Client Comments

Motivational Speaking and Lecture Clients – What they said:

Stephen Venables at Everest Reinsurance global leaders conference  2018

We invited Stephen as an evening speaker at one of our annual leadership conventions. Although twenty-five of us had been locked in a room all day prior to Stephen’s slot and energy levels were probably running low, Stephen grabbed our attention from the outset and held us captivated for the duration of his speech. His content on teamwork and decision making was highly pertinent. His engaging delivery and wry humour were superbly complemented with graphic slides. Great job.
Andrew Carrier, Everest Re  


Stephen Venables at Kellet School Hong Kong

kellet“Our sincerest appreciation goes to Stephen Venables, for not only sharing his extraordinary experiences with the Kellett community, but also embracing us as a part of his community and allowing us to play a small part in a unique and memorable opportunity that is not only a first in history but also a first for Kellett School – our students are extremely proud!” [After speaking to the students in Hong Kong, Stephen was presented with a Kellet dragon, which accompanied him all the way to the previously untrodden summit of Trident Peak, South Georgia].
Kellet School, The British International School in Hong Kong



Stephen Venables at Manchester University Expeditions Society Nov 2014

manunilogo A very big Thank You for coming to Manchester to launch the Expedition Society. It was brilliant to listen to your incredible stories and I feel sure that you have inspired many people at our university to get involved with expeditions. 
Hannah Russell, Manchester University Expeditions Society

 


 

Stephen Venables at Royal Scottish Geographical Society

rsgslogo2That was the best talk I have been to at the RSGS and I have been coming for years.  Beautifully paced and just right for this audience, with a good blend of science and adventure.
Royal Scottish Geographical Society

 

 


Stephen Venables at HSS Event   November 2013

hssStephen’s story was captivating, inspiring and thought-provoking and he delivered it with humour and real sincerity. We were honoured to have him speak at our event and would recommend him without hesitation.
Anna Exley, Head of Brand & Communications, HSS Hire


Stephen Venables at Doctorsupdates 2014, Val d’Isere In January 2014

docsupdatesDoctorsupdates enjoyed their 25th Annual Conference in Val d’Isere in the Alps. Doctors of different specialties heard four days of medical lectures – “education in a perfect location”. The main address, the last lecture on the last day of this Silver Jubilee conference, was given by Stephen Venables. He spoke on “High Altitude Medicine– Do You Need Oxygen?” and kept the 510 delegates spell bound with his account of high altitude adventure. You could hear a pin drop as the audience listened to the story of his 300 foot fall and severe injuries high in the Himalayas.  Stephen’s highly charged and personal account of this near fatal calamity brought alive to them, almost as if they were there, the difficulty of treatment and the dangerous and painful four day rescue. Even more astonishing to this audience, many of whom had themselves conducted medical experiments on the slopes of Mount Everest, was his extraordinary account of climbing the world’s highest mountain without supplemental oxygen, the first Briton to do so. The story of his subsequent descent and his survival of a solo bivouac at 28,000 ft, was brilliantly told. The medics appreciated his clear description of the effects of low oxygen on a human being so high on the mountain, where all movement was laboured and when sometimes he was lucid and more often he was not. It became clear how, as Lord John Hunt said of him,“He went to the limits of human endeavour”.

Stephen Venables gave a magnificent and inspirational talk to a lecture hall packed with medical professionals and with standing room only at the back. After giving Stephen Venables long and loud applause, the doctors left their conference inspired by a man who had shown what humans can achieve, inspired by the telling of a remarkable story and inspired by how his experience might help them in their professional lives. Stephen Venables will be a difficult speaker to follow at next year’s Doctorsupdates conference.


Royal Geographical Society Hong Kong Annual Dinner  2013

hkgeologoThank you very such for you excellent lecture at the Gala Dinner. It was one of the most successful such occasions for a while and is likely to overshadow our official Annual Dinner in November. You presented a unique combination of the forefront of history, self-achievement and humour – all of which made it a very special event for our members.
Rupert McCowan, Director Royal Geographical Society Hong Kong

 


BLACKROCK  Your pace and pitch were spot on and the photos added richly to the message of the presentation. We have speakers from all walks of life and I can certainly say that your session was up there with the best we have had.


