Pen Hadow

INSPIRATIONAL PUBLIC SPEAKER

POLAR EXPLORER, WRITER & PRESENTER

In May 2003, Pen was catapulted to international fame when he became the first person in history to sledge alone from Canada to the North Geographic Pole without any outside help - a feat of endurance thought to be harder than climbing Everest solo, without oxygen. It had taken him three attempts and fifteen years' dedication to achieve his goal.

Born in 1962, Pen was educated at Harrow, where he was head of house, head of school, head of rugby, football and athletics, and where he achieved his first feat of endurance: completing a school marathon at the age of 15, the first time that any boy had attempted the course for exactly fifty years, and now an annual fixture for the school. Then came his 'wilderness' years, when he struggled to resolve how best he could fulfill his potential, and, once he had set his heart on the polar regions, and the North Pole in particular, struggled even more to finally achieve his dream.

Pen read Geography at University College London, and went on to become the youngest-ever executive at Mark McCormack's renowned International Management Group, where he was more focused in helping others achieve rather than himself.

When he set up The Polar Travel Company he famously empowered a group of allegedly 'ordinary' women to walk into The Guinness Book of Records, by initiating, selecting, organizing, and largely funding the first ever All Women expedition to the North Geographic Pole.
Through The Polar Travel Company, the only specialist guide service of its kind in the world, he dedicated himself single-handedly, to opening up the Arctic and Antarctic to everyone. He even enabled a child with cerebral palsy to fly to the North Pole, and empowered a muscular dystrophy sufferer to cover the last 100 metres there.

Last February 2004, Hadow guided 63 year old international businessman Simon Murray to the South Pole, thereby enabling him to become the oldest person by a decade ever to walk to the Pole, while Pen became the first Briton to trek without re-supply to both Poles.

Presentations

"I am here to make a difference - not just entertain" Pen Hadow, March 2005
Pen's defining quality is his natural ability - and passionate commitment - to bridging the divide between the speaker and his audience, to convince his audience that if even he can achieve what he sets out to do, then there's no reason why they cannot do the same - it's all about what goes on in your head.
Coutts, Tetrapak, Tatler, Savills, Nike, Lloyds TSB, Novartis, AC Nielsen, the MOD and England Rugby's Elite Coaching Programme are just some of the organisations who have recently used Pen to inspire, motivate and entertain their employees, customers and management teams, at all kinds of events, from major conferences to intimate dinners.

Engagingly self-deprecating, inspirational and focused, audiences quickly identify with his themes. He integrates his business experience, hard-won leadership skills honed guiding novice teams in extreme environments, and his own ground-breaking endeavours in the Arctic and Antarctic, to apply fresh perspectives to clients' key messages.

Each of Pen's presentations is thoughtfully prepared according to the client's brief, be it an intimate and informal 15 minute after-dinner discussion of polar stories; a motivational talk with high impact images and modern AV support; or a day of workshops. Pen can talk with insight and genuine authority about personal motivation, effective teamwork, and leadership techniques, to support the people in any organisation in realising their individual potential and achieving their team missions.
Pen's personal and thought-provoking style can also touch on the less glamorous, but equally important, aspects of achieving success, including the value of failure, attitudes to risk, the work-life balance, and the issue of 'giving up'.

Whatever the subject, wherever the venue, and whoever his audience; Pen will hold the audience in his thrall. Pen naturally engages an audience and effortlessly inspires them, directly relating the experiences he has endured out on the ice to the challenges he knows all too well are presented by the equally challenging work environment. Question time is his forte, when he can enjoy direct interaction with guests.

Testimonials

"You have a gift - and should use it. Few can communicate with a level of engagement and intensity like that."
Dame Anita Roddick, Founder of The Body Shop

"Outstanding in every respect ... amusing, terrifying, engaging, inspiring. Terrific."
Vernon Sankey, Main Board Director of Pearson plc

"One of the best speakers we've ever had, in 200 lectures over 18 years, given by Britain's best known adventure speakers."
Himalayan Kingdoms

"... the more he described the outrageously challenging conditions and situations he has overcome, the more I and the others around me found ourselves wanting to go on a polar expedition ourselves, so engaging is his style … He's a charismatic personality who can shift people's perception of what is achievable."
Mark Taylor - Commercial Director, Unigate Dairies

