Pen Hadow

Pen Hadow, Global Explorer,  Motivational Speaker  & Environment Consultant, inspires audiences with his extraordinary story of achievement in one of the most challenging environments on Earth. Today, Pen is dedicated to the United Nations process that will advance protection for the wildlife and ecosystem in the international waters around the North Pole.

When The Times reported his feat on its front cover, the story was voted as one of the Top 100 Newspaper Front Pages of the 20th century.

After 15 years, three attempts and an exceptional degree of commitment, Pen achieved his dream. The undertaking almost cost him his life more than once, when he broke through the ice and found himself swimming in the sub-zero waters of the Arctic Ocean, many hundreds of miles from help.

In 2015 Pen made the ultimate journey of exploration: the first solo crossing on foot of the Arctic Ocean (100 days/2,000km) via the North Pole, while mapping the thickness of the sea ice and promoting an international treaty to protect the fast-changing Arctic ecosystem.

This is more than double the distance of his high profile record-breaking solo trek from Canada to the North Pole - a feat which remains unrepeated - and which The Times compared in difficulty to the first solo ascent of Everest by the hardest route without oxygen.

Pen is now dedicated to the United Nations process that will advance protection for the wildlife and ecosystem in the international waters around the North Pole. Via the 90ºNorth Unit (not-for-profit), of which he is the executive director, Pen is a leading advocate for an international agreement to create a protected area for the international waters of the Arctic Ocean. The resulting Central Arctic Ocean Marine Reserve will be the largest wildlife reserve in the world.

Pen discovered early the benefits that come with a high degree of compliance to sports training programmes. Aged 15 he devised a punishing training schedule to enable him to attempt a traditional school marathon which he completed in three hours. This had not been done for fifty years.In the 1980's Pen became the youngest-ever executive at IMG sports organisation, and a decade later, in 1995, he set up the world's first specialist polar guide service, almost single-handedly opening up the Arctic and Antarctic with his pioneering travel business, The Polar Travel Company.

In the 1980's Pen became the youngest-ever executive at IMG sports organisation, and a decade later, in 1995, he set up the world's first specialist polar guide service, almost single-handedly opening up the Arctic and Antarctic with his pioneering travel business, The Polar Travel Company.

In 1997 he organised the first all-women's relay to the North Geographic Pole, enabling 20 women, with no previous polar experience, to walk into The Guinness Book of World Records. He thus changed the perception of what many thought was possible in the polar regions.In February 2004, Pen became the first Briton to trek, without resupply, to both Poles. He achieved this as he led ex-French Foreign Legionnaire Simon Murray (63) on a new 1,200km route to the South Geographic Pole, enabling Murray to become the oldest person by a decade to achieve the feat.

In February 2004, Pen became the first Briton to trek, without resupply, to both Poles. He achieved this as he led ex-French Foreign Legionnaire Simon Murray (63) on a new 1,200km route to the South Geographic Pole, enabling Murray to become the oldest person by a decade to achieve the feat.

Pen has also completed the Catlin Arctic Survey, a pioneering scientific expedition to help determine the lifespan of the Arctic Ocean's sea ice cover. His findings were taken to the national negotiating teams working to replace the Kyoto Protocol agreement at the UN Climate Change Conference of Parties in 2009.

Pen has since published his autobiography charting his great ventures and he has co-edited texts on the changing ocean environment.

Pen inspires audiences with his extraordinary story of achievement in one of the most challenging environments on Earth. Able to motivate audiences with his tales of peak performance, resilience and achieving your goals, whilst also promoting environmental sustainability and climate change awareness, Pen is a truly individual and inspirational speaker.