Jim McNeill - Accomplished Polar Explorer, Broadcaster and Keynote Business and Motivational Speaker.

In January 2001, Jim McNeill he conceived the idea of combining his professional rescue expertise with his polar expeditioning into a long term vision known as the Ice Warrior Project.

Jim McNeill has written for numerous publications, scientific papers and is in the final throws of his first book. Jim was recently engaged as ITV News’ own “Ice Warrior” reporting directly from some 200 miles into the Arctic Ocean on the actual effects of global warming on the Arctic ice cap - bringing the reality of global climate change to audiences around the globe.

The story will continue on ITN as Jim McNeill attempts to be the first person in history to reach the Northern Pole of Inaccessibility at the very centre of the Arctic Ocean. He is going alone and without re-supply on a treacherous journey of 735 miles and 75 days duration. At the same time he will gather crucial climate data for the US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NASA supported work).  He will also be writing a weekly diary piece about his expedition for BBC Online and a national newspaper.

Jim McNeill was the safety expert and guide for the BBC whilst they filmed the elusive wolves of Ellesmere Island in the High Arctic.  

As well as significant involvement in polar exploration Jim has a wealth of qualifications, skills and experience including:

·          Graduate of The Institution of Fire Engineering – GIFireE.

·          Associate Member International Emergency Technical Rescue Institute.

·          Associate Member of the British Association for Immediate Care Scheme – BASICS.

·          Emergency/Rescue Personnel Member of the Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh.

·          Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service - Brigade Instructor First-Aid Training.

·          Rescue Emergency Care Advanced First Aid for the Arctic.

·          Fellow of The Royal Geographic Society – FRGS.

Speaking topics include:

Leadership

The world of leadership training is full of people that create jargon and lists of “must-dos” - and then the inevitable book or three in a similar vein. No matter what the audience, Jim “rolls up his sleeves” and talks about what he calls simple and dynamic leadership based on reality, simple characteristics and a goodly degree of common sense. If you want a no-nonsense, working talk anecdotally portrayed by dipping into Jim’s three “pools” of personal experience, then this is the talk for you.

Motivation

It is when people are at the extreme end of their “tether”, absolutely physically and mentally shattered and you have to ask them for more, (without question or even murmur) that you really get to know something about motivation. Are there any tricks, techniques, tools? Jim discusses and draws parallels.

Performance

Jim describes himself as having a passion for getting the very best performance out of everyone; individually or collectively as a team. Having recently trained 51 people from all walks of life and every echelon of society to become competent sea ice travellers and 26 of those people having reached the Geomagnetic North Pole, he certainly has something useful to offer on the subject.

Incident Leadership and Planning for Disasters

Jim can present a keynote speech or workshop based on incident leadership, situation and critical crisis management, communications, risk assessment and dynamic risk assessment, etc.

Anecdotal evidence is drawn from Jim’s operational fire service work, Royal Household fire precautions work and Arctic expeditionary work.

Climate Change Issues

The subject of global climate change has moved on. It’s clear, it’s here! The Arctic has long been recognised as a barometer of what is going on and International Polar Year has focussed people’s attentions on watching the barometer.

Jim’s Ice Warrior Project plays a crucial role in gathering the scientific raw data and in delivering the reality of climate change to its audiences around the globe. Having started his working life in 1980 measuring the environmental impact of agricultural practices, which included ground-breaking work on the depletion of the ozone layer, Jim has had an extraordinarily close relationship with the Arctic Region over the past twenty three years and is exceptionally well qualified to talk first hand about the changes he has seen.

Jim can also add a lighter humorous element to his presentation by including the following topics:

Selection

Being able to select suitable candidates to become polar explorers from a public call for volunteers demands that you are pretty observant and it is these observations of human behaviour that Jim recounts in an almost stand-up comedic style. Great for the after dinner chortle!

Things that go wrong

A humorous collection of mishaps, failures, accidents and near disasters, Jim is the master of all with polished and accomplished experience in fire and rescue, business and expeditionary fields.

Life on Expedition….in the freezer!

Over the twenty two years of Jim’s Polar expeditions there must be only few questions left that Jim hasn’t answered about what it is really like on expedition, spending so much time in such incredibly adverse conditions. Jim challenges the audience to come up with a novel one whilst flitting through an array of humorous happenings.