Description
Tim Jarvis AM has built his reputation by deliberately putting himself in some of the most punishing environments on the planet, then translating what he learns there into insight that corporate audiences can genuinely put to use. An English-Australian explorer, environmental scientist and Member of the Order of Australia, Tim is perhaps best known for painstakingly recreating two of history’s most extraordinary survival stories: Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic journey and Sir Douglas Mawson’s historic trek, both undertaken using only the same period-accurate equipment, clothing and rations the original explorers had access to at the time. Living through those exact conditions firsthand, rather than simply studying them from a comfortable distance, gives Tim a depth of insight into leadership under extreme pressure that very few speakers anywhere could genuinely claim to possess.
On stage, Tim draws direct, practical parallels between that remarkable history of polar exploration and the challenges modern businesses face today. He weaves the leadership lessons of Shackleton and Mawson together with his own record-breaking expeditions to both poles and across some of the world’s harshest deserts, giving audiences frameworks they can immediately apply to decision-making under pressure, holding a team together during a genuine crisis, and navigating uncertainty with clarity and calm rather than panic and confusion in the moment.
Beyond exploration, corporate clients also turn to Tim for his expertise in climate change and sustainability, a perspective shaped by his formal background in environmental science and decades spent working alongside major organisations including the World Bank and WWF. That combination, part high-stakes survival storytelling and part genuinely actionable sustainability insight, gives audiences a rare dual perspective rarely found in any single speaker on the circuit today. Organisations booking Tim Jarvis can expect a powerful, credible story of endurance, leadership and environmental purpose, delivered by someone who has tested every lesson against the harshest conditions imaginable on Earth and lived to teach others from it.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS
PROJECT 25zero
Tim Jarvis founded the 25zero Project to highlight the retreat of glaciers on the worlds 25 glaciated equatorial mountains. He assembled a team of mountaineers to join him in advance of COP21 to document the impact of climate change and to communicate how each of the 25 equatorial mountains will lose its glacier ‘within an average 25 years.’ At the time of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 25 mountains had glaciers, although since that time, four have gone extinct, leaving only 21 mountains with glaciers at the equator. A new documentary series about the project, highlights the beauty of the remaining glaciers while showing the result of inaction.
FORKTREE PROJECT
The Forktree Project is a not-for-profit demonstration site of 133 acres (53 hectares) in South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula for large-scale rehabilitation and ‘rewilding’ of agricultural land. The project aims to show a way for private individuals to take direct action in contributing to a healthier planet by acting on climate change and improving biodiversity.
THE SHACKLETON VOYAGE
Tim Jarvis led a team to become the first to retrace Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Epic voyage across 800 nautical miles of the most challenging and treacherous seas on the planet, the Southern Ocean, sailing from Elephant Island to South Georgia aboard Alexandra Shackleton, an exact replica of Shackleton’s (6.9m) boat. Once there the team scaled hazardous mountain peaks to arrive at Shackleton’s final destination. This journey resulted in a major book and Discovery Channel documentary that was telecast around the world.
RETRACING DOUGLAS MAWSON’S EPIC JOURNEY
Tim Jarvis completed an Antarctica expedition recreating the amazing expedition and human feat of Sir Douglas Mawson. Tim Jarvis walked 500 km pulling a sleigh full of supplies and living on almost the same rations as Mawson himself.
SOUTH POLE RECORD
Joint record holder with fellow Australian explorer Peter Treseder for the fastest unsupported journey to the geographic South Pole and the longest unsupported Antarctic journey in history.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST
Lessons from a career of polar exploration and science.
Tim focusses on lessons he’s learned throughout his various expeditions relating to problem solving, teamwork, change management and goal setting while undertaking such extreme endeavours and how they can be applied to any business.
He has great insight after almost two decades of polar travel, and over 20 years working as an environmental scientist, about topics including human-induced environmental change and how we can reduce our own environmental impact. He also looks at the associated opportunities and costs and how to manage change in both our personal and professional lives and at a corporate level.
MOTIVATING CHANGE
Tim is motivated by his desire to help people achieve key milestones, drawing on parallels from his expeditions and environmental work. His insights apply both to highly motivated individuals working to achieve personal goals as well as organisations embarking on change towards business or sustainability outcomes.
Tim provides first-hand information on the fascinating regions in which he has travelled and worked, with expedition analogies offering unique insights into the very real parallels that exist with the business world.
A WORLD OF CHANGE: SEMINARS AND PRESENTATIONS
Motivation / Professional Development
Topics include leadership, managing change, overcoming adversity, problem solving, personal goal setting, time management and team building. Tim uses parallels from a lifetime of adventure to assist individuals in achieving their potential.
Corporate Environmental Sustainability
Examines global connections, focusing on the Polar regions and the opportunities and practical issues associated with improved environmental sustainability for business. Topics include Corporate Environmental Management, Corporate Citizenship, Strategic Planning and Corporate Change.
Tim also explores how individuals can make a greater contribution to more sustainable living, both domestically and in the workplace.
