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Inspirational Speakers
Whether you need a guest speaker for a staff conference or away day, or are
looking for a motivational speaker to reinforce key messages and development
needs on an existing programme, then GRA can help.
With sensibly priced and truly inspiring speakers who will make you laugh, cry and
reflect, we can fully meet your needs. We have a wide range of speakers from the
business and sporting worlds.
![Will Carnegie Will Carnegie](/web/20130228015418im_/http://www.gra.uk.com/images/will_carnegie.jpg) |
Will Carnegie
At just 27 years old he led a team of amateur sailors around the world
over 10 months whilst competing in the only yacht race to circumnavigate
against the prevailing winds and currents.
Read more
Will's leadership skills were
tested to the full when his yacht was hit by a freak wave of the coast of
Australia, nearly killing two of the crew. What happened next is a tale of
sheer determination and team effort and was reported in the press as
"One of the truly outstanding achievements of this leg".
It is an inspirational example of teamwork and leadership at its most effective.
Will uses anecdotes supported by powerful DVD footage from his
experiences to reinforce his key message that strong cultures
are created "where an awareness of individual qualities, no matter how
small or seemingly insignificant, is encouraged". Cultures where diversity
is seen as an asset - cultures that seasoned and experienced leaders would be envious of.
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![Mark Denton Mark Denton](/web/20130228015418im_/http://www.gra.uk.com/images/mark_denton.jpg) |
Mark Denton
Mark was Skipper of 'BP Explorer' in the 2000-01 Global Challenge and speaks
with passion about the stunning and inspiring journey of their progress around
the world, that has some great parallels and value to business: Apart from the
skipper all the crew are amateurs - ordinary people trying to do extraordinary things.
Read more
Competition is fierce, but the teams and technology on paper are often
almost equal - so how do you go about setting yourself up for gaining competitive
advantage? Legs take months to complete, so how do you keep a team performing at
the highest level over these extended periods? The environment is constantly changing,
frequently hostile, and inevitably there are good times and bad so how do you react
and recover in these situations? In a 10 month race, a team experiences probably
every leadership and teamwork situation in the book.
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![Rhys Jones Rhys Jones](/web/20130228015418im_/http://www.gra.uk.com/images/rhys_jones.jpg) |
Rhys Jones
On the morning of his 20th birthday, Rhys Jones stood on the summit of Mount
Everest and claimed a World Record as the youngest person to climb the highest
mountain on each continent, known as the "Seven Summits Challenge".
Read more
Mountaineering has given Rhys physical and mental strength and nature has taught him humility.
A charismatic, motivational speaker, Rhys uses the Seven Summits Challenge experience to
deliver a powerful, inspirational message that is guaranteed to light a fire of ambition in
all who hear of his adventures.
Rhys will reinforce the key messages of team work, vision, determination and goal
setting that are so vital to business and personal ambition.
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![Skandia Team GBR Skandia Team GBR](/web/20130228015418im_/http://www.gra.uk.com/images/STGBR_2009_150x49x72.jpg) |
Skandia Team GBR
Skandia Team GBR was the most successful sailing team at the 2008 Olympics. We can provide
access to many of the sailors and their support team to tell you how they did it.
Read more
GRA is proud to be the Official Learning and Development Supplier to
Skandia Team GBR, the British Sailing Team in the Olympic and Paralympic Classes.
As a result, we have access to many of the medal winning sailors and a team of dieticians,
sports psychologists, and coaches, who can provide unique and inspiring insights
into how Skandia Team GBR became the most successful sailing team in the world.
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![Rebecca Stephens MBE Rebecca Stephens MBE](/web/20130228015418im_/http://www.gra.uk.com/images/rebecca_stephens_mbe.jpg) |
Rebecca Stephens MBE
Rebecca is the first British woman to have climbed Everest, and then went on to
become the first English-speaking woman in the world to climb the Seven Summits,
the highest mountain on each of the seven continents.
Read more
How did she do it? 'I wanted to climb these mountains more than anything else
in the world, and that was half the battle won. A burning desire meant I just pushed
that much harder to acquire the requisite skills and make sure it happened.'
Rebecca believes that everyone has 'their Everest', something they badly want to do.
