Alan Chambers MBE - Polar Explorer, Author and Motivational Speaker .

Alan Chambers led 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, they managed to raise the Union Flag on top of the world at 23:16 hours 16th May 2000.

• Who was invited to speak to the England Rugby Team by Sir Clive Woodward in preparation for the Rugby World Cup 2003?
• Who was invited to motivate the England Cricket Team before the 2005 Ashes?
• Both teams wanted to concentrate on project focus, maintaining direction in adversity and the change that will have to be adapted to.
• The England Rugby Team won the World Cup, The England Cricket Team won the Ashes.
• The man that motivated them was Alan Chambers. 

Born in North Lincolnshire in 1968 and educated at Frederick Gough School Lincolnshire.  Alan Chambers joined Royal Marine Commandos in 1985.  After successfully completing the 30-week gruelling challenge, continued to serve the Royal Marines for the next sixteen years.

With the Royal Marines, Alan Chambers was fortunate to live and work around the globe in the most extreme climates – including the arctic, desert, jungle and remote mountains. He was formally qualified as a diver, parachutist, paramedic and ski survival instructor.

Alan Chambers spent the winters between 1990 and 1994 in the mountains of North Norway teaching arctic survival. He has also spent time instructing in humanitarian conditions in Middle Eastern countries.

The spring of 2000 was the culmination of a multi-year planning, preparation and fund-raising effort.

Alan Chambers led 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, they managed to raise the Union Flag on top of the world at 23:16 hours 16th May 2000.

The walk on the ice lasted a gruelling seventy days. Even with meticulous planning and preparation, the unpredictable sharply reminded Alan and his team of their humanity.  They suffered near starvation and a dwindling fuel supply to cover 500 miles against the worst polar weather in a hundred years.  They had done what some said was impossible and it demanded an extraordinary high level of commitment, focus, leadership and teamwork. In addition to their own humble satisfaction with success, Alan was awarded the MBE in the Queens 2000 New Years Honours list for determination and strong leadership in such adverse conditions, and became a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

After returning from the North Pole, Alan Chambers left the Royal Marines to focus on delivering inspirational team management and leadership talks to a global audience of executives from a broad spectrum of businesses and non-profit organisations including schools such as Harvard, London Business School, Dartmouth (USA), Ashridge and Insead.

These talks are delivered on their own or by working in conjunction with management consultants to deliver high performance business lessons in a practical way. It has become clear that the values that brought success to the North Pole journey are directly applicable to the business world. The presentation can be adapted to suit a company or organisation’s specific learning focus.

Alan Chambers led a diverse group of fifteen high level executive captains of industry including the founder chairman of Carphone Warehouse - Charles Dunstone on a leadership development challenge walking across the frozen Arctic Ocean to the top of the world the Geographic North Pole.

This approach is also being used successfully with a multi-disciplinary team to deliver leadership workshops to budding entrepreneurs at a London Business School Summer Programme & Kings College London. These entrepreneurs will face seemingly insurmountable obstacles in the process of creating ventures and have found the metaphor of our expedition helpful in understanding what awaits them and how to prepare.

Besides planning new expeditions, Alan advises other teams on cold climate expeditions ranging from both poles and further countries.  His advice depends on what is needed – including nutritional, equipment, clothing and even the selection of leadership for an expedition company. Due to extensive experience in testing clothing in extreme conditions, he also works with sponsors to help promote their clothing.

Alan Chambers has worked with GM motors Global HR and managing directors level, as part of a workshop delivering his “leadership lessons” learned from the leadership style which was created en route to the top of the world…mainly leadership from within.

The latest venture of personal discovery was 'Leading Leaders'. A Business leadership challenge taking groups across the frozen sea the last degree to the Geographic North Pole.

A documentary of the expedition which has global international showings on SKY TV, tells, a great, and humbling, story of human endeavour, leadership from within and team achievement against all odds.

Previous Expedition Experience:

1989

Planned and prepared a four-man mountain cycle endurance ride from New York to Miami.  Travelling down the East coast of America in late March. Completed the trek in 24 days before returning back to UK.

1990                      

Planned and executed a marathon mountain cycle from Gibraltar back to the UK.  The 1800-mile ride was completed as a pair and finished in sixteen days.  Included biking cross-country through Spain and France until arriving at their final destination, the United Kingdom

1993-95

Participated in the planning and execution of the first winter crossing of Iceland on skis from the West coast to the East.  Had been attempted six times previously by various nationalities so that the Island of Iceland was deemed un-crossable.  Dragging sledges each weighing 240 pound, the four-man team skied in arctic blizzard conditions for 47 days over 500 miles.  They became the first team to complete the journey and had a reception with Princess Diana at Kensington Palace.

1997      

Conducted my his own equipment and clothing trials by living in an Eskimo Hamlet for 3 months at temperatures as low as minus 45 degrees Celsius.  The three-month expedition was his basis for attempting to walk unsupported to the Geographical North Pole.  Alan performed numerous sledge journeys, including hauling 300 pounds of equipment across the frozen wastelands of the Canadian High Arctic.

