Jessica Oliver & Charlotte Harris

Jessica Oliver & Charlotte Harris are the world record holders for the fastest female pair to cross the Atlantic Ocean. In a record time of 45 days, seven hours, and 25 minutes they left their nearest rival five days behind. Jessica and Charlotte display an outstanding example of endurance, their teamwork, resilience, positive mindset, and ability to perform under pressure are unparalleled. With no background in professional rowing, this makes their achievement even more extraordinary.

Both incredibly talented professionals, Jessica is a sales consultant who recently completed her MBA from Imperial College and Charlotte is a procurement manager for Diageo a large beverage corporation. They have been good friends for over 10 years, first meeting at the University of Cardiff. Throughout their friendship, they have competed in several physically demanding endurance competitions. Between them, they have completed triathlons, marathons including the London marathon, they have climbed Kilimanjaro and mountains in the Himalayas. It is therefore no surprise that they would think rowing 3000m across the Atlantic ocean is a suitable next challenge.

Deciding to compete in the notoriously difficult Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge on the 26th of January 2021, they spent two years training for the race. Competing against 35 other teams, they started at La Gomera in the Canary Islands, rowing two hours on and two off day and night. They went through incredibly tough situations during the race, battling 50 ft waves, sharks, a mid-ocean collision and their water maker breaking. Pushed to their limits, they experienced hallucinations and their communication and teamwork were severely tested, but their resilience and strong mental state saw them through all these tribulations.

Raising £50,000 out of their intended £100,000 for their charities Shelter and Women’s Aid, Jessica, and Charlotte were able to catapult their fundraising efforts to an impressive new level. Previous fundraising efforts from other sporting competitions such as boxing generated over £8000. For their remarkable achievements, they have featured in leading publications such as The Times, Telegraph, Metro and Daily Mail. Jessica and Charlotte demonstrate the power of having a strong mindset, resilience, and excellent endurance. They are great female role models and can deliver inspirational speeches drawing on their breath-taking experiences.