The World's Greatest Living Explorer, Motivational Speaker and Author

Sir Ranulph Twisleton-Wykeham Fiennes was born in 1944 and educated at Eton.

Sir Ranulph Fiennes served with the Royal Scots Greys for a time before joining the SAS.  In 1968 he joined the Army of the Sultan of Oman and in 1970 was awarded the Sultan's Bravery Medal.  In the same year he married his wife, Virginia. (In 1987 Virginia was the first woman to be awarded the Polar Medal.  Sadly, Virginia passed away in 2004.)

Since 1969, when he led the British Expedition on the White Nile, Ranulph Fiennes has been at the forefront of many exploratory expeditions.  Described in 1984 as the "World's Greatest Living Explorer" by the Guinness Book of Records, his expeditions around the world include:

Transglobe (the first surface journey around the world's polar axis) 1979/82 during which Ranulph Fiennes and Charles Burton became the first people ever to reach both Poles by surface travel.

North Polar Unsupported Expedition (furthest north unsupported record) 1986, Anglo Soviet North Pole Expedition 1990/91.

Co-leader of the Ubar Expedition (which in 1991 discovered Ptolemy's long-lost Atlantis of the Sands, the frankincense centre of the world)

Leader of the Pentland South Pole Expedition (which achieved the first unsupported crossing of the Antarctic Continent and the longest unsupported polar journey in history) 1992/93.

Also in 2003 Sir Ranulph Fiennes, with Dr. Mike Stroud, ran 7 marathons, in 7 days, on 7 continents.  This, despite his having suffered a major heart attack and double bypass operation in June 2003.

In 2007, Sir Ranulph climbed the North Face of the Eiger and raised over £1.71 million for Marie Curie Cancer Care’s delivering Choice Programme.

In 2009, Sir Ranulph conquered Everest (aged 65) raising further funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

Awards

Sir Ranulph Fiennes has been awarded an honorary degree from Loughborough University, the University of Central England in Birmingham and the University of Portsmouth; and in 1997 The Royal Institute of Navigation awarded Sir Ranulph Honorary Membership.

In 2000 The Explorers Club, British Chapter, honoured Sir Ranulph with the Polar Exploration Millennium Award.

Sir Ranulph's expeditions have raised over £4.2m for the Multiple Sclerosis Society, (which has enabled the building of Europe's first MS research centre in Cambridge) and £1.9m for Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

In 1993 he was awarded an OBE for 'human endeavour and charitable services'.

In 1995, Her Majesty the Queen was graciously pleased to award Sir Ranulph Fiennes a second clasp to the Polar Medal that he already has, in recognition of his outstanding achievements in Polar exploration and, in particular, his attempts to reach the North Pole between 1988 and 1990 and his successful trek across Antarctica in 1992/93.  (No-one else has a double clasp medal each of which acknowledges both Arctic and Antarctic achievements.)

In May 2007, Sir Ranulph was awarded The Greatest Britons 2007 Sport Award.

Books

Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ first book was published in 1970, and since then he has written 13 further works including his autobiography Living Dangerously 1987, The Feather Men (UK Number One Bestseller 1991), Atlantis of the Sands 1992, Mind Over Matter (a harrowing account of his Antarctic expedition 1993), The Sett 1996, Fit For Life 1998, Beyond the Limits 2000, The Secret Hunters 2000, Captain Scott (best-selling biography of 2003) and Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know (best-selling autobiography 2007).

Mad Dogs and Englishmen is Sir Ranulph’s latest book which traces his extraordinary family through the twists and turns of history, and in doing so reveals the ingredients for the man described by the Guinness Book of Records as 'the world's greatest living explorer'. From Charlemagne – himself a direct ancestor of the author – to the count who very nearly persuaded William the Conqueror to retreat at Hastings, ‘Mad Dogs and Englishmen’ recounts the many members of this unique clan who have lived close to the nerve centre of the ruler of their day.

Speaking

By drawing the analogy between nature's most dangerous and difficult challenges, and the very real day-to-day business challenges, Sir Ranulph Fiennes involves each individual in the audience on a very personal level.

The elements vital to the success of an expedition include teamwork, determination, patience, discipline, enthusiasm and creative thinking. Building a team with the right character and attitude is of paramount importance. Persistence, tolerance, planning skills, high organisational ability, flexibility to meet and beat unexpected obstacles, goal-setting and performing under extreme pressure are clearly all factors in the success of Sir Ranulph's remarkable endeavours. The same qualities are all crucial to success in the business world.

Speeches include

• Living Dangerously: A Life of Adventure
• Nothing is Beyond Your Reach: Personal Motivation and Determination
• A Commitment to Challenge: Motivation, Leadership and Teamwork
• The Atlantis of the Sands: The Long Search for the Lost City of Ubar
• To the Ends of the Earth: The Transglobe expedition was the first journey around the Earth’s polar axis, setting new standards for achievement

Presentations (with or without slides or video) vary in length from 30 to 75 minutes, according to the clients requirements.

Sir Ranulph was chosen by IBM New York out of 700 top international speakers as their chief motivational speaker for 65 major conferences world-wide.

AMWAY selected him as their main motivational speaker at four key European conferences each attended by an audience of 13,000 distributors.

BT, JP Morgan, British Airways and many others have used Fiennes as their after-dinner speaker for small groups of top-level managers.

If you want your audience, large or small, both entertained and inspired, Sir Ranulph Fiennes is your speaker. He tells with humour how from inauspicious beginnings and false starts he reached the pinnacle of his chosen profession. He won through against international rivals by hard work, enormous commitment. Lateral thought and teamwork to achieve goals previously considered impossible.

Sir Ranulph Fiennes is a popular choice for international audiences when English is the second tongue.

Testimonials

“My admiration for Ran is unbounded, and thank God he exists. The world would be a far duller place without him”  HRH Prince Charles

“Truly remarkable…proving that a ‘can-do spirit’ is still alive in the free world”  Ronald Reagan

"I have never in my experience been approached by so many customers and BT colleagues who have complimented us on our selection of an after dinner speaker” – BT

“Your speech was both enjoyable and motivating. We were all struck by the similarities between your challenges and ours” - Cable and Wireless”

“I have attended a number of keynote speeches to the UK Marketing Forum. We have had top-level business leaders, the best educationists, knights of the realm and American gurus. None of them approached your address to us in range, content or inspiration. On rare occasions, something happens that one feels will live in memory for years to come and your address to us emphatically fits into this category." - Chief Executive Unilever UK and US

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