Mick Dawson is a world-renowned maritime adventurer, former Royal Marine Commando, and highly sought-after keynote speaker. Known for his gripping storytelling and charismatic delivery, Mick draws on a wealth of unparalleled experiences to captivate audiences across the globe. A natural motivator and leader, Mick made history in 2009 as the skipper of the first and only rowing boat to successfully cross the North Pacific Ocean, from Japan to San Francisco - an extraordinary 7,000-mile journey immortalised in the Discovery Channel documentary ‘Rowing the Pacific’. As a speaker, he specialises in themes of leadership, resilience, and overcoming adversity, all rooted in real-world situations that demand unwavering determination and teamwork.
Mick’s story begins with the Royal Marines, where he served with distinction and first developed the resilience, discipline, and adaptability that would later define his adventures. His maritime journey evolved from military service into professional sailing, during which time he honed the skills essential for ocean navigation and survival. His passion for ocean rowing began in 2001, when he and his brother successfully rowed across the Atlantic Ocean - a gruelling 70-day mission that laid the foundation for even greater achievements. It wasn’t long before Mick found himself facing both the unforgiving nature of the ocean and the limits of human endurance, especially during a 2003 attempt to cross the North Pacific, which ended in a devastating capsize just miles from the finish line.
Undeterred by setbacks, Mick built on his early experiences to forge a legendary career in ocean rowing. Among his greatest accomplishments are completing six major ocean crossings, earning two Guinness World Records, and publishing two critically acclaimed books: ‘Rowing the Pacific’ and ‘Never Leave a Man Behind’. His 2018 row from California to Hawaii with blind veteran Steve Sparkes was a historic success, marking Sparkes as the first visually impaired person to row the Pacific Ocean. That same spirit of determination led to the foundation of The Cockleshell Endeavour in 2015, a veteran-focused initiative supporting the physical and mental health recovery of ex-servicemen through ocean-based challenges. Mick’s career continues to inspire through his work as an author, filmmaker, and motivational speaker.
Event organisers turn to Mick not just for his astonishing accomplishments, but for the life-changing messages he shares. His talks are a blend of humour, humility, and hard-won wisdom, covering topics such as fear, resilience, leadership, teamwork, and veteran mental health. These issues are more relevant than ever, and Mick tackles them with a clarity and emotional depth that resonates with all types of audiences - from students to executives. Whether discussing his solo battle with the North Pacific or his ground-breaking expedition with Sparkes, Mick’s speeches are unforgettable journeys in themselves. With his rare ability to connect and inspire, Mick is a truly transformative presence on any stage.
Books
Battling the Oceans in a Rowboat: Crossing the Atlantic and North Pacific on Oars and Grit
Never Leave a Man Behind: Around the Falklands and Rowing across the Pacific
Rowing the Pacific: 7,000 Miles from Japan to San Francisco
Mick Dawson's official speaking topics are listed below:
Fear is a Misunderstood Friend
Mick explores how fear can be a powerful motivator, rather than a hindrance. Drawing on his solo attempt to row the North Pacific, he unpacks strategies for transforming fear into an ally and pushing past perceived limits.
Great Teamwork: The Keystone for Success
Using real-life examples from his epic voyages, Mick explains how trust, responsibility, and collaboration underpin success. He showcases how great teams, like his partnership with Steve Sparkes, overcome impossible odds to achieve greatness.
Adaptive Leadership: The Gateway to Success
Mick highlights the qualities of adaptive and resilient leadership, forged under pressure in the open ocean. He explains how empowering teams, adjusting to challenges, and making clear decisions leads to exceptional outcomes.
Adversity: Coping With and Overcoming It
Drawing from capsizing, failed attempts, and dangerous conditions, Mick shares how setbacks can lead to personal growth, resilience, and eventual triumph, both in life and business.
Don’t Dream… Plan!
Mick encourages audiences to replace vague aspirations with actionable goals. Through meticulous preparation and a resilient mindset, he demonstrates how to turn dreams into reality.