''Property conferences have a reputation for ensuring sleep for all attendees! However it can fairly be said that Pen's approach to his incredible achievements in the polar regions came as a complete breath of fresh air to the 140 delegates. He genuinely captivated the audience with a humbling, matter-of-fact repartee so seldom heard any more. He has a made a big impact on our audience and we would thoroughly recommend him as a highly professional speaker full of integrity and obvious grit. Many attendees have said he was truly the highlight of their day."
David Williams - Director, Commercial Agency, FPDSavills

Pen's faultless delivery, captivating anecdotes and straightforward honesty about his extraordinary achievements held us all in his thrall. He is the living embodiment of achievement through sheer hard work, determination and fastidious planning. He inspires everyone he touches and reminds us that there is everything to play for."
Tatler Magazine

"Pen Hadow's presentations get to the heart of the matter, this is a man who has achieved great things - he not only tells you what he has done but more importantly he goes much further and deeper to the why and the how. Pen's style is generous and welcoming and he encourages you to look for and achieve your personal necessary endeavour. Not your average hero stuff - much more about motivation, self awareness, endeavour and achievable achievement"
Ashridge Business School

"... inspirational and well communicated..."
AC Nielsen

"Pen went down very well when he was here speaking to our clients a couple of weeks ago, our major clients were blown away by his achievements, it was a great lunch and a real pleasure to meet Pen and I am grateful to him for giving up the time to honour this commitment."
Coutts Private Banking

"Jonathan Dimbleby, Pen Hadow and Simon Murray gelled to provide one of the most revealing, provocative and entertaining evenings we've had the privilege to organise."
Dr Rita Gardner CBE, Royal Geographical Society

"Pen Hadow was a guest speaker at our 'Savill's Commercial Directors' Conference in London in November. Pen gave an inspirational talk and captured the full attention of an audience that is notoriously critical of public speakers! He was amusing, stimulating, informing and uplifting and is clearly a man for whom the word "impossible" does not exist! I would thoroughly recommend him to any audience that wishes to be inspired and Savills will undoubtedly utilise his services again in the future."
Jeremy Helsby - Chairman & Chief Executive, FPDSavills International

"Pen's unique vision has earned his company an international reputation, supported by his outstanding ability to challenge and prepare individuals and teams for the most challenging places on Earth.
I recommend strongly his presentations to those interested in the valuable lessons to be learnt from the most extreme conditions on Earth where they are applicable to individuals and teams operating in corporate environments today."
His talks are seriously inspirational, relevant to company teams and a real must for those who need to think outside the box."
Jack Russell - Director, Personal Development Coaching

"... thank you so much for coming to talk to our sales team yesterday. They were hugely impressed and even more enthusiastic about Solo as a result."
Tom Weldon, Managing Director, Penguin.

Profile

The past twelve months:

Publication of 'SOLO, the North Pole Alone and Unsupported' by Penguin. Sunday Times Book of the Week. Christmas best seller.

TV Documentary screened on the National Geographic Channel.

International Winner: "Most Outstanding Outdoor Adventure Challenge Worldwide" La Marca Newspaper (Spain)

Awarded Honorary Doctor of Laws by Exeter University, and became first ever 'Freeman of West Devon'.

Raised over £250,000 to help restore the Royal Geographical Society's polar archive.
Appearances on:

BBC Radio 4's "Desert Island Discs"
BBC Radio 4's "Excess Baggage"
BBC Radio 4's "Broadcasting House"x2
ITN News Channel
Radio 5 Live
The Sunday Times x2, The Sunday Telegraph, The Times, The Independent (x3), The Daily Mail, The Guardian; Metro, The Evening Standard
Esquire (x2), Mens Fitness, Geographical Magazine (x3)

In the pipeline:

· w/c April 4th: Pen presents a series of five programmes on BBC Radio 4 for 'Testbed Productions', about author Jules Verne's stories of exploration.
· April 9th: Pen contributes to a two hour Channel 4 Election Special, featuring a host of Britain's higher profile personalities, giving his 'manifesto' on the importance of increasing the volume and range of outdoor learning experiences in schools (provisional broadcast date)
· May: the paperback edition of 'SOLO' will be published, publicity campaign to be orchestrated by Penguin.
· October: the launch of Pen's next expedition to take place in the first ever International Polar Year: 2007. An extremely high profile project relating to global climate change , reaching almost every man, woman and child in Britain. It will involve politicians, scientists and celebrities at the very highest level, and we will be working closely with national and international press and broadcast media partners. There will be ongoing publicity as it builds towards its start date in 2007. Nothing like it has ever been attempted before.

