Described as “a trailblazer, and the most determined, tenacious, and motivated woman,” Preet Chandi holds the record of being the fastest woman to complete a solo unsupported ski expedition to the South Pole, as well as the distinction of being the first woman of colour to complete a solo expedition on the continent. Driven by an unending desire to push her mental and physical boundaries, Preet is any Army officer, physiotherapist, Nordic skier, ultramarathon runner, and endurance athlete with an iron will that has led to her making history and breaking barriers in the world of adventuring.

Sir Ranulph Fiennes was, with Charles Burton, the first man to reach both poles by surface travel and, with Mike Stroud, the first to cross the Antarctic Continent unsupported.

Jim has been involved in cave exploration for the last two decades and has participated in many expeditions to remote cave systems. He lives in Ireland where he is only a stone throw away from undiscovered cave passage. He got involved in diving at the age of 12 and from there on he forged a path towards highly technical diving in extreme environments. Jim is thrives on operating in these environments and has developed a methodical approach towards operating in these places. This ability has served him well in many situations including some life or death situations. Jim was one of the main players involved in rescuing the boys’ soccer team who got trapped in a 4km cave system in Thailand in July 2018. Jim also had the responsibility of extracting the team coach out through the complex underwater cave system. He has participated in the making of a feature film depicting the epic rescue due to be released in 2019. Jim also holds the record for completing the longest traverse of water-filled underground cave in Ireland. For his involvement in the cave rescue in Thailand Jim has received the knighthood of the Léopold order from the king of Belgium along with many other awards and honours. Jim has been a keynote speaker on in front of many groups of deferent categories and prides himself in telling his story and the story of the Thai cave rescue so others can be inspired. Operating in extreme environments puts you in a place that brings the worst and best out of people and learning how to handle in these situations teaches anyone how to deal with challenges in life or work.

Justin is an entrepreneur and modern day adventurer. He has lived the exploits that many of us only dream of. He started his career as a soldier before starting his own business. He has represented Britain in the Whitbread Round-the-World Yacht race winning the Bollinger Award for outstanding crewman. He has ridden horses across Mongolia in search of the Tsaatan reindeer tribes. He's motor biked through East Africa and won a 450 mile un-supported race to the Magnetic North Pole. He has been to the Geographic North and South Pole as well as summited Mount Everest. Expeditions that he has been involved in have raised over £3m for charity. He is an ambassador for the British Governments GREAT campaign and the Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

Dawson achieved a world first in 2009 when he and his partner, Chris Martin, became the first and only people ever to successfully row the 7,000 miles across the North Pacific Ocean from Japan to San Francisco. After multiple voyages and attempts across both the Pacific and Atlantic, Dawson knows what it takes to face seemingly impossible odds, to overcome them and achieve in life's most difficult challenges. He draws on huge experience to discuss teamwork, determination to achieve something that has not been achieved before. And he applies these principles readily ot the professional environment. Funny, engaging and down-to-earth Mick is in his own words: "an ordinary man who achieved something extraordinary".

Joe Studwell is the author of best-selling books about emerging economies. He was a founder of the Asian research firm Dragonomics, now Gavekal Dragonomics and the founding editor of the China Economic Quarterly. He has written for The Economist, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), The Financial Times, the Asian Wall Street Journal and the Far Eastern Economic Review, as well as working on television and radio. Studwell earned his doctorate from the University of Cambridge for research on processes of technology acquisition in manufacturing companies in emerging economies. He is Senior Visiting Fellow at the Overseas Development Institute, the UK’s leading non-government development think-tank. Joe’s next book, published in early 2025, is How Africa Works: dynamism and atrophy on the world’s last developmental frontier, a book that started at the suggestion of Bill Gates and African governments that engaged him to debate development policy choices based on his books on Asia. Joe is an engaging, humorous speaker with a wealth of anecdotes who also has a grip on the latest data. He has long experience as a meeting chair and panelist. • Best-selling author and expert on emerging markets in China, East Asia, South-East Asia, South Asia and Africa • Combines engaging anecdotal delivery with deep knowledge of data • Seasoned interviewer, host and conference/panel chair

