAF Marham in Norfolk before she got this job.
Around the world in about 100 days
10th November 2008Competitors get off to a flying start in the sixth Vendée Globe race, watched by up to 300,000 people at Les Sables d'Olonne, near La Rochelle.
10th November 2008Competitors get off to a flying start in the sixth Vendée Globe race, watched by up to 300,000 people at Les Sables d'Olonne, near La Rochelle.
Lewis Gordon Pugh takes his global warming campaign to Everest
28th September 2009The adventurer, environmentalist and speaker, Lewis Gordon Pugh has announced that his latest intrepid expedition will be to swim across a glacial lake on Mount Everest to highlight the dangers of climate change. The thrill of adventure drives people do some quite remarkable things. Throw in a campaign and you have some people who will go to extremes to make sure their campaign is heard. Lewis Gordon Pugh, the swimmer who is going to dive into melted ice on Everest to highlight climate change, is one of these people. Lewis plans to swim under the summit of Mount Everest. Something nobody has ever done before. He is hopimg to draw further attention to the cause he swam accross a patch of open sea at the North Pole for, ahead of a conference in December in Copenhagen on replacing the 1997 Kyoto protocol on reducing greenhouse gases.
28th September 2009The adventurer, environmentalist and speaker, Lewis Gordon Pugh has announced that his latest intrepid expedition will be to swim across a glacial lake on Mount Everest to highlight the dangers of climate change. The thrill of adventure drives people do some quite remarkable things. Throw in a campaign and you have some people who will go to extremes to make sure their campaign is heard. Lewis Gordon Pugh, the swimmer who is going to dive into melted ice on Everest to highlight climate change, is one of these people. Lewis plans to swim under the summit of Mount Everest. Something nobody has ever done before. He is hopimg to draw further attention to the cause he swam accross a patch of open sea at the North Pole for, ahead of a conference in December in Copenhagen on replacing the 1997 Kyoto protocol on reducing greenhouse gases.
Lewis Gordon Pugh plans a swim in the icy waters of the Himalayan Glaciers
22nd September 2009Endurance swimmer Lewis Gordon Pugh spends much of his time delivering keynote speeches and trying to bring to the world's attention the problems of ignoring climate change. Previously he has swam 20 minutes in the North Pole to highlight the problems in the Arctic. His latest venture is to swim in the icy waters of the Himalayan Glaciers to raise awareness of a source of water for 1.3bn people which could be gone within 25 years
22nd September 2009Endurance swimmer Lewis Gordon Pugh spends much of his time delivering keynote speeches and trying to bring to the world's attention the problems of ignoring climate change. Previously he has swam 20 minutes in the North Pole to highlight the problems in the Arctic. His latest venture is to swim in the icy waters of the Himalayan Glaciers to raise awareness of a source of water for 1.3bn people which could be gone within 25 years
The Human Polar Bear: Lewis Gordon Pugh on the Discovery Channel
28th June 2010Tonight environmentalist and keynote speaker Lewis Gordon Pugh features in an incredible documentary on the Discovery Channel about his swim in the Arctic ocean – a feat thought impossible prior to his achievement.
28th June 2010Tonight environmentalist and keynote speaker Lewis Gordon Pugh features in an incredible documentary on the Discovery Channel about his swim in the Arctic ocean – a feat thought impossible prior to his achievement.
Lewis Gordon Pugh sets out on expedition
28th August 2008Lewis Gordon Pugh leaves London today for the two-week expedition which will see him paddle 1,200km across some of the most dangerous seas in the world.
28th August 2008Lewis Gordon Pugh leaves London today for the two-week expedition which will see him paddle 1,200km across some of the most dangerous seas in the world.
Lewis Gordon Pugh becomes first person to swim accross Everest Lake
24th May 2010The environmental campaigner and motivational speaker, Lewis Gordon Pugh nicknamed the "human polar bear", has swum 1km (0.62 miles) across a glacial lake on Mount Everest to highlight the impact of global warming. Lewis, wore only swimming trunks, goggles and a swimming hat to face the 2C waters of Pumori Lake at 17,000ft (5,300m). He said he hoped to bring the "world's attention" to the melting of glaciers and its effect on the region.
24th May 2010The environmental campaigner and motivational speaker, Lewis Gordon Pugh nicknamed the "human polar bear", has swum 1km (0.62 miles) across a glacial lake on Mount Everest to highlight the impact of global warming. Lewis, wore only swimming trunks, goggles and a swimming hat to face the 2C waters of Pumori Lake at 17,000ft (5,300m). He said he hoped to bring the "world's attention" to the melting of glaciers and its effect on the region.
Sir David Attenborough reaches North Pole
19th April 2010Sir David Attenborough has realised a life-long ambition and reached the North Pole, the BBC has said. The broadcaster, 84, is filming in the Arctic Circle for Frozen Planet, a BBC One series due to air in late 2011.
19th April 2010Sir David Attenborough has realised a life-long ambition and reached the North Pole, the BBC has said. The broadcaster, 84, is filming in the Arctic Circle for Frozen Planet, a BBC One series due to air in late 2011.
Tom Avery Reviews
Tom Avery has spoken and appeared at a number of recent corporate events. Please find some client speaker testimonials and reviews for Tom Avery for a number of these events and conferences. If you would like some additional information as to how to book Tom Avery for your corporate event, then please contact one of the Speakers Corner booking agents on +44 (0) 208 365 3200 or email info@speakerscorner.co.uk
"I really mean this Tom - you have had such a superb impact with our folks in Manchester. Here is a sample of comments from our online evaluation following the summit - best speech I've ever been to; living legend; very inspiring; very enthusiastic, very engaging and tied hi steam building activities to our business; what an inspirational guy - makes you realise what is actually possible and can be achieved if you have the endurance, focus and well thought out plan! Congratulations Tom - the list goes on! "
"Tom was fantastic and went down really well with our delegates. He was extremely professional and his presentation was fascinating and very entertaining. We have received excellent feedback from our delegates with many of them stating that Tom's presentation was their favourite part of the day!"
"Thank you for being such a good speaker and a delightful guest at our conference at Villa dEste. You were brilliant and weve received a lot of hugely positive feedback from our clients from around the world. We hope that you will be able to speak for us again one day."
If you are interested in booking Tom Avery for your live event or require any additional information regarding Tom Avery then please fill in the enquiry form below and one of the Speakers Corner booking agents will contact you within 24 hours.
"Some of his stories are a wonder to listen to and the lessons that he draws out of them, I really felt I could take back to my working life"
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The BBC One controller, Jay Hunt has confirmed that Graham Norton's chat show will switch to friday nights in October to replace Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.
