expedition leader. adventurer. speaker.

Oli France

SPEAKING BIO:

Oli guides teams through the world’s wildest places.

From Iraq to Syria, Congo to Yemen, Somalia to Siberia, Oli has learned what it takes to assemble, motivate and lead high-performing teams towards world-class goals in the harshest environments.

As a speaker, Oli illuminates how we can lead elite teams with purpose and vision, unlock true self-confidence, develop our resilience, and shift our perspectives on what we think is possible.

For over fifteen years, Oli’s adventures have taken him through deserts, jungles, mountains, and war-torn regions across 75 countries. He has faced spies, interrogators, minefields and arrest, along with avalanches, earthquakes, meningitis and severe dehydration. Oli has learned, however, that in some of the darkest places and the bleakest situations, we can encounter untold beauty and unshakable strength, if we allow ourselves to find it.

In May 2024, Oli became the first person this century to complete a fully human-powered journey from Death Valley to Denali. A 64-day 3,588-mile expedition from the lowest point in North America to the highest. The expedition generated global media coverage from outlets including the BBC, The Times, Nat Geo and Red Bull magazine. This expedition is part of Oli’s major world-first ‘Ultimate Seven’ project, in which he aims to become the first person to journey entirely by human power from the lowest point in each continent to the highest.

His other expeditions have included a solo winter 8,000-mile mountaineering journey from Hong Kong to Istanbul, a 400-mile solo winter crossing of Lake Baikal, Siberia, a 1,634-mile human-powered journey from Lac Assal, Djibouti, to Kilimanjaro, plus climbing the highest mountain in Iraq, volcanoes in the Congo,
and other notable summits across dozens of countries.

Oli is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a Member of the Scientific Exploration Society and a Winter Mountain Leader with a Degree in Outdoor Leadership. He is supported by a number of global brands.

Interested in booking Oli to speak at your event? GET IN TOUCH and let’s make it happen.

Key Topics:

SUMMIT VISION (NEW!)

What does it take to achieve the boldest world-class goals? Oli France draws on his extraordinary experiences leading elite teams through the most challenging environments on Earth. In Summit Vision, Oli shares the crucial elements that drive success: precise planning, unwavering commitment, exceptional trust and teamwork, zero complacency and relentless focus on a shared vision. Through captivating stories and practical lessons, Oli illustrates the importance of leading with clarity and purpose, fostering an elite team culture, and maintaining absolute focus to achieve ambitious objectives.

FINDING LIGHT IN THE
DARKEST PLACES

Oli has faced countless bleak situations while operating in high-risk environments across the globe. He has learned though that we each hold the power to uncover the light in even the darkest places. Oli's message is that everything is a matter of perspective, and we can learn to control it. Audiences will feel empowered to not only cope with difficult situations, but to see them as an opportunity to thrive and grow.

THE CONFIDENCE WITHIN

So often we look at those who are successful as 'Happy, Confident People.' It's true that our self confidence can sometimes be the limiting factor in achieving our goals. Having guided people from all walks of life on intrepid journeys across the globe, Oli knows that we all possess a deep-rooted confidence, even if we feel unsure where to find it. Oli shares what we can do to unlock our confidence, leaving the audience filled with a newfound sense of positivity and self-belief with which to approach our boldest ambitions.

LEADERSHIP ON THE
EDGE

Oli has guided teams through countless high-risk situations across the globe, from the highest mountain in Iraq, to the militia-filled jungles of the Congo, to the backstreets of Aleppo, Syria. The pressures and perils of expedition life mean that quickly developing high-functioning teams is vital. Oli shares his leadership lessons from these demanding environments, where calm decision-making, intensive planning, open communication and understanding the human factor within our teams is critical. Leaders and teams alike will leave the talk with new methods for building the resilient, caring and high-performing teams needed to achieve success.

Watch Oli's speaking reel and read Oli's testimonials be

Testimonials

'WOW - Oli was brilliant. He understood his target audience and put in a significant amount of effort to tailor his content accordingly. Inspirational, motivational, uplifting and challenging all in equal measures. Whatever your audience, if your requirements are any of the above, then I am sure he will fulfil the criteria perfectly.'

Campbell Watt, NHS Scotland

We invited Oli to be our keynote speaker at our company conference in September 2024. Every interaction with him leading up to the day was a real pleasure: he is friendly, personable and very professional. On the day itself, he delivered a keynote that demonstrated that he had really listened to our brief and had tailored his content to meet the objectives for the session. He engaged the room with his style and content and was more than happy to stay for coffee and informal discussions with the team afterwards. We’ve had nothing but positive feedback about Oli from the team and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him for motivational and leadership sessions.

Claire Pallet, People Director, 15Below

'Oli participated to our International Week of Happiness @ Work hosting two incredible sessions around The Explorer's Mindset. What impressed me most was how Oli interacted with our virtual audience and how he was able to link his experiences to a business context. We received amazing reviews from participants from all over the world about his sessions and I would be happy to work with Oli anytime!

Iulia Craciun, HP

Oli joined 60 of our senior leaders at a development event to share his inspiring story of the leadership lessons gleaned through his adventures. He offered a perspective on how resilience, mindset and determination play out from the mountains to the boardroom. Oli was engaging and approachable, and I would recommend him for leadership focused events.

Clara Turner, Global Head of Leadership and Management Development, AXA XL

'Oli was incredible, he wowed my boss and executive team. Our chairman loved him and the feedback from the team is that he was the best part of the event. His speech was amazing and he was also an extremely talented MC who carried the event despite many last minute changes and deviations. He took my brief to heart and made the keynote really focussed on what we as a business are trying to achieve and people were very engaged.'

Kristina Flickinger, VP Marketing, Halfords

'Oli recently spoke at our annual Business Network Live event. His presentation was inspirational, fun and informative and Oli was a pleasure to work with. I would definitely recommend him.'

Allison Hargreaves, Head of Wella Professionals Education, Wella

'Oli truly is a
high performer.'

Jake Humphreys, The High Performance Podcast

'Thank you very much Oli for your flexibility and this amazing speech! It was truly awesome to hear your story and our team has been able to find so many useful takeaways.'

Maria Altamirano, Director Business Operations, Celonis

'Inspirational talk this morning by Oli France at Clerkenwell Design Week. Not to be missed!'

John Cave, Executive Director, EH Smith Group

'Excellent presentation Oli. Inspiring and thought-provoking.'

John Newcomb, CEO, Builders Merchants Federation

'Check this guy out if you fancy the adventure of a lifetime!'

Gethin jones, Television Presenter

‘I really appreciate the professionalism that went into Oli's presentation. He managed to link it perfectly to what we do at Covetrus - very well done!’

Rachael Milligan, HR Director, Covetrus

'We invited Oli to be our keynote speaker for our Landscape Focus Day. Oli did not disappoint with a really enlightening and inspirational talk which left our team more than motivated to look at the days’ challenges.’

Duncan Barker, Commercial Director, Jewson

'Oli is the epitome of desire and determination to succeed.'

Mike Hurn, Head of Education, Wigan Athletic F.C.

‘Oli's adventures are an inspiration to many.’

Shanker Patel, CEO, Lords Builders Merchants

‘Top job Oli. A fantastic and inspirational talk.’

Lee Gillman, Sales Director, Mannok

‘I’m blown away by Oli's mental capacity to do what he does!’

Affy Matthew, Sales Manager, Hanson

‘A truly inspiring story. Thank you for sharing Oli!’

Kyle Hazeldine, Regional Sales Manager, Midland Lead

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