 

The Royal Geographical Society Scotland

rsgslogoThank for your superlative ‘Shipton Country’ talk last week in Edinburgh. One member of the audience had come down specially from Kincraig, near Aviemore, and has e-mailed me to express his delight at your talk:

“I thought Stephen Venables was superb. Having been going to travel talks since about 1952 I can say with absolute conviction that it was one of the best ever. He blended his own experiences with Shipton`s admirably, and made the most of modern technology with his mix of stills and movies and moving graphics on the slides. It must have taken a lot of work but the result was a
talk which could appeal to almost any from hard climbers to arm chair travellers. and of course it was beautifully delivered with a nice touch of self deprecation. I know all my many friends who were there agreed”.


 Zurich Life Insurance Company Ltd Broker Executive Meeting in Milan  2011

zurichlogoWe were delighted to have Stephen as the key note speaker at our Broker Executive Meeting in Milan. Stephen projected great enthusiasm and passion for the importance of teamwork, leadership and how to reach the top in any field. Our sales team was very impressed with Stephen’s motivational speech which was a highlight of the conference.  Marcus Nagel – Head of IFA/Broker Pillar, Global Life.  Christine Theodorovics – Head of Business development of IFA/Broker Pillar, Global Life,   Zurich Life Insurance Company Ltd


 

Mounts Bay School.

stjohnscrestHaving Stephen visit has been a wonderful experience for everyone here in school today. The faces of all the students have said it all and it’s great to be able to give them a real life example of learning through life with someone who clearly demonstrates how much you can achieve if you put your mind to it.
Sara Davey, Head Teacher, Mounts Bay School.

 

 


WLheaderJust a few lines to thank you so much for the fantastic lecture last night. Having done Wilderness for 23 years now I have seen all kinds of lecturing styles and I can honestly say to you that your talks are some of the very best we have ever had.
Steve Berry, Wilderness Lectures


SomersetA full house heard inspirational mountaineer and adventurer Stephen Venables describe his death defying exploits scaling some of the world’s highest peaks. Engaging, passionate and lively, Venables’ enthusiasm for his subject was infectious and his tales were illustrated by some breathtaking slides.  Somerset County Gazette


St John’s Leatherhead

stjohns_logoI have been inundated with parents and pupils saying how much they enjoyed your talk on Thursday evening. It was a highlight of the year. An extraordinary story is one thing; a great story teller is another and you have both. Thank you. I suspect your words have acted as an inspiration to a number of young people who were listening. The same is true of your books, which have provided me with so much pleasure and similar inspiration over the past years.
Nick Haddock,   Headmaster

 


Mellor Parish Centre

I am writing to you on behalf of the Friends Committee and everyone who was privileged enough to attend your talk in the Parish Centre. I have had nothing but compliments from everyone I have spoken to. Whilst everyone thought the whole evening was a great success, there is no doubt that it all pivoted on your outstanding presentation. I think the words I have heard most often are “inspirational” and “awesome” and I concur totally with that. I have done many presentations in my past business life and so recognise how much enthusiasm you have managed to project through your material. That is what allowed your audience to ‘re-live’ your experiences with you and come away with a strong sense of excitement and adventure.

Anyway, the main message is ‘thank you so much for a memorable evening’. You have helped us with our fund raising for the Parish Centre but, more importantly, you have helped to enhance our reputation for bringing high quality, value for money events to the community.
Thanks again,  Neil Wallace


NYSE EURONEXT – LIFFE  2007

Liffe.EuronextStephen gave an interesting and motivational speech to 40 of the most  senior financial managers from major banks and trading houses in Europe,  as an after dinner speaker. Not only were they totally focussed on the talk and wonderful slides, they were still going after many questions  and several have now asked how they can start climbing !

