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Mark Pollock
Mark Pollock is a renowned keynote speaker and explorer dedicated to inspiring leaders and their teams to build resilience and collaborate effectively. Overcoming the challenges of blindness since 1998, Mark has transformed adversity into a source of strength, competing in extreme endurance races and founding a successful motivational speaking business. His compelling journey and innovative work at the intersection of human capability and technology make him an influential voice in the pursuit of curing paralysis.
About Mark Pollock
Despite losing his sight, Mark embarked on a series of extraordinary adventures, becoming the first blind person to race to the South Pole and earning silver and bronze medals in rowing at the Commonwealth Games. His achievements in ultra-endurance events across deserts, mountains, and polar ice caps demonstrate his unyielding spirit.
In 2010, a devastating fall left Mark paralysed, but he turned this life-altering event into a new mission: exploring how technology can cure paralysis. As Chairman of Collaborative Cures and founder of the global running series Run in the Dark, Mark has driven collaborations worth over $100 million towards this goal. His leadership has been recognised globally, including his selection as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and his roles on the Global Futures Council on Human Enhancement and the Advisory Board of Cybathlon.
Mark’s story has been featured in acclaimed documentaries such as “Blind Man Walking” and “Unbreakable – The Mark Pollock Story.” He is the author of “Making It Happen” and has received honorary doctorates from The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Queens University Belfast. His academic credentials include a diploma in Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century from Harvard University, and degrees from Trinity College Dublin and UCD Smurfit Graduate Business School.
As a speaker, Mark delves into human enhancement, providing insights into the transformative potential of technology, including robotics, neuro-modulation, brain-machine interfaces, and AI, in the quest to cure paralysis. His inspiring narrative and visionary work continue to motivate and guide leaders and teams worldwide.
To book Motivational Speaker Mark Pollock, contact The Speakers Agency on +44(0)1332 810481 or email enquiries@thespeakersagency.com
Mark’s speech topics include, but are not limited to:
- Adversity and Challenges
Sometimes we choose our challenges, sometimes our challenges choose us. What we decide to do about them is what counts. Deciding to be a competitor, a realist and a collaborator offers leaders and their teams a chance of maintaining a resilient mindset under pressure.
Mark’s keynote on adversity and challenges uses the power of active decision making to deal with challenges, regardless of where they come from, to help leaders and their teams become more resilient.
- Leadership and Motivation
Uncertainty and change typify a crisis and it’s difficult to lead in such circumstances. By providing leaders and their teams with insights into the resilience, attitude and decisions of others facing extreme circumstances Mark helps people to develop the intrinsic motivation to move forward.
Mark’s keynote on leadership and motivation delivers deep insights for leaders to navigate through the crucible moments they face and inspire others to achieve more.
- Mindset and Performance
It is tough to deliver world class performance. Leaders and their teams won’t do it by chance. With a high-impact catalyst they have a chance of building the courage to make it happen.
Mark’s keynote on mindset and performance is that catalyst – it challenges leaders and their teams to examine expectations of themselves and others to perform at a higher level.
- Collaboration and Teamwork
Galvanising a disparate group of people around a common goal is not easy. Yet when it happens, when we collaborate, that is when major breakthroughs happen.
Mark’s keynote on collaboration and teamwork provides leaders and their teams with insight into how high-performance teams get things done when others can’t.
- Human Enhancement
Exploring the intersection where humans and technology collide is essential for organisations to maintain their competitive edge. By raising the consciousness of their teams to next generation technologies, leaders will empower and encourage innovation at the edge.
Mark’s keynote on human enhancement provides leaders and their teams with insight into the transformative intersection of technology and humankind as he explores a cure for paralysis using robotics, neuro-modulation, brain machine interfaces and AI.
Videos
Testimonials
"Mark's ability to link his personal story to people's everyday life and work challenges was excellent. The session was not just about listening to an incredible story, it was a chance for everyone to really think about themselves. There is something in this talk for everyone."
"As Mark will tell you, there are two types of people, those who make it happen and those who make excuses. Thanks to his talk, I and all of us are now in the right camp of making things happen."
Merrill Lynch
"Mark held a room of over 400 people and you could not hear a pin drop – his messages on continuously reinventing yourself and using challenges to define your future was done in an engaging, perceptive, inquisitive and humorous way."
Bayer
"Mark used his story to encourage us to think differently about how we decide to respond to challenges, regardless of where they come from."
"Mark's message of resilience, leadership and collaboration really resonated with our dynamic, international team. And, his ability to balance both the darker and lighter sides of his life experiences prompted us to think about how we approach our challenges."
"I was honored to meet with Mark Pollock in Ireland this year, Mark is a brilliant example of the fact that we can always achieve more than what we think is possible."
CEO, Microsoft