"You have defied great odds and extreme conditions in your endeavor; your courage, perseverance, and determination have been an inspiration to us all. I offer you my warm congratulations." - Queen Elizabeth II
Driven by ambitions of conservation and adventure, Pen Hadow has achieved some of the most epic feats of exploration in the modern era. An Artic traveller and ocean conservationist, Hadow has dedicated his life to understanding the planet, and how to protect it. Backed by over 25 years of first-hand experience, Hadow now leads several operations as chair, director and advisor, winning numerous awards for his defining efforts in the field. A storyteller by nature, Hadow is sought after for his exciting keynote speeches, packed with tales of his travels, impactful lessons and motivational content, a truly captivating speaker.
As the only person to ever trek solo from Canada to the North Geographical Pole, without resupply, Hadow is a history-making expeditionist. From his first Arctic venture in 1989, followed by setting up a world-leading guide service to the iconic point, to becoming the only Briton to reach the North and South pole from the coasts without resupply, Hadow’s journey has been unequivocally magnificent. Evidence that behind ground-breaking achievements, is resilience, commitment and unwavering determination, Hadow’s infatuation with the polar regions began in childhood and guided him through an incredible career. From 2007, Hadow utilised his unique position to pioneer the award-winning Catlin Arctic Survey research into environmental impacts and continues this leading work in various avenues to date.
Currently spearheading pioneering research, Hadow is the Director of Arctic Mission scientific expedition programme and the Chief Executive of the 90 North Foundation, a non-for-profit that supports conservation areas in arctic oceans. Through each venture, Hadow is motivated by transforming his experiences into valuable lessons, and actionable change, an ambition that also led him to become a keynote speaker. Travel across the globe to respond to the demand for speaking engagements, Hadow is a seasoned speaker, able to offer something for everyone in his talks. From the environment and scientific research, to a masterclass in storytelling when he recounts his illustrious adventures, Pen Hadow is an incredible speaker for events.
How to hire Pen Hadow
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Pen Hadow 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.
See what people had to say about Pen Hadow, here:
"You have defied great odds and extreme conditions in your endeavor; your courage, perseverance, and determination have been an inspiration to us all. I offer you my warm congratulations." - Queen Elizabeth II
"I wanted to pass on to each of you my great admiration and congratulations for such a tremendous achievement in your expedition to the North Pole - a world first. The whole country is delighted, and your courage and fortitude is a marvelous example to us all. You all have a most deserving place in history and we are very proud of you." - Tony Blair
"We had some audio issues on the day which Pen dealt with like a true pro and powered on ensuring that the room could still hear him (I was sat at the very back and I heard every word). The audience remained very much engaged throughout" - Mark, production Co-Ordinator, Meet and Potato
"We have received amazing feedback from Pen! Everyone agreed it was a truly inspirational talk, and everyone who attended left really fired up to continue their net zero journeys, and there was a real want to change their business behaviours. Pen was professional, with a great mix of humour and informative angles, leaving everyone captivated!" - Bethany, Senior Events Co-Ordinator, Suffolk Chamber of Commerce
"I’m pleased to say that the event went really well yesterday. Pen is such a great storyteller and his talk was gripping and really enjoyable to watch. Thank you very much for helping organise this." - Aiysha, MUFG
"Pen was amazing, just amazing, richard was extremely impressed with his presentation and Pen himself. I thought he was utterly charming and a real gentleman, he was an outstanding speaker and we have received many compliments on his presentation. It was a real pleasure to meet him. Thank you both so much." - Tracey Fletcher - Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co
“… Fantastic presentation. I believe the silence among the 400 delegates in the room indicated how intrigued we all were with your story and your “can do” message. I heard a lot of positive comments from customers and colleagues later that day.” - Marketing Manager - DICOM Europe
"You have a gift – and should use it. Few can communicate with a level of engagement and intensity like that.” - Founder - The Body Shop