Mandy Hickson has over 30 years experience within aviation. She joined the Royal Air Force in 1994 and was a the first woman to fly the Tornado GR4 on the front line, where she operated in hostile environments, including patrolling the ‘No Fly’ zone over Iraq. Since leaving the RAF she retrained as a facilitator and coach in human factors where she draws on her experience of calculated risk-taking, decision-making under pressure and the critical role of the human in the system, to transfer vivid lessons from the cockpit to management and leadership contexts.

John Paul Volanthen is a world record-holding British exploratory cave diver who specialises in rescues through the Cave Rescue Organisation, South and Mid Wales Cave Rescue, and the British Cave Rescue Council. John hit the headlines in July 2018, when he was part of the multi-national team involved in the rescue of 12 young football players and their coach in the Tham Luang caves in Thailand. John and his co-diver, Rich Stanton, were the first to make contact with the missing youngsters when they had been lost for nine days. Both men were part of the team that successfully rescued all the boys and their coach and brought them to safety. In keynote talks, John gives audiences an astonishing account of the harrowing rescue effort. With heart-pounding anecdotes from the high-risk rescue mission, he hammers home the importance of perseverance, determination, and preparation, and explains why he believes success in life is rarely due to “luck.” John also shares his belief that anyone can rise to the occasion and achieve extraordinary things in the face of insurmountable odds. Using a combination of pictures and audio, he communicates what it was like to be there and the joy he felt when it was all over. Uplifting and inspiring, John’s story is one in a million.

Anne Milgram’s high-stakes career in law enforcement, national security, and public safety has transformed the lives of many. As the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from 2021 to 2025, she led over 10,000 public servants worldwide in the fight against global criminal networks and saw a historic 22% reduction in drug-involved deaths. With a powerful presence and a gift for storytelling, Milgram brings audiences into the heart of today’s most pressing challenges—combating the fentanyl crisis, dismantling global criminal networks, and modernized law enforcement through innovative data-driven solutions. She breaks down global issues into compelling, accessible, and actionable insights, going beyond policy to address real people, real impact, and the power of leadership to create change.

Described by the media as everything from “Superwoman undercover” to “The Pied Piper of potential,” Sarah Robb O’Hagan is an executive, activist, entrepreneur, and founder of Extreme Living — a content platform designed to help individuals, teams, and organizations play to their highest potential. As the former CEO of EXOS, the leading human performance coaching company serving 30 percent of the Fortune 100, Sarah and her team worked with clients ranging from C-suite leaders to pro athletes to enhance their performance in work and life. Drawing on her decades experience at some of the world's most influential brands, she shares practical takeaways including how to make failure your fuel, discover your most competitive playing field, get out of line rather than always following conventional wisdom, and bring out the “extreme" in others.

Erik Weihenmayer is a world-class adventurer, the first blind man to summit Mount Everest, and one of only 150 mountaineers to climb the Seven Summits. His latest and most demanding adventure is kayaking the 277 miles of the Grand Canyon. One of the most exciting and well-known athletes in the world, he never let his lack of vision interfere with his quality of life. Weihenmayer’s feats have earned him incredible press coverage and dozens of awards. He is also the author of two books and addresses leadership, teamwork, overcoming adversity, motivation, and inspiration.

During his twenty-eight-year career in the Navy, Robert commanded a nuclear-powered submarine, led the largest submarine squadron in the U.S. fleet, and even carried the nuclear football for President George W. Bush, who affectionately named him "Navy Bob.” In this journey, he learned invaluable lessons. Among them, the significance of sacrificial love stands out profoundly. Drawing from these experiences, Robert has come to understand that serving others is the ultimate pathway to prosperity for families, communities, organizations, and nations worldwide. His mission is to promote and teach leading with love to enable human transformation, foster positive cultures, and promote well-being globally.