1998      

After three years planning and training Alan attempted to walk unsupported to the Geographical North Pole.  He had to abandon the attempt after crucial safety equipment and communication equipment failed on route to the pole. This only focused his determination to re-plan for another attempt with a larger team in the winter of 2000.  Upon their return Alan was invited to Buckingham palace for an audience with the Queen and Prince Philip for the 1998 young achievers awards.

2000

Planned and led the first British team unsupported walk to the Geographic North Pole from Canada. After seventy gruelling days on the ice hauling all of their supplies they stood glorious at the top of the world.  The first British team ever to reach the earth’s summit totally unsupported.  More men have walked on the moon that walked to the North Pole unsupported.

2003

Planned and led a mixed group of corporate businessmen to the North Pole from 89 degrees, then spent three weeks on the glacial planes of Greenland training for the next project to Antarctica.

2004

Just recently returned from leading a diverse group of fifteen high level executive captains of industry including the founder chairman of Carphone Warehouse - Charles Dunstone and former Chairman off ITV television on a leadership development challenge walking across the frozen Arctic Ocean to the top of the world the North Pole. The leadership challenge was conducted across the final degree with all the participant dragging his or her own stores plus team essentials the last 60 miles, accumulating at the top of the world. Leading leaders was a challenge for Alan; different strengths weaknesses characteristics and behaviours under duress mentally and physically brought pout their true qualities and characters. The trip raised over £150,000 to build a school for deaf & dumb orphans.

2005

Planning and executing another last degree trip to the Geographic North Pole, Alan has another diverse group of executives who want to challenge themselves and raise money for their charities and want to reach the top of the world. Both Alan and Pete Goss will be leading the group.

Alan gave a motivational talk to the England cricket team prior to the Ashes sires in the summer. England went onto win the Ashes.

It has since being acknowledged by Andrew Flintoff and Michael Vaughan in their respective newspaper columns that after the 1st test defeat they recalled the setbacks that Alan had faced and looked at the challenge ahead with renewed energy, commitment and belief.

2008 - Feet of Green
In May 2008 Alan Chambers MBE and Peter Herbert led the largest ever British polar expedition focused on education. They crossed one of the world’s largest glaciers and delivered their experience to the classrooms of the United Kingdom and beyond. The expedition had four objectives:

• To help focus the attention of as many people as possible, especially the young, on the fast changing global environmental challenges that we all face.
• To motivate by example, showing both the young and not so young that if you really want to do something and you research and focus yourself on the challenge, nothing is out of reach.  
• To demonstrate to children how determination and commitment combined with training and ability can enable them to achieve in the field of sports and adventure.
• To enable supporting organisations to demonstrate how they are investing significantly in a positive way in order to minimise any negative impact on the natural environment. 

The journey distance was approximately 5500 kilometers and lasted 26 days.  The team endured some of the most extreme weather conditions known to man whilst on the icecap.

Speaking topics include:

·          Leadership

·          Motivation

·          Creating a Vision

·          Team Selection and Alignment

·          Team Behaviour

·          Values & Drivers

·          Goal Setting and Alignment

·          Effective Planning

·          What makes an Effective Team?

·          Achieving milestones.

·          Managing Complexity.

·          Maintaining Focus.

·          Contingency Planning.

·          Effective Change Management.

·          Celebrating Success.

·          Maintaining Team Focus.

·          Managing a Team Project.

·          Managing Resources.

·          Defining Roles & Responsibilities.

·          Effective Communication.

 

 

 

Testimonials:

 

“Alan's amazing story and the remarkable focus he had around the North Pole Trip truly inspired the team in their preparation for the World Cup”

Martin Johnson - Former England Rugby Captain

 

“Inspirational – He’s a genuine hero”

Charles Dunstone, Carphone Warehouse

 

“Alan Chambers gave us an hours 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

 

Just to confirm and thank-you you for Alan Chambers he was truly brilliant and enabled my vision to be linked into the presentation - we were all spellbound and it was a perfect culmination to the conference.

Andrew R G Wilson - Managing Director Social Care – Nestor PLC

 

“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 skilful way. He has complete self-confidence of the type that builds teams by recognizing that it takes the whole team and not one man to succeed.  I am in awe of Alan's accomplishments and, and hope that you will keep me in mind anytime you need someone to support and promote Alan Chambers”

 Rose Sculley, Director of Development, Women's World Banking

 

“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 Chambers offers a fascinating description of the many challenges faced by his team on their various explorations. Alan skilfully 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.  A truly inspirational talk highly recommended for those seeking to motivate their own teams."

Clare Bristow, Lawyer Arup

 

“Alan attended our Brewing Company Conference in 2004 as our keynote speaker.  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.  Alan is so passionate about his achievements, he really is a memorable speaker.’”

Louise Sinclair, HR Manager Greene King Brewing Company


Fee Group: £2k - £4k

 

Books available include:

 

 

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