Matt McFadyen : Youngest Australian To Ever Reach The North Pole, Extreme Adventurer, Motivational Leadership Speaker
Matt McFadyen Speaker Video Samples:
Our Thoughts
Adventurer and master storyteller Matt McFadyen takes you directly into the jaws of death. From the dizzying heights of success, to the deep troughs of despair, Matt pulls you through the full spectrum of raw human emotions.
He has pushed himself and his teammmates to the ends of the earth, through menacing weather conditions, testing the limits of human endurance. He has been part of three record-breaking expeditions to the North Pole and two long haul sailing expeditions to Antarctica.
After his near death experience in the Southern Ocean, 18 months later Matt became the youngest Australian to reach the North Pole. Matt has since returned to the Arctic on two more occasions as an expedition leader.
As a keynote speaker and facilitator Matt has worked with organizations all over the world to engage, align and inspire leaders and their teams. As a storyteller Matt McFadyen is world class; inspirational, relevant, and memorable.
Matt has delivered over 300 presentations on four continents, and partnered with organizations across all sectors of business. Matt’s passion for life, his overall presence and unique ability to connect with any audience make him the perfect speaker for corporations striving to stay ahead of the pack.
Antarctica – Ignite the Fight
In 2004, 22-year old Matt McFadyen set sail aboard a 43-foot yacht with four crew members bound for Antarctica. The 54-day expedition would take them across the great Southern Ocean, where legendary storms would engulf the yacht for days, testing the resolve of the five sailors.
On the return journey, still 1,000 miles from land, the crew encountered a formidable storm. During Matt McFadyen’s watch, at 2 a.m., the storm intensified. He was alone at helm, giant waves hammering into the bow, when a fifty-foot wall of water crashed over the yacht, flipping it right over, pinning Matt under the boat, unable to breathe, and unable surface. At that moment, he was forced to make the biggest decision of his life.
What happened next was an epic fight that would change the lives of everyone onboard. This near fatal capsizing has been the catalyst that drove Matt McFadyen forward, to achieve things he never imagined were attainable.
The North Pole – Sitting Still Means Going Backwards
Imagine waking up at 5am camped out on the frozen surface of the Arctic Ocean with temperatures of minus 45 degrees Celesius inside your tent.
You have come to one of the most remote and inhospitable places on the planet with one goal; to ski to the North Pole. As you slept, the ice beneath your tent drifted over four miles in the wrong direction. It will take all day, dragging a 200lb sled, to simply return to where you pitched tent the night before.
This happened to Matt McFadyen, and in a sense, this can happen to all of us in the business world – if we’re not careful. Matt knows what it takes to get out there and win… every single day.
Join him as he leads your team on their own unique North Pole adventure and reveals the secrets to winning each day. Through powerful stories and real life footage, Matt will guide the audience through this landscape of constant change.
Matt McFadyen Speaker Themes:
- Building a team on strengths
- Leading through a time of crisis
- Communication
- Team values
- Taking action through ambiguity
To request Matt McFadyen to speak at your next event, contact:
Robinson Speakers Bureau | The Gold Standard For Speakers
646-504-9849 | info@robinsonspeakers.com
TESTIMONIALS Matt McFadyen
“ The most successful staff engagement event to date. 96% of people found Matt’s presentation inspiring. 93% found his presentation relevant and applicable to their role here at the firm. Matt was absolutely amazing!”
Manuela Schmid – PricewaterhouseCoopers
“I recently had the opportunity to hear Matt McFadyen deliver his presentation on his personal Antarctic journey. I was memorized by Matt’s subject matter, style, and engagement with the audience. He is able to bring every one of the participants along with him as he experienced the triumphs and epic challenges of his journey. Adding interactive “what would you do” moments into the presentation adds to the immersiveness of the experience and mandates full attention. Matt was able to skillfully leverage his story of leadership, courage, and perseverance to underscore our core meeting objectives through an entertaining and gripping presentation
The collaborative nature of Matt makes him a pleasure to work with, and provides an unparalleled audience experience—seamlessly marrying our core content and goals with his high-energy, creative, and engaging style.”
Marty Boyzuck – HEWLETT PACKARD
“Recently we updated our Stage & Gate process and provided a cross-functional training to approx. 350 employees across several workshops. The focus was on changing behaviour and mindset to move us from process to performance. Matt fitted right into our Explorer’s theme and was invited to present as the inspirational ending to two packed training days. Matt exceeded our expectations by engaging extremely well with the audience and integrating our key messaging into his delivery. Each session was delivered with the same enthusiasm and energy that earned him excellent ratings from all participants. The ability to interact and become an integral part of the journey or presentation was well liked by the audience and differentiates Matt from many other more lecturing speakers I have encountered. The result? Energized and inspired teams taking the right messages from the workshop back into the office.”
Kristina Czepl,- NESTLE
“Our brief was to inspire. Our challenge was to be more courageous. Matt was the embodiment of both those things. Grounded, accessible, honest and real…..and yet overwhelmingly impressive and charismatic. He left his mark on our team and will continue to do so for a very long time. When we extend our comfort zone, it will be in large part to him!”
Nicole Sparohott – UNILEVER
“Matt’s presentation was terrific. He cleverly articulated to our executive team the mission, challenges and ups and downs of a polar expedition. He did this in a manner which grabbed the attention of everyone in the room, through his confidence and ability to get everyone emotionally involved with the enormity of his task to get to the North Pole. Importantly also, the learning’s coming out of Matt’s presentation were applicable at both a personal and business level; which meant that Matt’s presentation was not only engaging, but also generated real value.”
Simon Brookes – TELSTRA
“Matt’s presentation was engaging and relevant. Not easy to capture and hold the attention of an audience of 300 plus senior executives, but Matt did just that. Many people have since commented to me about the personal and business learning’s they took away from the session. Matt was professional, easy to do business with and responsive to our specific needs.”
Peter Jamieson – TELSTRA
“Thank you for your presentation to the Visa staff in Singapore, you totally encapsulated the room, inviting the audience to share in your journey, moving from highs to lows and giving the audience an insight into both the physical and mental strength that it takes to turn a dream into reality.
Challenging the audience to accomplish their own goals whilst underpinning the importance of teamwork, the presentation was extremely well received, relevant both in the work place and at home and thought provoking. Your life experiences are testament to your determination in your life journey and we wish you all the best with your future endeavours.”
Bruce Mansfield – VISA INTERNATIONAL
“Matt had our entire DDB/Continental team enraptured as he gave a very personal account of how his idea was born, the meticulous planning that went into getting it to the ‘start line’, and the amazing highs and lows he experienced during the actual voyage. He answered tough questions from the group and always tried to draw relevance back to why he was presenting to us in the first place. Matt is a truly inspiring and engaging speaker – we’re still talking about him several days later!”
Kate O’Brien – DDB INTERNATIONAL
