 In June 2003 Mike Noel-Smith and Rob Abernethy were 2000 miles into their record breaking journey to row across the Indian Ocean when bad weather and injury forced them to abandon. In heavy tropical storms Mike suffered serious head injuries and for 4 days the pair had to wait for a dramatic rescue from an Australian warship. The row and the subsequent rescue caused international media interest, and although their journey was halted the pair have not ruled out another attempt. Indeed, more people have stepped onto the surface of the moon than have rowed across this most inhospitable ocean.
Their ethos in life is to ‘prepare well and follow your dream’. They have already shown business audiences that the power of teamwork combined with sound leadership and a determination to win despite crisis and hostile environments will always pull you through. Not least of all they demonstrate that powerful self determination linked to a positive attitude can make the difference when it matters. Key points from their talk include: Mike Noel-Smith spent 17 years as an infantry officer in the British Army. In 1982 he was awarded the General Officer Commanding Commendation for Bravery and saw service throughout the world. He represented the Army and Combined Services rugby teams and played cricket for the Infantry. After retiring from the Army in 1992, he became Operations Manager of Challenger UK specialising in outdoor management training, a post he held for 3 years before taking the post of Director of Training at Insights Ltd. There he was responsible for the design and delivery of leadership and team development programmes for business teams with KPMG, Royal Mail, Vickers Plc, British Telecom and many others. He has also delivered motivational training for The England Cricket team, Harlequins RFC and Tracy Edwards Royal Sun Alliance round the world yacht crew. A keen ski mountaineer and rock climber, he has led expeditions over much of the Alps , volcanoes in Mexico , the mountains of Africa as well as the deep jungles of Central America . In addition to his love of altitude, in 2003 he and his colleague Rob Abernethy rowed 2000 miles into the Indian Ocean before tropical storms battered both them and their boat leading to a dramatic rescue by an Australian warship. Mike had been seriously injured and for 4 days the pair remained at the mercy of the ocean until the rescue was successfully completed in atrocious conditions at night. His ethos in life is to ‘prepare well and follow your dream’. He shows business audiences that the power of teamwork combined with sound leadership and a determination to win despite crisis and hostile environments will always pull you through. Not least of all he demonstrates that a powerful self determination linked to a positive attitude can make the difference when it matters. Mike is married to Buffy and they have three children. | 
