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Keynote SpeakerAlex Staniforth

Adversity Adventurer – record-breaking adventurer, Everest avalanche survivor, author and mental health charity founder

Alex Staniforth is a record-breaking adventurer, ultra-endurance athlete, author and charity founder from Cheshire who is no stranger to overcoming challenges. By 19 years old 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... Read More

Biography

Alex Staniforth is a record-breaking adventurer, ultra-endurance athlete, author and charity founder from Cheshire who is no stranger to overcoming challenges.

By 19 years old 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. Re-framing adversity as an opportunity for growth has given him a unique drive to inspire others to overcome their own ‘Everest’ and achieve against the odds.

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. Drawing insights 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.

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 team-mates at Base Camp.

Alex has continued to push his limits and re-define 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 9 days 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 move forwards through the challenges ahead.

As an inspirational speaker, Alex has been trusted by leading global companies including Rolls-Royce Submarines, Samsung, Bank of America, FedEx and Heineken.

"You brought together a large and varied audience of different roles, ranks and departments, and your presentation gave them the platform to step out of work, devote some time to themselves and their own mental health, offering your perspective and some techniques they can go away and use, and to realise that they are not alone. To link your expedition to COVID was brilliant and allowed us to think about things differently. Sometimes the approach to mental health within organisations as big and cumbersome as ours can feel a bit of a tick box, superficial exercise, but your sessions felt very different, very real, very humble and very authentic. In my view, you will have made a difference much bigger than you may think or ever know." Chris Mead, Chief Superintendent, Cambridgeshire Police
"Obstacles are opportunities in disguise, and Alex knows this all too well. High achievement requires high sacrifice, but he is a man determined to make his Everest dream a reality!" Bear Grylls OBE, Adventurer and TV Personality
"We invited Alex to speak at our company away day with the main theme being mindfulness, wellbeing and focus. He took the time to tailor his talk to our needs and the result was fantastic. Alex has a special charm which captivates and draws the audience in. His session was truly inspirational and engaging and gives the audience a sense of motivation and self belief, empowering people to tackle their own obstacles that are present in the world we live in. Everyone left the event feeling inspired, thank you Alex for sharing your thought provoking and mesmerising story!" Calvin Capital
"Alex’s keynote address positively inspired our Leaders of the Future conference audience - whatever their age. His impassioned talk transformed our day from being just a good one to being exceptional. He was also a very tough act to follow!" BOSS Federation
"I asked Alex to come and share his “journey” with my team of senior managers and executives to give a good example of how people overcome numerous obstacles and still come out as winners. His preparation for the presentation was meticulous, and customised to my need, message and audience. His presentation was delivered perfectly – the timing was good, the message was brilliant and the whole team were captivated. The message of overcoming obstacles to come out on top was simply thrilling. The teams feedback was of the highest praise." Health & Hygiene Reckitt Benckiser
"You could have heard a pin drop. Every person in the room was focused on your brave and inspiring words. More so than any previous speaker I've heard in the 12 years since our campus opened. To top it off, you gave a valuable lesson - ‘failure’ is inevitable for all of us but it should be embraced as an opportunity. Life is not about how we fall but how we pick ourselves up again." International School of Geneva
"Your presentation was riveting, engaging and inspirational. We have received such overwhelming feedback on how your story resonated with the team and how it was what they needed at such an appropriate time. This is what we wanted and you certainly delivered!" Seema Hallon, Head of Office Dubai, Deriv.com
"Alex delivered a virtual motivational speech via Skype to circa 150 leaders in our business. The event was very well received with many leaders commenting on the relevance of Alex’s journey to our challenges and since the event several leaders have linked back to Alex’s content – describing their “resilience rucksack” and the question “are you pulling on the rope?” has entered our lexicon. I was particularly impressed with the preparation and tailoring Alex was able to do to make the message even more pertinent to our business – it was a truly inspirational session summed up by one comment – “I can’t believe you just paid us to listen to that!”." Robert Neale, GM, Core Manufacture, Rolls-Royce Submarines
“Your session was fantastic and the content still buzzing around the room today. Lasting memory and something I will take back to practice ‘just think what we can achieve if we pull in the same direction’ – inspired!” Kay Mulcahy, National Chair, HEFMA Leadership Forum 2022
“Alex’s ability to quickly grasp the messages specific to the team and our business and then weave this into his delivery was impressive. His authentic and humble articulation enabled there to be something in the messaging for everyone.” Jonathan Ford, Off Trade Director, Heineken UK

Popular Talks by Alex Staniforth

  • 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...
  • 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 first time...
  • Mountains in the Mind – how to build mental fitness
    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 takes thousands of lives each year. As leaders,...
  • Mental Health and Well-being
  • Managing Change
  • Dealing with Failure
  • Goal Setting