James Ketchell
Video
James Ketchell - Showreel
Book
Speaking Topics
Resilience
Motivation
Goal setting
Mindset
Overcoming adversity
Risks management
Bio
James Ketchell is a record breaking aviator, adventurer, speaker and scouting ambassador.
On 1st February 2014, James became the first and only person to have rowed across the Atlantic Ocean, successfully summit Mount Everest and cycle 18,000 miles around the world, in what the media dubbed ‘The Ultimate Triathlon’.
More recently in 2019 the British adventurer flew himself into the Guinness World Records when he became the first person to fly an officially ratified circumnavigation of the globe in his open cockpit gyrocopter. The mission was to inspire a million young people in classrooms over the world to pursue their own goals and dreams.
It was an inauspicious start for James; in 2008 he was recovering from a serious motorcycle accident that had left him with broken legs and a severely broken and dislocated ankle. The prognosis was that he would likely suffer a permanent walking impairment and would certainly not be able to continue the active physical lifestyle he had so enjoyed.
Not all James adventures have been easy! He survived two mid ocean rescues and on one he found himself clinging to a rope ladder on the side of a 100,000-tonne oil tanker as he climbed to safety in storm force winds in the Indian Ocean.
Having spent much of his teenage years struggling with no ambition and very little confidence, leaving school with no qualifications and spending most of his early days in bed. James has spent the last ten years passionately working to inspire young people, as well as sharing his lessons learned with companies around the world.
Aranda Site Director, GSK
"James came to GSK and gave us the opportunity to enjoy and vibrate with his adventures and experiences. He really engaged GSK audience with his amazing story-telling which was perfectly synchronized with photos and videos. He is really an example of hard work and determination and has shown us that you can reach any goal you set, you just need to believe that you can and to go one step after the other and you will finally reach it"
Commercial Director, Avis UK
“James is an engaging and exciting speaker. His story is a unique one combining personal challenge, adventure, adversity and achievement. I can thoroughly recommend James as his story is authentic and relevant to a business audience, whether large or small. He leaves you to draw your own conclusions in a witty and often understated way, which makes it all the more appealing and different. James is not your typical motivational speaker, but rather a very motivated speaker!”
Yorkshire & North East Regional Leader, PWC
"James has an amazing story to tell. Listening to the challenges he's faced and how he overcame them is truly inspirational. In a really engaging manner, he manages to relate his outstanding achievements to a broad audience, giving them real food for thought on how to go about far less daunting challenges themselves. His enthusiasm was infectious and the feedback from our team was excellent."
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