Endorsements
World of Sport
Rugby
Alan Chambers MBE was invited to speak by Sir Clive Woodward to the ENGLAND RUGBY FOOTBALL SENIOR SQUAD in preparation for the Rugby World Cup 2003, concentrating on project focus, maintaining direction in adverstiy and the change that will have to be adapted…
“Alan’s amazing story highlighting the remarkable focus and leadership he had round the North Pole trip truly inspired the team in their preparation for the Rugby World Cup 2003.” Martin Johnson, Captain England winning Rugby World Cup Team
“Having helped England win a world cup I thought I would offer Sven-Goran Eriksson some advice on how to bring home his prize. There were some key points that helped us to win in Sydney, and every little bit helps. Bring in someone who has done something really difficult for a chat. Alan Chambers, a former Royal Marine, spoke to the England rugby team in summer 2003 about his experience of leading the first successful British team to walk unsupported from Canada to the geographical North Pole. After immense challenges - including the evacuation of two team members - and extreme frostbite and hunger, he raised the flag on top of the world on May 16, 2000. The walk on the ice took 70 days. He was awarded the MBE in the 2000 New Year’s Honours list for determination and strong leaderhip in such adverse conditions. He delivered a similar talk to the England cricket team prior to the Ashes series in the summer. Andrew Flintoff and Michael Vaughan wrote in their respective newspaper columns that after their defeat in the first Test they recalled the setbacks that Alan had faced and looked at the challenge ahead with renewed energy, commitment and belief. It worked for the rugby and cricket teams, so why could it not work for the footballers? What he did was seriously tough, so much so that rugby seemed easy after that.” England Rugby World Cup winner, Will Greenwood
Cricket
Alan was invited by Duncan Fletcher to speak to the ENGLAND CRICKET ASHES team in their Ashes preparations. Focusing on mental endurance and winning belief needed to achieve regaining the Ashes.
“Alan Chambers was with us all the way through the Ashes, if only from a distance. At every turn he recognised a situation from his journey and related it to that which we were encountering. That was great to know and provided excellent motivation, as well as a frequent good talking point. We used Alan’s analogies in the changing room after we lost the first test.” Duncan Fletcher, England Ashes Head Coach
“Alan Chambers gave us a presentation on how he got through an unsupported walk to the North Pole - an amazing journey of endurance, skill & strength. There were parallels to be shared and he told us there would be blips and setbacks along our route. After the first test I remembered what he had said.” Michael Vaughan, England Ashes Captain
“Before the first test we had a motivational speech from Alan Chambers. He told us about some days on their expedition when they had managed to walk a mile forwards, but the ice had shifted backwards two miles, so they found themselves a mile further back than when they had started. The determination that those blokes showed was inspiring. As it turned out that situation was a good analogy for the position we found ourselves in after the first test. We used Alan’s talk to help us through the difficult times.” Matthew Hoggard England Cricket Ashes Team
World of Business
“The way Alan was able to link an unbelievable expedition to the top of the world with the challenges affecting each of us on a daily basis was truly inspiring. His passion for team work and belief in the power of individual character left the audience feeling like they could overcome anything.” Rowena James, Manchester Science Enterprise Centre
“Alan’s leadership skills borne out through his determination mixed with his consideration of the needs of others gave us all much to think about. His effort in achieving a task that many people could not even begin to consider is truly inspiring.” Martin Hegarty, Training Manager, BP
“Alan’s account of the expedition and his leadership insights made us all think very deeply about our roles and what it takes to succeed against the odds. He is human, inspirational and a real coach. Our business will benefit hugely if we apply what we have learnt from him.” Pat O’Driscoll, CEO
“Alan’s presentation was fascinating, you could hear a pin drop in the audience! The feedback we received was that Alan had really touched people and that he had really made them think. Alan is so passionate about his achievements, he really is a memorable speaker. I think it was one of the best presentations I have ever seen and I know from the feedback from the team that they feel the same way.” Roonew Anand, CEO, Greene King Brewing Company
“Inspirational - he’s a genuine hero.” Charles Dunstone, Founder Chairman, Carphone Warhouse
“Alan spoke at two Hill Hire conferences about his North Pole expedition. This linked directly into the theme of our conferences, which was teamwork and that the only way to be successful in business, is if people work together for a common goal and, more importantly, stick together and keep focused. Alan’s presentation drew all the necessary parallels, which undoubtedly made people think, and also humbled people when they realised that their problems were miniscule in life compared to the experiences which Alan and his team had encountered.” Andy Mitchell, Managing Director, Hill Hire Plc
