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MEET MATT MCFADYEN

From dragging heavy sleds to the North Pole, to sailing small yachts through some of the world’s deadliest oceans, Adventurer Matt McFadyen has been there and done that.

As an adventurer Matt has pushed himself and others to the ends of the earth, testing the limits of human potential. He has been part of three record breaking expeditions to the North Pole and two long haul sailing expeditions to Antarctica. He has been part of and led teams in some of the toughest conditions on the planet.

In 2004 accompanied by 4 like minded individuals, 22 year old Matt set sail onboard a 43 foot yacht bound for Antarctica, the 54 day expedition would take Matt and the crew across one of the most deadliest and dangerous oceans on the planet…The Great Southern Ocean. Storms of mammoth intensity would engulf the small yacht for days on end, testing the resolve of the 5 weary sailors.

A near fatal knock down on their return home was the catalyst for change in Matt’s life and the driver to continue raising the bar.

18 months after returning from Antarctica Matt became the youngest Australian to reach the North Pole. Matt has since returned to the North Pole on 2 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 he is world class. Inspirational. Relevant. Memorable.

Using his unique personal experiences in the adventure world Matt has delivered over 500 presentations on 4 continents and partnered with organizations across all sectors of business to help:
  • Drive and lead through change
  • Implement and imbed high performance cultures
  • Attract and retain key talent
  • Inspire and align teams
  • Matt’s passion for life, his overall presence and above all his unique ability to connect with any audience make him a must see individual and speaker.
    "I recently had the opportunity to hear Matt McFadyen deliver his presentation on his personal Antarctic journey. I was thoroughly 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

SPEAKING TOPICS

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 2 AM. 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, motivated and moved to act.

Themes include:

  • Building a team on strengths
  • Leading through a time of crises
  • Communication
  • Team Values
  • Taking action through ambiguity


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 4 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 3 successful expeditions to the North Pole. Matt also knows what it takes to get out there and win, to win each and every day.

Join him as he leads your team on their 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
  • Execution
  • Critical communication

​A JOURNEY to LEADERSHIP
In 5 short years Matt went from being a 22 year old novice adventurer to co leading his 3rd expedition to the North Pole & partnering with PricewaterhouseCoopers on an 18 month firm wide engagement program.

This top talent focussed presentation looks at how to leading self, lead teams and lead the organization. This is a must have for any organization that wants to accelerate the leadership journeys of their next generation of leaders.

Power of Partnership

In 2007, looking to drive their leading reputation in the environmental industry PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Australia partnered with adventurer & 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.

BEYOND THE CIRCLE  - The Beauty of Failure
In the summer of 2013, Matt attempted to row, sail and drag a 17.5-foot open boat across 3000 miles of ice choked waterway known as the North West Passage.  After 41 days of the coldest summer in decades having covered 1500 miles Matt and his team mate Cameron were unable to continue due to the severe conditions.

After 2 years of planning preparation and hard work both Matt and Cam struggled to deal with this looked upon failure…But with Failure comes opportunity and incredible learning.

Failure is inevitable in all aspects of life but how we process, analyse and learn from failure is a skill.