Keynote SpeakersAlex Staniforth is a record-breaking adventurer, ultra-endurance athlete, author and charity founder from Cheshire who is no stranger to overcoming challenges.
By 19, Alex had already overcome and achieved more than many will in a lifetime.
As a teenager, he survived the two most significant disasters in Mount Everest history in two consecutive years. However, his biggest mountains have been much closer to home: epilepsy, bullying, mental ill health and a stammer since childhood.
Alex never allowed this to become his identity—only his experience. Reframing adversity as an opportunity for growth has given him a unique insight and drive to inspire others to overcome their own ‘Everest’ and achieve against the odds.
“Feedback received from participants was exceptional, so many inspired to push outside of their comfort zone and to see what opportunities lie ahead!”
Head of Talent, Samsung Electronics
This is not your typical success story of reaching the summit. Alex takes his audiences on an emotional journey of resilience, courage, failure, teamwork and triumph over adversity.
Sharing lessons from adventure and ultra-endurance, he brings a unique perspective on resilience and success with practical ideas that anyone can relate to their own challenges at work and home.
About Alex Staniforth – Everest Adventurer
After single-handedly raising over £35,000 in corporate sponsorship whilst still at school, Alex’s first attempt to climb Mount Everest in 2014 was abandoned following a tragic avalanche that took sixteen lives.
In 2015, he was trapped at Camp 1 for two days following the Nepal earthquake and an avalanche which took the lives of three teammates at Base Camp.
Alex has continued pushing his limits and re-defining success, raising over £100,000 for charity and publishing two books, Icefall and Another Peak.
In 2017, he became the fastest person ever to climb all 100 UK county tops by bicycle, foot and kayak, covering over 5,000 miles in 72 days and winning a Pride of Britain award.
In 2020, he completed the National Three Peaks on foot, running 452 miles in just nine days and 12 hours, and founded Mind Over Mountains, a charity to restore mental well-being through nature, working in partnership with the NHS.
With humility and vulnerability, Alex openly shares his own mental health journey to encourage conversations and challenge stigma, with a focus on how maintaining well-being is fundamental to achieving high performance.
Resilience is more than simply ‘bouncing back’: it’s how we recharge and progress through the challenges ahead.
As an inspirational speaker, Alex Staniforth has been trusted by leading global companies including Rolls-Royce Submarines, Samsung, Bank of America, FedEx and Heineken – on the following key topics:
- Resilience through Adversity – Building the tools to thrive during setbacks, change and high pressure.
- Achieving Potential – Embracing failure to redefine success and achieve the extraordinary.
- Mental Health – Proactively managing well-being to avoid burnout.
- Managing Change – Maintain focus and performance when the goalposts are shifting.
What goals and challenges are you facing?
Book Alex and take the first step out of Base Camp.
Mental Health, Change and Resilience Keynote Speaker:
With an unassuming, frank and relatable style, Alex delivers his expertise through inspirational keynote presentations and workshops in person, virtually and hybrid – ideal for conferences, awareness days, internal meetings, graduate programmes and awards events.
Presentations are typically 30-60 minutes with Q&A, but Alex will work meticulously with your brief to understand your challenges and what a successful experience would look like for your audience.
Beyond the keynote, delegates can also take away Alex’s ‘Resilience Rucksack’ model as part of their own resilience toolkit.
Alex’s most popular keynote topics and themes include:
Resilience through Adversity – how to embrace the unexpected
Challenges are inevitable; being defeated is optional. However, resilience isn’t simply about bouncing back or pushing to breaking point: it’s how we recharge, prepare and move forward through the challenges ahead.
Drawing lessons and insight from his adventures and ultra-endurance, Alex will share the tools in his ‘Resilience Rucksack’ for anyone to thrive and achieve when faced with setbacks, failure, change, and pressure—when the whole team depends on it.
Achieving our Everest – why staying at Base Camp kills our potential.
We all have our own ‘Everest’ to climb. However, fear of failure often prevents us from taking the first step and achieving our full potential – and staying at Base Camp might be the biggest risk of all.
In this keynote, Alex reveals how not achieving our goals the first time can teach us even more and how to reframe obstacles as an opportunity to win.
Alex will redefine our idea of failure and success to achieve against the odds through his account of two disasters on Everest. He shares the key components of motivation, purpose and ownership to help us raise the bar even higher. Why settle for Base Camp?
Mental Health & Well-Being Speaker
Mountains in the Mind – Climbing the Peaks of Mental Health
High performance isn’t sustainable without maintaining our well-being, too. With a refreshing vulnerability, Alex openly shares his own mental health journey as a young man to encourage open conversations about mental health in the workplace whilst challenging the myths and stigma that take thousands of lives each year. As leaders, we can empower others by putting our hands up first.
Drawing from his ultra-endurance challenges, Alex shares resilience tools to manage our well-being and stress and proactively avoid burnout. By learning the warning signs and how to support our team, we can create a positive multiplier effect and open the conversation – one small step at a time.
Mountains in the Mind: Why Mental Fitness Matters
High performance isn’t sustainable without training our well-being, too. With a refreshing vulnerability, Alex Staniforth openly shares his own mental health journey as a young man to encourage open conversations about mental health whilst challenging the stigma that costs thousands of lives each year.
For leaders, supporting the team often starts by putting our hand up first.
Drawing from his ultra-endurance challenges and lived experience, Alex shares his tools for building mental fitness so we can proactively manage stress, spot the warning signs, and avoid burnout—one small step at a time.
