Polar Explorer, Founder of Ice Warrior Project, Expedition Leader, Environmental Scientist, Leadership & Survival Expert

Jim McNeill has clocked up years of polar travelling and 35 plus years of expeditioning. He has travelled thousands of miles, mostly on nothing but skis, whilst dragging his world behind him. Few, if any, have that breadth and depth of experience in extreme environments. His guiding, safety and also his survival expertise is employed by BBC TV and Hollywood film crews all over the world.

With a career spanning environmental science, military, commerce and also fire & rescue Jim McNeill has selected, trained and led highly successful teams from top-level corporations, through high risk polar expeditions, to critical lifesaving situations where effective leadership and hands-on teamwork are paramount. He has a passion for leadership and getting the very best performance out of individuals and teams, at any level and has regular input to the Senior Police Training College at Bramshill, Hampshire (NPIA).

Ice Warrior:

In 2001 Jim founded the highly successful “Ice Warrior Project” an organisation which gives “ordinary” people the opportunity to become polar explorers and also achieve extraordinary feats of endurance and endeavour. Through Ice Warrior, his aim is to develop people, discover change and deliver it to global audiences in a way we can all understand, fostering a much better understanding of the world we live in and on.

In 2006 he was ITV News’ own “Ice Warrior”, reporting the reality of climate change directly from the Arctic Ocean to international audiences. The story will continue next year as he attempts the last, so far unattained, World First in polar expeditioning – to be the first person to reach the very centre of the Arctic Ocean – the Arctic Pole or Northern Pole of Inaccessibility. This expedition will mark the start of an eight year programme of purposeful, worthwhile, extreme expeditions, culminating in 2020.

Jim lives in Windsor, Royal Berkshire, UK with his wife, Lori and his son Mac. He also has two daughters Helen and Kirsty and his first grandson, Lachlan!

JIM’S TALKS:

LEADERSHIP

The world of leadership training is full of people that create jargon and lists of must-dos. No matter what the audience, Jim rolls up his sleeves and talks about what he calls simple and dynamic leadership. This is based on reality, simple characteristics and a goodly degree of common sense. If you want a no-nonsense, working talk anecdotally portrayed by dipping into Jim’s three pools of personal experience, then this is the talk for you.
MOTIVATION
It is when people are at the extreme end of their tether, absolutely physically and mentally shattered and you have to ask them for more, (without question or even murmur). It’s then that you really get to know something about motivation. Are there any tricks, techniques, tools? Jim discusses and draws parallels.

PERFORMANCE

Jim describes himself as having a passion for getting the very best performance out of everyone. That can be individually or collectively as a team. Having recently trained 51 people from all walks of life and every echelon of society to become competent sea ice travellers and 26 of those people having reached the Geomagnetic North Pole, he certainly has something useful to offer on the subject.

INCIDENT LADERSHIP & PLANNING FOR DISASTERS

Jim can present a keynote speech or workshop based on incident leadership, situation and critical crisis management, communications, risk assessment and dynamic risk assessments etc. Anecdotal evidence is drawn from Jim’s operational fire service work, Royal Household fire precautions work and Arctic expeditionary work.

CLIMATE CHANGE ISSUES

The subject of global climate change has moved on. Its clear, its here! The Arctic has long been recognised as a barometer of what is going on. International Polar Year focussed peoples attentions on watching the barometer. Jim’s Ice Warrior Project plays a crucial role in gathering the scientific raw data and also delivering the reality of climate change to its audiences around the globe.

He started his working life in 1980 measuring the environmental impact of agricultural practices. This included ground-breaking work on the depletion of the ozone layer. Jim has had an extraordinarily close relationship with the Arctic Region over the past twenty plus years. He is exceptionally well qualified to talk first hand about the changes he has seen.

Lighter Notes:

SELECTION

Being able to select suitable candidates to become polar explorers demands that you are pretty observant. It is these observations of human behaviour that Jim recounts in an almost stand-up comedic style. Great for the after dinner chortle!

THINGS THAT GO WRONG

A humorous collection of mishaps, failures, accidents and near disasters. Jim is the master of all with polished and accomplished experience in fire and rescue, business and expeditionary fields.

LIFE ON EXPIDITION. IN THE FREEZER!

Over the twenty plus years of Jim’s Polar expeditions there must be only a few questions left that Jim hasn’t answered. What is it really like on expedition? What is it like spending so much time in such incredibly adverse conditions? Jim challenges the audience to come up with a novel one whilst flitting through an array of humorous happenings.

Why Hire Jim McNeill?