Max Thorpe Keynote Speaker

Max Thorpe is best described as the protagonist of a very unlikely comeback story.

In a journey to the very edge, his story can be traced back to a moment in time, when he was hit by a devastating rogue wave in a race to row 3000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean in 2017. What followed, in the worst conditions in over a decade, is a battle to survive widely regarded as one of the most perilous sequence of events in ocean racing history. After a capsize, fire, and almost impossible rescue attempt during a stormy night, the different between life and death was ultimately determined by a few inches and a series of extra-ordinary decisions.

After 2 years of fighting to overcome the trauma of his near-death experience, Max returned to win the same race and set new World Record for the fastest crossing in history.

Seeking not to be defined by the worst-case or best-case experience in isolation, he founded Rogue Wave Scenarios: a resilience consultancy that is built on everything that happened in between. They provide scenario-based solutions to optimise the ability of individuals, teams and organisations to plan and react.

Max is currently Head of Development at Shackleton where he is focused on delivering world-leading expedition experiences and extreme environments preparedness.

Through telling his story, Max has been inspiring and motivating groups and teams across a wide range of industries and organisations over the past 5 years. His focus is resilience.