James was first ask to speak about his adventures on his return from rowing across the Atlantic Ocean in 2010, at the time he did not know that ten years later he would end up becoming a top international speaker, enthralling audiences with his stories and lessons learned with thousands of people around the world at any one time.
Rowing oceans, climbing mountains, setting aviation records and surviving mid ocean rescues have far more in common with high performing companies than it might initially appear.
James is often asked to share his values and beliefs with many of the words leading organisations, including eBay, PWC, GSK and leadership establishments such as Sand Hurst Royal Military Academy.
James was invited to speak at the bi-annual RBS Portfolio Management Conference and drawing upon his various experiences and challenges, James was able to relate his talk in a highly effective style to the conference theme. By using a visual presentation full of breathtaking photos and videos that really brought home the scale of the challenge that James undertook, combined with James’ natural, easy going style, he was able to establish a strong rapport with the audience and bring his experiences on Mount Everest to life. James’ journey from a serious motorbike accident to then becoming the first person to successfully row solo across the Atlantic Ocean, summit Mt Everest and cycle around the world is truly powerful and motivational. The focus drive and ambition that James exhibits is enormously inspiring.
James came to GSK and gave us the opportunity to enjoy and vibrate with his adventures and experiences. He really engaged GSK audience with his amazing story-telling which was perfectly synchronized with photos and videos. He is really an example of hard work and determination and has shown us that you can reach any goal you set, you just need to believe that you can and to go one step after the other and you will finally reach it.
James was asked to speak about leadership challenges he had experienced during his various expeditions. He delivered a well-structured presentation with enthusiasm and confidence and was able to draw the audience into the excitement of each of his adventures. James was very approachable throughout and was eager to engage with and answer questions from the audience during and after his presentation. His self-discipline and self- motivation was clear throughout and he is an inspiration to all who were present.
James is an engaging and exciting speaker. His story is a unique one combining personal challenge, adventure, adversity and achievement. I can thoroughly recommend James as his story is authentic and relevant to a business audience, whether large or small. He leaves you to draw your own conclusions in a witty and often understated way, which makes it all the more appealing and different. James is not your typical motivational speaker, but rather a very motivated speaker!
James Ketchell’s story is truly amazing – he captivated the audience of 300 IT professionals with his tales of dealing with the challenges of nature, self- determination and of course a little bit of danger thrown in. Much of what he talks about can be applied to the corporate world – 90 minutes have never gone so quickly!
The mark of a competent speaker is their ability to connect to their audience. I have seen James speak on two occasions to a mixed audience of adults and teenagers and he has a great ability to connect and inspire his audience. I was also impressed with James’s ability to work to the brief I gave him and use his words and style to meet my communication targets. Often speakers who are highly motivated are so focused and driven that they are not approachable and flexible. James has the unique trait of being motivated and focused but is also extremely approachable and personable.
James has an amazing story to tell. Listening to the challenges he’s faced and how he overcame them is truly inspirational. In a really engaging manner, he manages to relate his outstanding achievements to a broad audience, giving them real food for thought on how to go about far less daunting challenges themselves. His enthusiasm was infectious and the feedback from our team was excellent.
James was fantastic choice for a guest speaker at our annual business kick-off. His story was a wonderfully inspiring reminder of what we are all truly capable of when we have a dream and simply put one foot in front of the other to start and make things happen!
James talks with candour and enthusiasm about his approach to taking on challenges and “without doing anything special” the way he has tackled physical adventures that most of us have only imagined experiencing.
He describes how he set incremental and achievable goals, how he secured sponsorship and support, how he physically prepared himself, and what experiences these challenges threw at him. As James tells his story, the listener will believe that they too could achieve the extraordinary.
James is an accomplished presenter and regularly speaks at events and conferences around the world including, US, India, Europe and the Middle East.
James’ book ‘The Ultimate Triathlon’ was launched in April 2016 and has been endorsed by Bear Grylls.
James’ second book, ‘Chasing Extremes’ is due for release in November 2020.