Oli France

Oli’s passion for adventure began after spending his teens and early twenties on countless misadventures, be it dodging bombings in Beirut or searching for lions with Army Generals in Uganda. Since then, his adventures have taken him through deserts, jungles, mountains, and war-torn regions across over 75 countries. It’s seen him lead teams through countless high-risk situations, from the highest mountain in Iraq, to the militia-filled jungles of the Congo, to the backstreets of Aleppo, Syria.

The pressures and perils of expedition life mean that quickly developing high-functioning teams is vital. Over the last decade, these lessons have been taught to hundreds of clients from across the globe, including industry-leading business figures, ultra-high-net-worth individuals, former CIA officers, terminal cancer patients and young people embarking on their very first adventure.

It was in 2016, Oli completed his boldest adventure yet, an 8000-mile solo winter journey across the mountainous spine of Asia. This became the basis for his first book, the Trail of the Mountain Folk.  More recently, he has guided one of the first tourist groups through Syria since the start of the civil war, and completed a solo 405-mile crossing of the world’s biggest frozen lake in Siberia.

Along Oli’s journey’s, he’s faced spies, interrogators, minefields and arrest, as well as avalanches, earthquakes, meningitis and severe dehydration, either alone or while leading a team – notably, and perhaps remarkably considering these feats, he still maintains a 100% record regarding the safety of those entrusted to him.

Oli shares his leadership lessons from these demanding environments, where calm decision-making, intensive planning, open communication and understanding the human factor within our teams is critical. Whether speaking to small teams, hundreds of delegates, or virtually to remote audiences, Oli’s mission is quite simple: To guide the audience on a journey, bringing empowering new perspectives on resilience, self-confidence, leadership and how we can fulfill our boldest life goals.

A poignant message Oli has learnt throughout his time, as an adventurer is that, in the midst of darkness, there is beauty and strength waiting to be discovered. Oli’s experience has shown that even in the bleakest situations, we can find untold beauty and unshakable strength if we allow ourselves to see it. Oli shares insights on unlocking true self-confidence, developing resilience, and shifting perspectives towards what we think is possible.

To book Oli France, contact The Speakers Agency on +44(0)1332 810481 or email enquiries@thespeakersagency.com