“Alan is one of life’s unique characters. His story of the trek to the North Pole is both fascinating and insightful and has important lessons for all leaders and all teams. His anecdotes about team selection, project planning and “leading from the back” have resonance with the every day issues that I and other business leaders face.” James Davison, CEO Cargill Investor Services
“There is no doubt in my mind that Alan helped focus the sales teams and aided them in their limiting beliefs…your message will be quoted all through this year’s mantra.” Tim Savage, Group Sales Director, Niagara Health Care
” I am a tremendous fan of Alan and feel strongly that his incredible story should be shared with the world. He is an adventurer of this century who leads by example in a thoughtful and skillful way. He has complete self-confidence of the type that builds teams by recognising that it takes the whole team and not one man to succeed. I am in awe of Alan’s accomplishments. Alan’s leadership skills borne out through his determination mixed with his consideration of the needs of others gave us all much to think about. His efforts in achieving a task that many people could not even begin to consider is truly inspiring.” Rose Sculley, Director of Development, Women’s World Banking
“I’d like to express my sincere thanks to you for coming to present at our Company Conference last week. The feedback we have received from our employees has been extremely positive. People were visibly moved by your story and you were the topic of conversation at dinner!” Mark Cartwright, National Sales Manager, AAH Hospital Service
“Alan Chambers offers a fascinating description of the many challenges faced by his team on their various explorations. Alan skillfully presents his experiences in a way which enables his audience to relate them to their particular industry and to the skills required for successfully bringing in any project. His presentation was fascinating, you could hear a pin drop in the audience! The feedback we received afterwards was that Alan had really touched people and that he had really made them think. A truly inspirational talk highly recommended for those seeking to motivate their own teams. Alan is so passionate about his achievements, he really is a memorable speaker.” Clare Bristow, Lawyer, Arup
“I just wanted to extend a very large thank you to you for the talk and presentation at the Avis Management Conference. It really was a shame we couldn’t run for an hour as the audience were very much engaged and gained an enormous amount from your great achievements and experiences. You really did communicate it in a very inspiring way and we have received nothing but positive comments from guests and the Avis senior management team.” Clare Chadbund, AVIS
“The team have come back with a renewed sense of energy and motivation after hearing about all that you and your team were able to achieve. Thank you so much for spending some time with us. You would not think that there were so many parallels between the running of a shop and an unaided trek to the North Pole!” Charlotte Scotchmere, Personnel Manager, John Lewis
“We were very pleased with your presentation and thank you for taking on a tight time constraint as well as a tangential topic to leadership.” The Association of British Neurosurgeons.
“The adventure is an extraordinary story in its own right and specifically supports the leadership messges that we addressed through the week. The new piece about Feet of Green further enhances some key messages and keeps the story very relevant. Alan staying for dinner and continuing conversations informally is always very welcome.” Jane Clubb, Director, LexisNexis
“It went fantastic with Alan yesterday. He was amazing and everyone really appreciated the time and effort that went into the presentation. He’s really inspiring and we do hope to have him here again for the future.” Collette Baines, Bank of America
“Alan’s presentation was very impressive and inspiring - I very much like his quote: “Only take your body to where your mind has been.” He is a remarkable person. Karítas Diðriksdóttir, Straumur Investment Bank
“Alan Chambers attended our development day at South Wales Police and delivered his presentation to a mixed audience of police officers and police staff. He was very well received and the staff were very complimentary about his presentation…
“Alan Chambers - very inspirational speaker. Hit on key leadership skills which could be related to workplace.”
“The guest speaker Alan Chambers was very good. Gave good ideas in relation to motivation of team members. Valuing team members and th
eir opinions.”
“Alan Chambers was first class and his talk was interesting, informative, and inspiring.” South Wales Police
“Alan was excellent. I think NetApp were delighted at how well he spoke and the enthusiasm he generated in the room. And I found him a joy to work with - sometimes speakers can be a little self important, but he was so charming and that made my job a lot easier. His presentation was very engaging - he spoke passionately and he brought it back again and again to the client and the client’s issues in today’s world. The comments I had back were that he was ‘mesmerising’ and that ‘I have never sat still for so long and been so engaged’ - and that says a lot.” NetApp
Leave a Comment
If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.