- After Dinner Speakers
- Conference Speakers
Topics:
- Adventure
- Motivation & Teamwork
Ranulph Fiennes
Known as Britain's greatest living explorer, Sir Ranulph Fiennes is a legend of our time and an inspirational figure. He has written numerous books and is in high demand on the corporate circuit as a motivational speaker.
Motivational Speaker
Although known the world over as an explorer, Sir Ranulph Fiennes has had another parallel career as a speaker in the corporate sector. As a man he is inspirational, but there are many analogies and lessons to be learnt from the planning and execution of these expeditions. His talks cover topics including teamwork, change and overcoming obstacles.
The Army
Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes was born in 1944 and educated at Eton. He served with the Royal Scots Greys for a time before joining the SAS. In 1968 he joined the Army of the Sultan of Oman and in 1970 was awarded the Sultan's Bravery Medal. In the same year he married his wife, Virginia. (In 1987 Virginia was the first woman to be awarded the Polar Medal. She died in 2004.)
Expeditions
Since 1969 when he led the British Expedition on the White Nile, Ranulph Fiennes has been at the forefront of many exploratory expeditions. Described in 1984 as the "World's Greatest Living Explorer" by the Guinness Book of Records, his expeditions around the world include Transglobe (the first surface journey around the world's polar axis) in 1979/82 during which Ranulph Fiennes and Charles Burton became the first people ever to reach both Poles by surface travel; North Polar Unsupported Expedition (furthest north unsupported record) 1986; Anglo Soviet North Pole Expedition 1990/91; co-leader of the Ubar Expedition (which in 1991 discovered Ptolemy's long-lost Atlantis of the Sands, the frankincense centre of the world); leader of the Pentland South Pole Expedition (which achieved the first unsupported crossing of the Antarctic Continent and the longest unsupported polar journey in history) 1992/93.
Marathons
Also in 2003 Sir Ranulph, with Dr Mike Stroud, ran 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 continents. This, despite his having suffered a major heart attack and double bypass operation in June 2003.
Awards
He has been awarded an honorary degree from Loughborough University, the University of Central England in Birmingham and the University of Portsmouth; and in 1997 The Royal Institute of Navigation awarded Sir Ranulph Honorary Membership. In 2000 The Explorers Club, British Chapter, honoured Sir Ranulph with the Polar Exploration Millennium Award.
Sir Ranulph's expeditions have raised over £4.2m for the Multiple Sclerosis Society, (which has enabled the building of Europe's first MS research centre in Cambridge) and £1.9m for Breakthrough Breast Cancer. In 1993 he was awarded an OBE for 'human endeavour and charitable services'.
In 1995 Her Majesty the Queen was graciously pleased to award Sir Ranulph a second clasp to the Polar Medal that he already has, in recognition of his outstanding achievements in Polar exploration and, in particular, his attempts to reach the North Pole between 1988 and 1990 and his successful trek across Antarctica in 1992/93. (No-one else has a double clasp medal each of which acknowledges both Arctic and Antarctic achievements.)
Author
Sir Ranulph has written numerous books about his exploits including