The secret is to have the self-awareness to listen to your inner voice and follow a path that
is true for you. With a passionate belief that every individual can achieve
goals far beyond their wildest dreams, Rebecca lectures to corporate audiences
and schools around the world. She has written three books: 'On Top of the World',
recounting her ascent of Everest; 'Everest', a Dorling Kindersley children's book;
and most recently 'The Seven Summits of Success', co-written with business guru Robert Heller.
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![David Titmuss David Titmuss](/web/20130228015418im_/http://www.gra.uk.com/images/david_titmuss.jpg) |
David Titmuss
David is a world-class sports coach and inspiring speaker who brings his experience of elite teams
to businesses who want to achieve high performance from both individuals and teams.
Read more
David is a truly inspiring speaker who challenges individuals and teams to achieve higher goals.
He is a world class sports coach who believes that amazing results are possible when people think
and act beyond perceived limits.
In 'Dream it. Believe it. Achieve it.', David talks about his breakthrough work with British Paralympic
Basketball's World Class Performance Programme and uses some dramatic and at times emotional film clips
to vividly underscore his 'no limits' message.
David is a passionate and effective creator of elite teams.
He rebuilt the failing national team programme and coached GB to Bronze, Silver and Gold medals
at the world level.
He stresses that effective leaders recognise teams are made up of individuals and that moving commitment
"from the head to the heart" is a key to unlocking high performance in sport or business.
David's engaging presentation provides important insights into how we can achieve more;
it's about world class leadership, team building and, crucially, the mindset of success.
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![Ann Daniels Ann Daniels](/web/20130228015418im_/http://www.gra.uk.com/images/ann_daniels.jpg) |
Ann Daniels
World record breaking polar explorer Ann Daniels is an inspiration to those who hear her speak.
She has led expeditions in the most hostile environments on earth, literally to the very top
and bottom of the world, where strong leadership and teamwork are essential to achieve results
in a world that is always challenging and the terrain ever changing.
Read more
Ann is one of the world's leading female polar explorers. She has returned from the Catlin
Artic Survey, a 3 month pioneering expedition to help determine the lifespan of the Artic Ocean's
sea ice cover. As navigator, pathfinder and head of ice operations she led the ice team from the
front for 74 days, making difficult decisions in the most extreme environment on earth.
There has been significant global coverage of the expedition, the results of which were
taken to the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009.
Previous to this
Ann was part of the first all women's relay to the North Pole, walked across the most
inhospitable continent in the world to reach the South Pole and in 2002 put together the most
daring and extraordinary expedition to walk from Canada, across the Artic Ocean to the North Pole.
Despite the most appalling conditions, 3 major storms, carbon monoxide poisoning, frostbite and wet
gangrene, Ann and her fellow team mate beat the odds and reached the North Pole to become the
first women's team ever to reach both poles on foot. She also leads adventure travellers on
last degree expeditions to the North Pole.
Ann is a leader of men and women at the ends of the world and gives presentations on leadership, teamwork, motivation and environmental issues,
tailoring every speech to her audience by bringing out the key elements that are important to the event.
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![Andy Milner Andy Milner](/web/20130228015418im_/http://www.gra.uk.com/images/andy_milner.jpg) |
Andy Milner
Andy is a senior Local Government manager who, at 54, took a year out to compete in the Clipper Round the World Race 09-10.
Despite having never set foot on a sailing boat before, he became a key player on Team Finland, helping to secure second place in the overall race.
Read more
The original inspiration for the trip was a talk by Will Carnegie (above) that Andy heard at a GRA event. GRA also sponsored Andy's trip.
It took Andy and his team 10 months to complete the 35,000 mile course in some of the most hostile seas imaginable.
During this time he learnt as much about management and leadership as he had in his previous 35 years with Local Government.
Team Finland hit the national news on several occasions during the race. On one occasion they co-ordinated the search and rescue of another race boat in the South China Sea and later
they lost their own mast in 50 foot swells and had to find their own way to shore using only those resources that were readily available.
Using stills and dramatic video footage, Andy illustrates how the crew - all amateurs apart from the skipper - had to dig deep not just to survive but to maintain
a healthy competitive spirit when the odds were very much against them.
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