About Ben
Ben Saunders is a record-breaking long-distance skier, with four North Pole expeditions under his belt. He is the youngest to ski solo to the North Pole and holds the record for the longest solo Arctic journey by a Briton. Since 2001, Ben has skied more than 2,500km (1,500 miles) in the high Arctic, which he recently worked out equates to two percent of his entire life living in a tent. Ben is currently preparing for three groundbreaking expeditions between 2009 and 2012. More details will be published shortly.
"The next Sir Ranulph Fiennes."
The Times, February 2004
Born in 1977, Ben grew up in Devon, was educated at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and lives in London. He is passionate about the great outdoors and spent four months walking and climbing in the Nepalese Himalayas aged 19, going on to work as an instructor at the John Ridgway School of Adventure in the Scottish Highlands (once billed as "the UK's toughest management training school"). John has proved a role model and mentor of the highest calibre – in 1966 Ridgway (along with Chay Blyth) became the first to row across the Atlantic, and he went on to break records in non-stop round the world sailing.
Ben is a keen athlete – after an unpromising start ("I was the podgy kid at school that was always picked last for the football team") he discovered mountain biking in his teens and went on to race bikes on and off-road at national level. He has run several marathons (New York is his favourite course and 3:32 3:02 2:55 is his best time to date), two ultramarathons, and aims to start competing in Ironman-distance triathlons before too long.
When he's not pulling a sledge, Ben divides his time between planning and training for his next expedition, and earning a crust as one of the UK's leading motivational speakers. He is an Ambassador for The Prince's Trust, an Honorary Vice-President of the Geographical Association, and supports the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and the Orchid Cancer Appeal.
Ben in Print
In 2006 Ben wrote a chapter (and the introduction) for the Lonely Planet Guide to The Middle of Nowhere and contributed to Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century. His own book is due to come out in 2010.
Ben's Team
Alistair is a former Management Board and Marketing Director of Alinghi, winners of the 31st and 32nd America’s Cup. Prior to that he was a Management Board and Marketing Director of the Honda Formula One Team. He was Head of Strategy at Prisma iVentures, part of the Kirch Media Group, and Head of Sports Projects at Oliver & Ohlbaum Associates. He spent four years running the global Formula One media operation for the FIA. Alistair has an MBA from Imperial College Management School, London. He is now a director of i-nfluence.
Stuart was Head of Sport at 19 Management, creators of the Honda F1 earthcar concept and managers of David Beckham and the England Football team. Prior to that he was Vice-President of Communications and Public Affairs worldwide for Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo and Ford of Europe. A Board Director of Jaguar and Land Rover and a former Director of Jaguar Racing, he has worked in senior positions in F1, WRC, Champ Car, NASCAR and Sportscar Racing. He has lived and worked in the US, Germany and Japan, and is now a director of i-nfluence.
Andy graduated from Edinburgh University with a Masters in Geography and dodged the rat race in favour of walking from London to Istanbul. 5,000 km later he crossed the river Bosporus into Asia and was disappointed to find it was only a five-hour flight home. His love for the outdoors started at school when he ran for his county and spent hours roaming the Wiltshire Downs. Andy has worked with Ben since 2007 and managed his 2008 North Pole Speed Record expedition. He is a passionate fly fisherman and when not in London can mostly be found waist-deep in a river somewhere in Scotland.
The founder of OnTrack Sports Massage, Kerry Anley, has competed internationally in triathlon and aquathlon, and has completed nine marathons and two ultramarathons. Understanding the mental and physical demands endurance sport has on both recreational and elite athletes is a prerequisite in a professional massage therapist, and with ten years' experience Kerry is uniquely placed to help Ben stay injury-free during periods of intense expedition training.
Jerry Colonna is a professional coach and an expert in organisational development. He founded Hudson Heights Partners in 2003 and previous roles include partner with JP Morgan and co-Executive Director of NYC2012, the New York 2012 Olympic bid, where he helped raise more than $6 million. In 1996 he launched Flatiron Partners with Fred Wilson, returning more than $1.8 billion in six years of investment. He is a director, trustee, or advisor to a number of non-profit organisations, and has been named to Upside Magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People of the New Economy, Forbes ASAP’s list of the best VCs, and Worth’s list of the 25 most generous young Americans.