Jim McNeill
Polar Explorer, Climate Change and Incident Leadership expert
*Fees are a guide only. Exact cost will be dependent on requirements and are subject to change.
About Jim McNeill
As founder of the pioneering Ice Warrior Project, Jim has led teams of ordinary people on extraordinary polar expeditions, collecting valuable climate data from remote regions of the Arctic and contributing to global scientific understanding of environmental change. In 2023, he launched Ocean Warrior, an ambitious long-term mission to investigate the health of the world’s oceans and highlight the hidden impacts of climate change beneath the surface.
Having twice come close to losing his life during expeditions, Jim speaks with authenticity and authority about leadership, decision-making, risk management and human endurance. His keynote presentations explore how individuals and teams can perform at their best in uncertain environments, drawing powerful parallels between the challenges of polar exploration and those faced by organisations today.
Combining captivating storytelling, humour and hard-earned insight, Jim inspires audiences with lessons on resilience, adaptability, communication, trust, purpose and sustainability. Whether speaking on leadership, teamwork, motivation, climate change or navigating uncertainty, he leaves audiences with a renewed appreciation of what is possible when people work together towards a common goal.
To book Keynote Speaker Jim McNeill, contact The Speakers Agency on +44(0)1332 810481 or email enquiries@thespeakersagency.com
Leadership
The world of leadership training is full of people that create jargon and lists of “must-dos” – and then the inevitable book or three in a similar vein. No matter what the audience, Jim “rolls up his sleeves” and talks about what he calls simple and dynamic leadership based on reality, simple characteristics and a goodly degree of common sense. If you want a no-nonsense, working talk anecdotally portrayed by dipping into Jim’s three “pools” of personal experience, then this is the talk for you.
Motivation
It is when people are at the extreme end of their “tether”, absolutely physically and mentally shattered and you have to ask them for more, (without question or even murmur) that you really get to know something about motivation. Are there any tricks, techniques, tools? Jim discusses and draws parallels.
Performance
Jim describes himself as having a passion for getting the very best performance out of everyone; individually or collectively as a team. Having recently trained 51 people from all walks of life and every echelon of society to become competent sea ice travellers and 26 of those people having reached the Geomagnetic North Pole, he certainly has something useful to offer on the subject.
Incident Leadership and Planning for Disasters
Jim can present a keynote speech or workshop based on incident leadership, situation and critical crisis management, communications, risk assessment and dynamic risk assessments etc. Anecdotal evidence is drawn from Jim’s operational fire service work, Royal Household fire precautions work and Arctic expeditionary work.
Climate Change Issues
The subject of global climate change has moved on. It’s clear, it’s here! The Arctic has long been recognised as a barometer of what is going on and International Polar Year has focussed people’s attentions on watching the barometer. Jim’s Ice Warrior Project plays a crucial role in gathering the scientific raw data and in delivering the reality of climate change to its audiences around the globe. Having started his working life in 1980 measuring the environmental impact of agricultural practices, which included ground-breaking work on the depletion of the ozone layer, Jim has had an extraordinarily close relationship with the Arctic Region over the past twenty three years and is exceptionally well qualified to talk first hand about the changes he has seen.
Client Feedback
"What Jim McNeill and his team are doing is pioneering of the most advanced kind...what he is planning pushes man beyond the boundaries and will take him to the most inaccessible places on Earth. "
Lord Robert Winston
"By reducing the time for real syndicate formation by at least four days (according to the instructors), Jim McNeill and Ice Warrior made a profoundly positive impact on the Strategic Command Course at Bramshill. So much so that even seven weeks after the event the participants are still talking about it. We will be booking Jim and his team in the future."
Dr Mark Kilgallon, Consultant to The National Police Training College
"Nothing less than inspirational... an authoritative blend of raw experience with practical coaching... energised an already highly motivated group of senior executives."
PriceWaterhouseCoopers LLP
"We were delighted when Jim agreed to speak to our Executive Team and we were completely gripped when he shared experiences from his truly-remarkable career, from funny and emotive to absolutely terrifying. Jim has a wonderful insight into people and how to motivate them which coupled with his strong determination to succeed makes him an excellent leader."
Emma Clancy, CEO, Certsure
"Excellent – very engaging, very relaxed style, with a good level of humour. Jim talked about overcoming adversity by working a as a team, but also respecting each other as individuals and working with their strengths to help them and the team achieve why this was important. The audience were very captivated and energised – lots of questions at the end."
Pfizer
"An excellent presentation and content to his talks. Unfortunately this voyage has only allowed for 2 talks to be held due to so many additional lectures with the Trunk show & port talks etc, but I believe Jim would also hold an excellent Q&A which I would be keen to include next time. I received only really positive feedback in regards to Jim’s talks."
Cunard – RMS Queen Victoria
"Jim McNeill offers his audience an entertaining and fascinating insight into his truly remarkable adventures. His courage, unyielding determination and dedication to achieving the seemingly impossible left all those in the room feeling humbled and inspired. Any business serious about success should hear his message."
MD, TV
"Considering the extreme danger inherent in the environments in which Jim McNeill is required to work he calmly turns his experiences into an enthralling, engaging and often very amusing talk which had everyone on the front of their seats throughout. Jim is evidently very skilled and very brave."
Event Organiser, The Binfield Winfield and Warfield Arts Week
"The photography is stunning, particularly the landscapes and wildlife, his narrative is enthralling, informative and at times amusing but this is no sanitised version of the realities of life in such an environment. This is how it is. By the end, it seems as if you have experienced the harsh difficulties with him, lived through the trials and tribulations."
Anon
"Considering the extreme danger inherent in the environments in which Jim McNeill is required to work he calmly turns his experiences into an enthralling, engaging and often very amusing talk which had everyone on the front of their seats throughout – most of whom were surely thinking I’m glad it was Jim out there, not me. Jim is evidently very skilled and very brave and he reached both the young and adults in the audience."
The Binfield Winfield and Warfield Arts Week
