Chris Moon MBE

Chris Moon MBE is a former soldier who was blown up by a landmine, a hostage escapee, and a serial marathon runner.

Chris is one of the most fortunate people to be alive you’re likely to meet. He should be dead many times over and his exploits have been covered in a Discovery documentary with the cheerful title… I Shouldn’t Be Alive!

Chris Moon’s remarkable life story is one of consistently overcoming incredible odds.

Kidnapped by the Khmer Rouge:

Working for a charity clearing land mines in Cambodia, Chris Moon along with his team, were kidnapped by the Khmer Rouge and taken deep into the jungle. He survived 3 days and 3 nights of ordel in captivity, before his patience and calmness prevailed.

Moon is one of the few westerners ever to survive being captured by the notorious Khmer Rouge, not only negotiating himself out of his own execution, but that also of his two colleagues. He led his group out of the jungle through the night across rivers and land-mine ridden ground.

Blown Up and Marathons:

Whilst clearing mines in Mozambique in 1995, Chris Moon was blown up whilst walking through a ‘cleared’ area and lost both his lower right leg and right arm. Not only did he survive this ordeal when many thought he would not, but through sheer determination and an insurmountable will to succeed, he was competing in the London Marathon less than one year after this appalling accident.

Not one to be content, he has since competed in many marathons. In April ’97, Chris was the first leg amputee to complete the 250km Great Sahara Run – ‘the toughest footrace on earth’. Competitors run for six days in the heat and sand of the Sahara. They carry their own food, equipment and have to be self sufficient for the week.

In 1998 he carried the Olympic torch into the stadium in the Nagano Winter Olympics.

Other marathons and challenges include:

• July 1997 – Running 200 km in four days with the Australian Army to assist mine victims.
• September 1998 – Completed the Outback Challenge through some of the toughest outback and mountain country in Australia to raise funds to support mine action programmes.
• May 1999 – Ran the length of Cambodia (700km) to try to change attitudes towards the disabled, raise funds to help them and to support requests for the Cambodian government to ratify the Ottawa Treaty. He was supported by a team from the Red Cross.
• July 1999 – Chris was the first amputee to complete the Badwater Death Valley Ultra-Marathon. 136 miles (5 marathons back to back) in temperatures similar those recommended for slow cooking chicken.
• April 2000 – Chris jointly led a party climbing Kilimanjaro on a new north route.
• May 2000 – He completed the 100km Kumamoto Volcano Run in Japan.
• July 2000 – One of only 12 people in the world to complete the Death Valley 300 miles, from the lowest point of the USA continuously on foot to the highest point and back again in just over six days in temperatures over 130 degrees Fahrenheit. He did it again in 2001 to test false legs, and is one of only a handful of people in the world to complete this double desert crossing twice.

Background:

Born in Wiltshire, Chris Moon studied Agriculture at Seale Hayne College Newton Abbot (now Plymouth University faculty of Agriculture and Food Technology). Believing in Service, he worked as a volunteer at a centre for the homeless and then joined the army. On leaving the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst he was commissioned into the Royal Military Police and also served with several infantry units.

After leaving hospital form his land-mine injuries, Chris completed a Masters Degree in Security Management at the University of Leicester.

In 1996, he was awarded MBE for services to the HALO Trust clearing anti-personnel mines.

In 1998 he was awarded the US Centre for Disability and PALM International Leadership Award. In March 1999 he was awarded the Snowdon Special Award for Leadership and Help to the Disabled by Lord Snowdon. He has been awarded honorary degrees by the Universities of Plymouth, Leicester and Exeter.

Chris Moon – Motivational Speaker – One Step Beyond:

Chris is recognised as one of the UK’s leading motivational speakers.

As a professional, Chris exists to help people do what they do better. He draws on his unique experiences to illustrate principles people can use in their daily lives.

As well as a practical understanding of human performance in the most extreme situations and overcoming adversity his Masters Degree covered human behaviour and management theory.

He delivers bespoke motivational presentations for businesses on subjects such as:

• Motivation
• Change Management
• Leadership
• Teamwork
• Risk and Safety
• Communication

Chris Moon – Health & Safety Speaker:

It is now generally accepted that most well-run businesses are aiming for a 100% health and safety record.

The clear moral responsibility of keeping staff safe at work, reputation issues and the huge cost of shutdown and other hidden costs are now widely recognised.

Chris Moon examines individual and group behaviours and thinking beyond procedures.

His presentations are all bespoke to the individual client and include:

• Extreme personal experience of high risk environments (past and present) and how and why things can go wrong.
• Academic study of risk and human behaviour and a psychological perspective.
• The shared experience of the many organisations he’s worked with in the last ten years and the power of personality and presence to effect change.

“Thank you for the time and effort you personally put into our Health & Safety event. We’ve received excellent feedback about your speech and it has left our team with plenty of food for thought”
Skanska UK

The experience, enthusiasm and profound nature of his presentations is as relevant to board members as well as sales staff and management teams.

Chris Moon’s presentations will leave your audience inspired, uplifted and ready to go the extra mile.

As well as presenting to some of the most well known PLC’s in the business community, Chris appears regularly in the media.

His numerous television, newspaper and radio appearances include being interviewed on The Parkinson Show.