Quite amazing for people who normally have a 5 minute attention span. Client feedback was uniformly positive and many commented on how  refreshing it was to witness an ‘out of the box’ speech rather than one  on the usual dull financial topics.
Garry Jones,  Executive Director – NYSE EURONEXT – LIFFE


Herbert Smith LLP

H.smith.logoStephen attended our Global Corporate Division’s weekend conference and
his story of how he climbed Everest was an object lesson in what can be achieved through sheer determination, and a real inspiration. His
presentation will be remembered for a long time and serves as a constant  reminder to us that effective teamwork needs to be at the centre of any  successful organisation.
Michael Walter,  Global Head of Corporate – Herbert Smith LLP


 

Ove Arup & Partners

ArupLogoA short note to thank you for the engrossing presentation you gave to our European Leadership forum. The use of your expedition experiences to show the essence of teamwork gave us a wholly new perspective which was most illuminating. And of course those stunning slides …. I normally receive a couple of polite notes from my people after such events, but this time I was congratulated on my choice many times over – terribly gratifying.  Tony Fitzpatrick,  Director – Ove Arup & Partners


wellingtonIt was good to see you again and I loved the talk. Your speaking – and writing – are so vibrant. They simply get better and better.
Anthony Seldon, The Master – Wellington College


flightcentre-logoOnce again, Stephen, thank you for putting the time into your presentation to make it relevant for our needs. I will certainly be recommending you to others as a speaker. Here are some comments from our feedback sheets:
“Great achievements … also shows what you can do when you put your mind to it.”
“Loved his slides and words of wisdom on leadership.”
“A great example of attitude and determination. A genuine, sound-as-a pound bloke.”
“Fantastic! I’ve been to a lot of mountaineers’ talks and he presented himself so much better. Would love to see more of this kind of guest speaker – not just telling us his experience, but continuously relating it to us and our development.”
Jo Carr,  Team Leader – Flight Centre UK Ltd

 


Darlington Lecture Association

‘Thank you’ seems totally inadequate for your lecture on Shackleton to the Association. You blended Shackleton’s adventure with your own expeditions in a spellbinding manner. I think Peter’s comment ‘the best in 30 years’ sums things up in a few words. We have had many excellent lectures, some outstanding, but few so enthralling as yours.
John Jarvis,  Darlington Lecture Association


Western Wheat Growers Association 

As the keynote speaker, Stephen set an enthusiastic tone for the whole Convention. His message about the importance of teamwork and of striving to meet goals and overcome obstacles was inspiring to our delegates. Our association and members struggle constantly with negative attitudes and Stephen’s positive message was a welcome relief from the barrage of pessimistic thinking we encounter on the prairies. I would highly recommend Stephen to other organisations looking for an inspirational speaker.
Sharon McKinnon, Convention Program Coordinator – Western Wheat Growers Association


Tandem UK & Ireland

Stephen Venables made a major contribution to Tandem’s launch of a new product called “Himalaya” at the Royal Geographical Society. Stephen met with us before the event so that he could understand our requirements, lent photographs to compliment our staging and on the day gave an excellent presentation. We would undoubtedly use him again.
Roger Bellass,  Managing Director – Tandem UK & Ireland


Other Clients & Companies

Accenture
American Express
Apter International
Arthur Andersen
Black Rock
Booker Tate
Boots Healthcare International
BP Marine
Brewin Dolphin
Bristol Myers-Squibb
British American Tobacco
British Gas
Business Pursuits
Caitlin
Chase Manhattan
Civil Service College
Crown Agents
Domino Printing Sciences
Dairy Crest
Everest Reinsurance
First Bus
Flight Centre
Glaxo
Grand Metropolitan Estates
Harrison Crossfield
Henley Management College
Institute of Management
Herbert Smith
Kiln
Kodak
Lehman Brothers
Linton Park
Lloyds Bank
London Business School
Masterfoods
Mercury Communications
Ove Arup
PowerGen
Powerhouse Communications
Price Waterhouse Coopers
SAB Miller
Scania
Shell
Stryker
Sun Life of Canada
Tandem Computers
Telewest
West Canadian Wheat Growers’ Association