Mark Agnew Keynote Speaker

  • Sports & Adventure Editor at the South China Morning Post
  • Inspirational speaker on bouncing back from failure
  • World record breaking adventurer and part of the first team to kayak the Northwest Passage (2023)

Mark Agnew's Biography

Mark Agnew is a world recording setting adventurer.

Mark Agnew made history in 2023 when he and his three teammates became the first people to kayak the Northwest Passage. For over a decade, teams have attempted to complete the historic passage with human power, without motors or sails. It was a race in the mould of the classic Arctic adventures, a race which Mark and his team won. He has subsequently been awarded the prestigious “European Adventurer of the Year” for the record breaking expedition.

The journey was arduous, exciting, incredible and gripping. It speaks to the limit of human potential. Yet Mark focuses on his failures during his talks, and how they shaped his approach to this epic success.

Prior to the Arctic, Mark failed to row the Atlantic twice. The news was splashed across the British tabloids. The experience left Mark gutted and in a mental health spiral. He re-examined his definition of success to give himself meaningful steps to recover his health and ultimately succeed in the Arctic.

Mark’s other adventures have included London to Mongolia, kayaking through the Indonesian archipelago, and running ultra-marathons in uninhabited corners of Asia. He is also the Outdoor & Extreme Sports Editor for the South China Morning Post.

Mark shares his lessons and makes them applicable to school and work environments. He also hosts afternoon workshops for groups looking for an immersive, activity based, session.

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Mark Agnew's Speaking Topics

  • • Building resilience

  • • Bouncing back from failure

  • • Team cohesion

  • • The power of intrinsic values of extrinsic forces

  • • Achieving your goals with multidimensional motivations

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Videos of Mark Agnew

Exploring Motivations and Resilience | Mark Agnew | TEDxUniversityofEdinburgh
Exploring Motivations and Resilience | Mark Agnew | TEDxUniversityofEdinburgh
Full Film | Kayaking & hiking in Scotland | 'Am I an adventurer yet?'
Full Film | Kayaking & hiking in Scotland | 'Am I an adventurer yet?'
Mark Agnew | Keynote Speaker & World Record Holder
Mark Agnew | Keynote Speaker & World Record Holder
Epic journey from failure to success | Keynote Speaker | European Adventurer of The Year
Epic journey from failure to success | Keynote Speaker | European Adventurer of The Year

Articles, Media & Podcasts

Comments & Testimonials

Mark’s mix of honesty, humour, success, and failure made him an instant selection as a professional speaker, fit for the specific purpose we had in mind. Mark enables true adventure to be relatable to the day to day working life of corporate employees by his engaging storytelling and transparent approach to articulate his trials and tribulations. I’d highly recommend Mark for your event or professional speaking needs, easy to work with, great content and a fast turnaround time. Exactly what we were looking for!
Craig Clarke Senior Manager, UKIMESA Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE)
Mark joined us on our team “away day” to tell us about his past and upcoming rowing expeditions. The way he engaged the team in his story and made us think about the way our team works going forward was really inspiring. Mark seamlessly brought our company behaviours in to his presentation to deliver his message in a very relevant manner. A true pleasure to work with.
Calum Rankine Senior Data Analyst, Heineken
Mark delivered a very engaging and inspiring talk to our sales team. He had the ability to entertain and keep the audience gripped, while at the same time sharing some quite personal and emotional insights. His misadventures were funny and his determination to keep going were heart-warming. His research into the psychology of human behaviour was fascinating, especially when talking about teamwork and affability versus performance.
Rachel Day Marketing Great Britain, Bosch Rexroth
It was an absolute pleasure to have Mark come and talk to our GP trainee group. As well as him being very responsive to our communications, his talk was inspiring, engaging, entertaining and poignant. We shared in the highs and lows of his experiences as an adventurer, and along the way learnt that even what might be considered a failure has value for learning and personal growth. I would highly recommend Mark.
Debra Harper GP Training Programme Director, NHS

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