Fees

Fees at this stage are very flexible, according to requirements. Margins for you will be generous because there are no middle agents involved. End client price could be anything from £3,000 to £10,000 depending on what was wanted, where, when, and for how long.

Please let me know if you need anything else, and we will endeavour to respond with the utmost efficiency. In the meantime we'll keep you advised of events you can attend to hear Pen in action yourself. A high-res pic and leaflets will be with you shortly, and a show reel within a few weeks. And don't forget to listen out for Pen on Radio 4 at 3.45pm, on every weekday next week!

Expeditions

Pen Hadow (43) is the first and only person in history to have trekked alone without any outside assistance from Canada to the North Geographic Pole. He is also the first and only Briton to have trekked to both the North and South Geographic Poles without air support - feats which he achieved within a twelve month period.

Tetley South Pole Mission (February 2004)

Completed the 680-mile Tetley South Pole Mission trek to the South Geographic Pole, making Pen the first Briton to walk without support to both the North and South Poles.
In December 2003 Pen and British businessman Simon Murray set off on the unsupported trek from Hercules Inlet at sea level to the South Geographic Pole at 9,300ft, hauling sledges initially weighing 28 stone, in temperatures as low as -40°C.

On 28th January 2004, at 63 years old, Simon became the oldest person by a decade ever to have trekked to the South Pole.

The 58-day ice odyssey raised over £250,000 to help restore and digitally catalogue the Royal Geographical Society's polar archive heritage. The archives are now accessible to the public on site and via the internet.

The Omega Foundation Arctic Ocean Research Expedition (May 2003)

Pen became the first man to walk 478 miles from the northern coast of Canada, across the moving, melting, rugged sea ice of the Arctic Ocean, to the North Geographic Pole, alone, without any outside help. On his final day, Pen completed an astonishing 20 miles in 15 hours, and with only one hour's rest, he embarked on the last 5 mile phase.

He began what explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes has described as 'one of the last great endurance challenges on Earth' on March 17th, and reached his goal, the North Geographic Pole at 09.54 GMT on Monday, May 19th. Others have likened the feat to climbing Everest - solo and without oxygen.
Along the way he saw no living thing, save a couple of seals, a seal carcass left by a polar bear, and a small bird.

The expedition was funded by an American educational trust, The Omega Foundation. This is a private, operating institution dedicated to promoting scientific research, education, and environmental protection, primarily in the high altitude and high latitude regions of Earth.

At the start of the expedition, Pen was pulling a sledge weighing 19 1/2 stone over chaotic jumbles of ice up to 20' high. Sometimes the most he could achieve was one mile in a day.
Just two-thirds of the way to the Pole, he lost a ski when he broke through thin ice and fell up to his neck into the icy waters of the Arctic, and he was forced to trek the rest of the way on foot.
Pen accomplished his feat in just 64 days - more quickly than some of the few teams who have preceded him, who were able to share the weight of their tent, fuel and other equipment, and had further heavy re-supplies of food, fuel, replacement equipment and medical provisions flown in as required. He arrived at the Pole one day ahead of his published 65 day projected finish date.
Sir Ranulph Fiennes commented, "the man has a constitution of iron".
The only solo, unsupported journey to the North Geographic Pole to date has been from the Russian coast on the opposite side of the Arctic Ocean, going with the flow of ice and wind, by Norwegian explorer Borge Ousland (1994).

And so far only three solo journeys by the Canadian route have been made, two were nearly twenty years ago, involving a number of re-supplies by air. The first, by the Japanese explorer Naomi Uemura (1978), involved a dog-team to pull the sledge and seven re-supplies. The second, by French explorer Jean-Louis Etienne (1986), was a sledge-hauling expedition requiring five re-supplies. The third expedition was undertaken in 2001 by Japanese explorer Hyoichi Kono, who had one re-supply.

Other Expeditions include:

Polar Orchid Challenge 2001

Pen guided Ben Saunders, the youngest person ever to attempt an All The Way to the North Geographic Pole, without re-supply.
The team sledge-hauled 109kg sledges from Cape Arktichevskiy (northernmost Siberia) 620km across the Arctic Ocean towards the North Pole in the coldest season since 1987 reaching 86º43'North, some 15 days short of the Pole.

The Last Degree - North Geographic Pole 2001

The Polar Travel Company organised an expedition out of Borneo Ice Station (with clients arriving through Russia and Spitsbergen) to the North Pole, led by polar guide, Ann Daniels. In addition training was provided on the Arctic Ocean to two private teams planning All The Way journeys to the North and South Poles in 2002.

