Ann Daniels is a respected figure in the world of adventuring, earning her the title of Britain's leading female explorer. The world record holder has led many teams to success in the most difficult conditions on earth. The North Pole is considered to be the hardest journey of all, with less than 70 expeditions reaching the pole since Peary’s first claim in 1909. So when Ann became the first woman ever to ski to the poles with an all-women team in 2002, she positioned herself as one of the most fearless, dedicated adventurers in modern history. As an after-dinner speaker, Ann offers an unbeatable insight into elite mental and physical resilience. She explores strategies of peak performance, and takes her audience on a journey with her, from one end of the Earth to the other.
The North and South Poles are some of the most challenging terrains on Earth. With temperatures of -50C, deadly polar bears, and miles of uninhabited landscape, Ann’s 3000-mile mission was no small feat. Ann has completed 14 polar expeditions and has even survived for over 400 days on the unforgiving ice. She understands the importance of good planning, hard work and a positive attitude in the most difficult circumstances. As a Polar guide and the only leader of all 3 Catlin Arctic surveys, she is living proof that good leadership, teamwork and a positive mindset make a difference to the success of a team.
Her achievements have been recognised by many bodies including the Guinness Book of Records, The Pride of Britain Awards, The Foreign Office, and the Women of the Year Awards. She has appeared on TV and radio and along with bringing up her four children is currently working on her next record-breaking project. She was also named in The Daily Telegraph’s Top 20 Great British Adventurer of all time and won the Pride of Britain Award.
Drawing on her extensive experience, Ann is currently a popular speaker booked to discuss topics such as resilience, leadership, and motivation. Equally renowned for her position as a female role model, in her presentations Ann explores the qualities essential to sustainable, productive leadership, as well as teamwork and motivation. This record-breaking speaker has invaluable stories to tell from the icy poles, that have the power to enthral audiences. Previously, Ann has spoken for Disney, IBM, NatWest, and Sony, empowering other women to pursue their goals with stories from her expeditions.
In recognition of her admirable feats as a polar explorer, Ann Daniels was recently named one of the Top 10 Adventurers to Inspire Your Audience - a testament to her pioneering status as a female explorer.
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Reviews
Ann Daniels received a 4.5 star rating across 20 events in 2023
Agent Recommendation
"Ann Daniels, a record-breaking explorer and inspiring speaker, embodies resilience, leadership and determination. Her historic achievements, including leading the first all-women team to ski to both poles, highlight her as a trailblazing adventurer and a role model in overcoming extreme challenges."
How to hire Ann Daniels
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Ann Daniels for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do not accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
Ann Daniels' official speaking topics are listed below:
- Leadership
- Teamwork
- Motivation
- Overcoming Challenges
- How to Succeed in Today's Changing Environment
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
"Ann was absolutely fantastic, her story resonated with and inspired the leadership team, it was the perfect opener to this two-day summit and the theme we covered! Reference was made by the leaders throughout the two days which was a true testament to Ann's powerful story and delivery. It's been a pleasure working with you and the team also, look forward to connecting again in the future!" - Natasha, EMEA Management & Leadership Development Lead, Google
"Can I just say how impressed we all were with Ann Daniels, she was absolutely fantastic! Just what we needed and it was also great that she came with her own laptop and materials all ready to go, which removed any stress on the day around getting her set up." - Deryck, Learning & Development Manager, PrepWorld
"We absolutely loved having Ann come in for a talk. She was very engaging and professional and very inspirational! All of the students, staff and parents were left completely amazed by her life and stories. In particular, Ann was very good at relating her experience to our evening (about academic resilience and goal setting). It was a phenomenal evening and we cannot thank you enough for arranging her to visit." - Karen, Bridgwater & Taunton College
"Ann Daniels spoke at our International Women’s Day event last night (Thursday). She was absolutely brilliant! Ann was a very engaging and really interesting speaker. Her achievements are exceptional and she was hugely inspiring. Her ‘can do’ attitude made us feel that anything is possible if we put our minds to it and have self-belief. We had brilliant feedback and there was universal praise for Ann who despite being incredibly accomplished was down to earth and personable. Please do pass on our very sincere thanks to Ann for making our evening a real success. I thank you also for your help in putting this all together for us." - Francesca, McGuire Woods
"What a speaker. We were spellbound with your fantastic and interesting presentation. You left us all feeling we could achieve that little bit more" - IBM
"the event went very well, and we all really appreciated it, even today am getting feedback that Ann left an impression and has motivated a lot of the females in the team". Abbie, Seven Senders
"Outstanding presentation. Your unbelievable achievements touched the whole audience and your delivery made us believe we can achieve anything we set our minds to." - Marks & Spencer
"Ann was the best speaker we’ve had in the ten year’s I’ve been booking speakers. She was motivational and relevant to the current challenges we face in the workplace today. She inspired us all to strive to achieve so much more, individually and together as a team." - Disney
"Ann’s presentation on leadership was fantastic. Our office is still talking about how to deal with their own ‘Polar Bears’ three weeks after the presentation." - The Home Office
"Thought yesterday was brilliant – you could tell everyone was captivated – you could hear a pin drop. I thought Ann was an inspiration to us all. Her messages on leadership will help us become better leaders in the future." - Business Network International
"You were a magnificent speaker and a wonderful example of what can be achieved with precise planning, determination and a will to succeed." - Vodafone
"The key message I took away was about our challenging environment and I thought her approach was very refreshing – don’t waste time/energy getting angry about the environment you are in and the challenges you face but instead start planning how you are going to deal with them. I think this is relevant for us all at work and outside work." - HSBC
"Ann Daniels presentation was superb with lots of personal experience and an excellent collection of photographs. She was an inspiration and the hit of the conference." - NCC Group
"Ann was absolutely brilliant! I couldn’t have asked for a better afternoon. The feedback has been so positive! Ann really related to the audience and our purpose/behaviours. She was very authentic, humble and inspiring. I had so many people come up to me at the end asking me how I found such a great keynote speaker. People came away uplifted and energised which is exactly what we were hoping for. She is truly a remarkable person." - Rebekah, Novia
“The feedback we have had has been fantastic, Ann entertained our guests very well and I’m gutted I missed it!” - Karen, Scottish Motor Trade Association
- 2023 - Keynote Speaker at the 2023 Toy Industry Day of the British Toy & Hobby Association
- 2017 - Joined Bernice Notenboom’s Expedition to Ski the Last 2 Degrees to the North Pole Working with NASA
- 2010 -2011- Led the Second and Third Catlin Arctic Survey
- 2009 - Asked by Pen Hadow to be his Head of Ice Operations for the Catlin Arctic Survey
- 2002 - First British Female North Pole Guide to Lead Men and Women in the Most Extreme Conditions
- Achieved the World Record as the First women's Team to Reach Both the North & South
- Spent a total of 400 days and 3000 miles in Polar Regions
- Completed 14 Polar Expeditions
- Supported the Catlin Arctic Survey
- Won the Pride of Britain Award
- Listed in the Daily Telegraph’s Top 20 Great British Adventurers
- Completed a 700-mile expedition across Antarctica
- The First British All-Women’s Team to Ski to the South Pole
- Baton Holder for the Commonwealth Games
- Recipient of the Pride of Britain Award
