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Achieving the impossible Lewis is an environmental campaigner, a maritime lawyer and an endurance swimmer.
He frequently swims across vulnerable ecosystems to draw attention to their plight. He is best known for undertaking the first swim across the North Pole in 2007 to highlight the melting of the Arctic sea ice and for recently swimming across a glacial lake under the summit of Mt Everest to draw attention to the melting glaciers in the Himalayas, and the impact the reduced water supply will have on world peace. He was also the first person to complete a long distance swim in every ocean of the world. Lewis has received a number of awards for his campaigning including South Africa's highest honour - the Order of Ikhamanga (Gold Class), the highest honour from the French Sports Academy and the Freedom of the City of London. In 2010 the World Economic Forum named him a Young Global Leader for his "potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world through inspiring leadership." |
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Pugh is one of the busiest speakers on the international speaking circuit undertaking over 120 speeches per annum. His speeches have received widespread acclaim. At the BIF Conference in Rhode Island his speech on leadership was voted as one of the "7 Most Inspiring Videos on the Web". And he has twice spoken at the renowned TED Conference. Pugh's story is powerful and inspiring. He speaks with much experience on having a vision in life, the value of goal setting, courage, perseverance, self motivation, leadership, teamwork, overcoming setbacks, leaving an enduring legacy, and of course protecting our fragile world. His accomplishments have received extensive media coverage by the BBC, Good Morning America, CNN, Jon Stewart, National Geographic, Sky News, Jay Leno and many more. And he has received a number of awards including the Freedom of the City of London and South Africa's equivalent of a Knighthood - the Order of Ikhamanga (Gold Class). His autobiography "Achieving the Impossible" is a Bestseller and is on Oprah's Exclusive Book List. TOPICS: • Vision WHAT PEOPLE SAY: "Lewis is certainly one of the most exciting speakers I have heard. He is a brave and courageous leader who adds a fresh perspective to climate change."
Al Gore | Former Vice President of America "Thank
you for coming to speak to us. You have a very special gift. Not many
people can speak to a group of world leaders like you did - with so
much authority and passion. I could have heard a pin drop." Ted Turner | Founder of CNN
"Lewis received the highest rating of any speaker at the Swiss Economic Forum in 2009. He is very inspiring and motivating."
Peter Stähli | CEO | Swiss Economic Forum "Lewis
Pugh gave the perfect TED talk: a little bit of action, some thinking
outside the box, humbling words on the need to respect nature, a happy
ending. A Hollywood scriptwriter could not have structured it better."
Financial Times "Lewis quite simply enthralled us. Not only was he inspirational but he was humorous, educational, and he successfully conveyed relevant lessons from his world into our day-to-day work."
Wayne Bordchart | Partner | Accenture "Lewis tells a very inspiring and motivating
story of achieving sporting excellence at it's most extreme. I was
blown away by it and at the same time saw real value in how we can all
approach our challenges and reach our goals."
Gary Kirsten | Head Coach | Indian Cricket Team "Lewis
spoke to our partner group on the subject of how to achieve difficult
goals, how to build and choose great teams, and how to motivate people,
most importantly how to motivate oneself. He did a fantastic job - he
is a compelling, charismatic (and entertaining) speaker.
He is able successfully to draw from his extraordinary physical and
mental achievements some fundamental principles that are applicable to
many forms of endeavour."
Tom Hall | Equity Partner | Apax Partners "Lewis's
presentation was absolutely magnificent. He talked with great humility
and passion on the subject of the preservation of our Planet."
Philipp H Gutsche | Chairman | Coca-Cola (Sabco) "The
feedback on your session has been incredible and I know that the
message/s you got across helped in insuring that we had a well focused
and motivated company at the conclusion of the meeting."
Brian Daniel | CEO | Pfizer (South Africa)
Best Motivational Speaker
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