Record-breaking polar explorer, climate technology investor and acclaimed inspirational speaker
Ben has covered more than 4,500 miles (7,242km) on foot in the polar regions. His accomplishments include leading The Scott Expedition, the longest human-powered polar journey in history, and the first completion of the expedition that defeated Captain Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton, a 108-day round-trip from Ross Island on the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back again.
Ben is the third person in history to ski solo to the North and South poles. He holds the records for the longest solo Arctic journey by a Briton, and for the longest ever polar journey on foot.
He is a global brand ambassador for Canada Goose, an ambassador for Scouts and The Prince’s Trust, a patron, fellow and development board member of British Exploring, a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and a patron of the Thrive Foundation. An acclaimed international keynote speaker, he is described as ‘a master storyteller’ by TED.
In print, Ben is the author of Shackleton (A Ladybird Expert Book), a contributor to What Doesn’t Kill You: Fifteen Stories of Survival, and he has featured in ReWork by David Heinemeier Hansson and Jason Fried, The Rise by Sarah Lewis, Reboot: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up by Jerry Colonna, Purposeful Curiosity by Dr. Costas Andriopoulos, and TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking by Chris Anderson.
His three TED talks alone have been watched online more than five million times.
Whether speaking to the world’s largest corporations or to small teams at pioneering start-ups, in person or online, Ben is a modest man who speaks with honesty, humility and humour, taking his audiences inside his polar expeditions and sharing hard-won lessons to educate, inform and inspire.
On his expeditions to some of the world’s most inaccessible and unforgiving places, Ben has spent large parts of his twenty-year career working remotely or in total isolation, thousands of miles from his colleagues and support teams.
Ben delivers instantly applicable wisdom on motivating yourself and the people around you when the chips are down, and staying focussed in unpredictable, fast-changing and hostile situations.
He also speaks on the vital importance of frank and open communication, and on having the bravery to know when to ask for help.