"The
origins of the expeditions was to make an income. Then I began to like
it very much. I was fascinated by each problem and the knowledge that
human beings hadn't solved this particular problem before."
Sir
Ranulph Fiennes is widely regarded as the world's greatest
living explorer. Since 1969 when he
led a British Expedition on the
White Nile
, Sir Ranulph has been at the forefront of many exploratory
expeditions, including:
Transglobe (1979 - 1982) -
first surface journey around the world's polar axis, during which
Ranulph and Charles Burton became the first people ever to reach both
Poles by surface travel.
North
Polar Unsupported Expedition
(1986) - furthest north unsupported record) 1986.
Ubar
Expedition (1991) -
Sir Ranulph co-led this unique expedition which discovered
Ptolemy's long-lost Atlantis of the Sands, the frankincense centre of
the world.
Pentland
South Pole Expedition (1992
- 1993) - which achieved the first unsupported crossing of the
Antarctic Continent and the longest unsupported polar journey in
history.
7-7-7
Marathons (2003) - only 5 months removed from a
major heart attack and double bypass surgery, Sir
Ranulph, with Dr Mike Stroud, ran 7 marathons in 7 consecutive days on
6 continents.
Sir
Ranulph has been awarded honorary degrees 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.
Perhaps
his greatest accomplishment, 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 the Order of the British Empire for 'human
endeavour and charitable services'.
In
addition to his explorations, Sir
Ranulph is an accomplished author. His first book was published
in 1970 and since then he has written 12 further works including his
autobiography Living
Dangerously 1987, The
Feather Men (UK Number One Bestseller 1991), Atlantis
of the Sands 1992, Mind
Over Matter (a harrowing account of his Antarctic expedition
1993), The
Sett 1996, Fit
For Life 1998,
Beyond the Limits 2000,
The
Secret Hunters
2001 and Captain
Scott (best-selling biography of 2003).
If
you want your audience, large or small, both entertained and inspired,
Sir Ranulph Fiennes is your speaker. By
drawing the analogy between nature's most dangerous and difficult
challenges, and the very real day-to-day business challenges, Sir
Ranulph Fiennes involves each individual in the audience on a very
personal level. The
elements vital to the success of an expedition include teamwork,
determination, patience, discipline, enthusiasm and creative thinking.
Building a team with the right character and attitude is of paramount
importance. Persistence, tolerance, planning skills, high
organizational ability, flexibility to meet and beat unexpected
obstacles, goal-setting and performing under extreme pressure are
clearly all factors in the success of Sir Ranulph's remarkable
endeavours. The same qualities are all crucial to success in the
business world.
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