Matt McFadyen
- Adventurer & Motivational Speaker
- Youngest Australian to Reach the North Pole
Travels From
California
Matt McFadyen Speaker Biography
Matt McFadyen grew up in suburban Sydney fascinated by the mysteries of life beyond the confines of his home and familiar surroundings.
In December 2003, Matt McFadyen ‘the adventurer’ was born when, at the tender age of 22 years, he set sail for Antarctica in the company of five like-minded adventurers.
Taking a 43-foot yacht across the most dangerous ocean on earth was no easy task. Having to navigate fields of icebergs while beset by storms of mammoth intensity, Matt was forced to draw on every ounce of courage and perseverance he could muster as nature surely tested his resolve and that of his fellow adventurers.
The meticulous planning and preparatory work that had taken two years to complete paid off in January 2004 when the team reached Commonwealth Bay Antarctica. For four days the hardy adventurers explored the pristine wilderness that is Antarctica. A life changing experience for any person let alone one so young as Matt.
On the return voyage Matt again experienced the raw force and power of nature. The small craft was pounded by a massive storm 550 nautical miles south of Tasmania. Waves of up to fifty feet high swept across the yacht knocking it over several times. The whole crew had to struggle for their life’s as the waves continued to knock the boat over. This harrowing experience and the raw power of nature inspired and motivated Matt to further adventures.
He has since become the youngest Australian to ski to the North Pole, having made several last degree expeditions.
When not exploring the Polar Regions Matt makes his living as a sought after international Motivational Speaker. His presentations focus on his years of exploring the end’s of the earth and the hardships and lessons learnt while pitting himself against some of the most extreme conditions this planet has to offer. Matt’s presentations come complete with stunning audio visuals.
As a young adventurer, speaker and leader Matt is second to none. His achievements at such a young age are testimony to his hard work and motivation.
Antarctica – Ignite the Fight. Deep in the Great Southern Ocean, the crew on board Solo Globe Challenger is locked in a battle for survival, 1000 miles from land. The storm is intensifying. It is 2am.
Matt McFadyen is alone at the helm when the wave hits. A fifty-foot wall of water explodes in the darkness and throws the tiny yacht upside down. Matt is tossed overboard. He is pinned underneath the boat and unable to surface. So begins an epic fight that would change the lives of all onboard.
Adventurer and master storyteller Matt McFadyen will take you on this amazing journey. From the dizzying heights of success to the deep troughs of despair Matt will lead you through the full spectrum of raw human emotions.
Along the way you will learn what is required to ‘Ignite the Fight,’ both personally and as a team; what is required to overcome adversity; and – above all – what it feels like to be truly inspired and motivated.
Themes include:
Building a team on strengths
Leading through a time of crises
CommunicationTeam Values
Taking action throughambiguity
The North Pole – Win every day! Imagine waking up at 5am. You are lying on the frozen Arctic Ocean. It’s minus 45 degrees...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. But overnight whilst you slept, the ice underneath you has drifted over four miles backwards! It will take you all day, dragging a 200lb sled, to simply get back to where you went to sleep last night.
Adventurer Matt McFadyen knows this feeling all to well, having been part of three successful expeditions to the North Pole. Matt also knows what it takes to get out there and win each and every day.
Join him as he leads your team on its own unique North Pole adventure and revels the secrets to winning each day. Through powerful stories and real life footage Matt will guide the audience through this landscape of constant change.
Themes include:
Building and maintaining a high performance team
Leading through change
Proper planning for success
ExecutionCritical communication
The Power of Partnership.
In 2007, looking to drive their leading reputation in the environmental industry PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Australia partnered with adventurer and leadership consultant Matt McFadyen. The partnership, an 18-month long, firm-wide engagement program. Testing the true meaning of the word partnership, the program would climax with Matt teaming with a PwC senior partner to reach the end of the earth, the North Pole.
Initially engaged by PwC to deliver a national roadshow of keynote presentations, Matt soon found the partnership expanding in scope and scale. The results of the program have been called “The most successful staff engagement event to date"
Why would a firm like PwC partner with an adventurer? The Power of Partnership explores this question. Matt will lead you through the risks and rewards to partnering in business and in life.