The Wildlife of the North Pacific Ocean
A fascinating insight into the marine life encountered during his expeditions, offering a rare glimpse into nature’s raw beauty and fragility.
PTSD & Veteran Mental Health
Based on his work with The Cockleshell Endeavour, Mick sheds light on the mental health challenges facing veterans and how adventure can be a pathway to healing.
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
Feedback from In-Person Events:
"Captivated his audience from the First Moment." – President, CEO, Hamburg International Maritime Fair
"I can’t count how many people approached me telling me how much they enjoyed hearing Mick’s incredible presentation." – Janette, Event Organiser, Corby Business Networking
"I just wanted to re-iterate the thank you said on Friday for your incredible talk. Members of the audience are still enthusiastically talking about how passionate, inspiring and engaging your presentation was. The message of not shying away from fear and unknowns is certainly something which rang true in the audience - particularly with students, as upcoming preparations for university applications can feel quite chaotic and daunting. I believe a great choice was made in having you be our finale - people left buzzing with excitement and awe. You truly are a fantastic speaker so thank you again for coming all this way - your talk greatly enhanced the event." - Astra Liebowitz: TEDxYouth Event Organiser (High Wycombe Abbey) June 2017.
"Mick has delivered presentations on a variety of NARU courses. Mick is able to tailor the presentations to the delegates needs, bringing his real world experience of decision making during a crisis, in to the world of emergency service learning. His topics focus on decision making, human factors and team work, key elements covered on NARU courses. Mick’s delivery style is pragmatic, informative, engaging and down to earth, he is able to engage audiences at every level, finding common ground between the delegates and his prior experience. Course delegates have provided highly positive feedback regarding the parallels that they can draw from the effective and interesting examples, that Mick brings to life. An excellent and interesting speaker, thoroughly recommended." - David Bull QAM, Head of Education, National Ambulance Resilience Unit (NARU)
"Mick is an enthralling speaker who combines humour with excitement and delivers his unique story in a way that pulls the audience so far into his adventures that you feel you are actually there! His talks are well presented and use excellent graphics and videos to great effect. The story of Mick’s life in the Royal Marines and subsequently as a World class, record breaking ocean rower is absolutely fascinating and holds the audience spellbound. I would have no hesitation in recommending Mick Dawson as a highly respected and marketable speaker." - John Maclean FRAS (Royal Astronomical Society).
"Our delegates thought Mick was excellent." – Events Manager, Microsoft, Seattle
"Many of our exhibitors congratulated me for one of the best opening ceremonies ever." – Director, SMM Hamburg
"Truly insightful, totally credible, utterly fascinating." – Mark, Director, Protect and Prepare Ltd
"You made a fantastic impact on our event, thank you." – Lenovo Conference, Puerto Rico
"The audience were enthralled from start to finish. Mick had an extraordinary impact." – Viking Cruise Line
"Excellent speaker, thoroughly recommended." – David, Head of Education, NARU
"Your talk greatly enhanced the event—thank you again." – Astra, TEDxYouth Event Organiser
"One of the very best keynote speakers I’ve seen." – Bernd, CEO, Messe Hamburg
"Absolutely fascinating... held the audience spellbound." – John, Fellow, Royal Astronomical Society
”I have seen and listened to many keynote speakers during my years in the exhibition business: Mick was absolutely one of the few very best. I wish him the utmost success for his next ventures and hope to see him again soon.” - Bernd Aufderheide President and Chief Executive Officer.
- 2022 – Completed 74-day kayak expedition from Fort William to Portsmouth with Steve Sparkes
- 2020 – Published ‘Never Leave a Man Behind’
- 2018 – Completed Pacific Ocean row with blind veteran Steve Sparkes; Sparkes became first visually impaired person to complete the route
- 2017 – Published Rowing the Pacific (UK) / Battling the Oceans on a Rowboat (US)
- 2009 – Skippered first and only successful row across the North Pacific Ocean with Chris Martin
- 2005 – Rescued injured rower Andrew Morris during Atlantic Rowing Race
- 2001 – Completed Atlantic Ocean row with his brother
How to hire Mick Dawson
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Mick Dawson 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.
