Ed Stafford Keynote Speaker

Ed Stafford is the Guinness World Record-holding first man to walk the Amazon. He was European Adventurer of the Year 2011. Sir Ranulph Fiennes described his expedition as being “truly extraordinary… in the top league of expeditions past and present.”

Ed Stafford filmed and blogged his deadly journey and engaged followers all over the world for two and a half years. His epic adventure made headline news, featuring in over 900 articles and on every major news channel in the UK and United States. His mission was complete. His tale of true grit, bravery and determination to succeed against all odds has led to him being described by The Daily Mail as; ‘Britain’s most intrepid hero since Scott of the Antarctic,’ and ‘A true hero’ by The Times. Ed Stafford’s footage was made into a Discovery Channel documentary and was sold to over 100 countries. His book, “Walking the Amazon”, has been translated into Mandarin, Ukrainian, Polish and Spanish as well as being sold to the USA.

Ed Stafford tries to use his adventures to inspire adults and children alike to get off the sofa and go outside. He was nominated as one of National Geographic’s Adventurers of the year 2010 and in 2011 he was awarded the title of “European Adventurer of the Year” in Stockholm. In 2011 Guinness World Records formally recognised Ed’s achievement and he appears in the 2012 Guinness Book of Records. Also in 2011, Ed Stafford was awarded the Mungo Park Medal by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society in recognition of outstanding contributions to geographical knowledge through exploration. He is currently filming his fourth series for Discovery Channel. Ed Stafford is a global ambassador for Land Rover and the Scouts. He has also worked alongside Sony to promote their Xperia Z1 waterproof smartphone.

Speaking topics include;

• Humour in the face of adversity
• Determination to achieve targets
• Riding out tough times
• Walking the Amazon
• Managing one’s mental health