"He was inspiring, funny, and really kept the interest of his 900 strong audience… our numb bottoms were forgotten. Pen made my daughter feel that if he could carry on fighting to succeed, so could she! I must mention how kind he also was to all the special needs students, many of whom needed his help to understand what to do next. He is a talented, kind man, with a core of steel hidden beneath that pleasant exterior… it appears he helped my daughter find her own “steel”.” - Duchy College Audience Member
“Your inspiring account held the audience captivated. Your achievement and humbling pathway to it, is epic. The humour, humility and underlying steely determination in your delivery was really engaging… excuse the exuberance of my verbosity but I and the rest of the course, directing staff and guests have been left quite enthused/positively affected…thank you so very much for an incredible talk, I have been inspired.” - Commanding Officer - Junior Officers’ Tactics Division Land Warfare School, Warminster
"It was just fantastic to meet you and congratulations on your fascinating and inspiring presentation!" - Steve Merchant RSM Restructuring Advisory
"I was responsible for hosting a very important industry event and was looking for a guest speaker on the subject of leadership but at an affordable price. Pen was simply brilliant. This is a man who is truly inspirational. If you want a speaker who can lift your spirits and demonstrate how to achieve the impossible against all odds then Pen should be on your list as first choice. Thank you Pen!" - Carol Jolly - Executive P.A., Chorley Building Society
"Pen was excellent, I would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a really interesting and engaging speaker. His story is fascinating, and he tailored the underlying messages well to our audience. I think he was a great addition to our conference." - Claire Cullen - CORGI Technical Services Ltd
"Pen was absolutely brilliant. We’ve received great feedback on the session. I think the way he weaved the key messages for Indivior into his presentation (very subtly) was really impressive – the client loved it." - Bella – Succinct Communications
"He was great – excellence feedback from the delegates and it really inspired them to think differently. He was a joy to work with and thanks for the suggestion!" - Simon – Succinct Choice
"We would like to thank you for opening the second day with your experience, which was truly inspirational. Your talk “The art of the possible in the face of adversity: Insights from the North Pole” contributed a lot to the programme and encouraged the delegates to think differently. The session was very well received and we were delighted with the feedback from the delegates throughout the event." - 9th Regional Oncology Forum
I wanted to send thanks again to Pen for his session yesterday - his talk was of great interest and really well-received by our colleagues, so on behalf of the Executive team, my thanks to him for an engaging and informative session. - Alene, Chief Operating Officer, MSC
- 2021- Chief Executive of 90 North Foundation
- 2017- Led the first vessel without icebreaker support into the Antarctic Ocean
- 2017- Launched the Arctic Mission programme
- 2011- Conducted the third part of the Catlin Arctic Survey
- 2009- Conducted the second part of the Catlin Arctic Survey
- 2009- Recipient of the World Technology Awards for Environment
- 2009- Named ‘Hero of the Environment’ by TIME magazine
- 2007- Founder and Leader of the Catlin Arctic Survey
- 2006- Chairman, Sir Wally Herbert Gala Testimonial at the Royal Geographical Society
- 2006- Nominated for the Paul Morrison Guide Award
- 2004- Nominated for the ‘Best Innovation Worldwide, Self-Supervised Safety Award’ by the Energy Institute
- 2004- Became the only Briton, without resupply by third parties, to complete an expedition to the North and South Geographic Poles from their continental coasts.
- 2003- Top 100 Newspaper Front Pages by the British Library
- 2003- Named ‘Best Global Adventurer’ by La Marca
- 2003- Became the only solo person, without resupply by third parties, to complete an expedition from Canada to the North Geographic Pole.
- 1997- Co-organised the first all-women expedition to the North Pole
- 1995- Set up the world's first guide service to the North Pole
- 1989- Completed his first Arctic expedition
- 1977- First recorded runner of the ‘Long Ducker’ event
- Honorary Vice-President & Honorary Fellow, Royal Scottish Geographical Society
- Honorary Vice-President, Scientific Exploration Society
- Honorary Patron & Honorary Fellow, British Exploring Society
- Honorary Doctorate of Laws at the University of Exeter
- Honorary Doctorate of Science at the University of Plymouth