The Last Degree - North Geographic Pole (March & April, 2000)

Guided two expeditions, on skis hauling supplies, the last 110 kilometres across the Arctic Ocean sea ice to the North Pole, with the first expedition approaching from the Canadian side, and the second from the Russian side via Khatanga in Siberia and the ice airport called 'Borneo' at 89° North on the Russian side.

The first expedition was undertaken by a specially trained team because of the particularly severe weather conditions anticipated - no sledging expedition had ever been to the Pole so early in the season, indeed the team experienced the last place on Earth to witness the dawn of the new Millennium as the sun rose at the North Pole in late March.

Crossing of Resolute Passage - Training Expedition (March, 2000)

Guided five person team, as part of preparation for a particularly arduous Last Degree expedition in March, from Resolute Bay airbase to the shores of Griffith Island and back to Resolute Village.

The Last 50 Kilometres - North Geographic Pole (April, 2000)
Guided a private client on a bespoke, shortened expedition to the North Pole from the Russian side via 'Borneo'.

M&G ISA Challenge 2000

Technical consultant in the UK, Chile and Antarctica to the first all-women expedition to the South Geographic Pole undertaken by Caroline Hamilton, Ann Daniels, Pom Oliver, Rosie Stancer, and Zoe Hudson - all originally participants on the McVitie's Penguin Polar Relay in 1997, the first all-women team expedition to the North Geographic Pole

All The Way - South Geographic Pole (2000)

Promoted the first British guided expedition from the coast of Antarctica (Hercules Inlet) to the South Geographic Pole (1,200 Kilometres) enabling Catherine Hartley (the first of two women to ever make such a journey) and Justin Speake (also British) to reach their goal 61 days later, led by Geoff Somers.

The Last Degree - North Geographic Pole (1999)

Guided two separate expeditions, each of five-men, on skis hauling supplies, the last 110 kilometres across the Arctic Ocean sea ice to the North Pole, following a training and acclimatisation phase at Resolute Bay, Canada .

National Polar Express (1998)

Ground-breaking, ultra-lightweight solo North Pole attempt - reaching 87° 18 North faster than any previous solo or team expedition, following a resupply at 86North. Medical condition forced withdrawal.

McVities's Penguin Polar Relay (1997) - World First

Organiser of the first internationally renowned all-women's relay expedition (22 women) to the North Geographic Pole from Ward Hunt Island, Canada - including its promotion, fund-raising, the selection process, contracting of female guides, physical training, polar base management and media relations.

Oyez solicitor's Polar Expedition (1997)

Guide to a seven-man expedition to the North Magnetic Pole from Resolute Bay in the Northwest Territories, Canada. (Private clients).

That Last Degree (1997)

Guide to a five-man expedition on foot by a British team from the eighty-ninth degree to the North Geographic Pole. The Expedition raised over £75,000 for the British charity Whizz-Kidz. (Private Clients). Enabled 12 year-old wheelchair bound boy to reach North Pole.

North Magnetic Pole (1995)

Guide to a successful (200 kilometre) sledging expedition across the frozen McLean Strait from Northern Bathurst Island to the North Magnetic Pole by foot in the Canadian high Arctic. (Private client)

'Search for Kruger' (1995)

Guide to a reconnaissance expedition for television, to an islet in the Queen Elizabeth Islands of northern Canada in search of evidence of Hans Kruger who disappeared without trace in the locality in 1932. (Commercial client)

Solo North Pole (1994)

The first attempt to reach the North Geographic Pole on foot, without air support, from Ward Hunt Island, northernmost Canada. Membership of the No Limits Team an international team for extreme athletes sponsored by Sector Sport Watches.

Trans Spitsbergen Exhibition (1991)

Guide to a successful two-way crossing by snowmobile of the high Arctic Norwegian island of Spitsbergen. (Private client)

'Project Polar Night' (1991)

Guide to a sled-hauling crossing of the high Arctic Norwegian island of Spitsbergen. (Private client)

Greenland by Foot (1990)

Guide to a series of extended tours by foot in the Angmagssalik region of Greenland's east coast. (Private clients)

'Arctic Voyager' (1989)

Co-partner on the 'furthest north' voyage by open boat from British shores - to east Greenland - and the longest voyage (3,500 kilometres) by inflatable craft. (Sponsored expedition)

'Polar Bears in the Wild' (1989)

A seventy-day, two-man sledge-hauling journey, without re-supply, across the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard photographing polar bears. (Sponsored expedition)