Mark Denton – AROUND THE WORLD RACE SKIPPER

• Multiple Award winning Speaker inspiring Organisations to ‘Master the Waves of Change’
• Takes audiences on an ‘edge of your seat’ journey through his experience leading an amateur Team to success in the ‘World’s Toughest Around-The-World Yacht Race’
• Speaks on leadership, teamwork, resilience and achieving sustained success in the face of adversity, change and competition
• Voted ‘Bookers Choice’ at the 2024 Speaker Awards

Mark is a leadership, team, resilience and navigating change expert, and captivating keynote Speaker on a mission! And that’s to inspire Organisations to ‘Master the Waves of Change’, a capability so crucial for achieving sustained success in this increasingly turbulent world.

But it’s how Mark does this that sets him apart from the crowd. Because rather than preaching the usual cliches, he takes his audiences on an ‘edge of your seat’ journey instead, through the ups, downs, twists and turns of leading a team to success in the ‘world’s toughest’ around-the-world yacht race.

This epic event sees 12 teams racing for 10 months and 32000 miles, the wrong way around the world, against the spin of the earth. 

But the crews are not made up of those from the rarefied world of elite sport, rather amateurs, male and female, aged 18-60, with 70% having never sailed before! 

And as the race unfolds the secrets are revealed that allowed him and his team to thrive, despite facing constant adversity, change and competition. 

The secrets that will allow your Organisation to do the same, as the parallels with the world of business are remarkable.

And when combined with masterful storytelling, stunning images, gripping footage and the option of fun and insightful audience participation (that guarantees a standing ovation!), it’s so immersive you could be forgiven for thinking you’re actually on the Team!

And his audiences from many of the world’s greatest Organisations agree, captivating them in over 31 countries to date and with consistent 5 star reviews. 

He’s also won several prestigious awards, including being voted the ‘Bookers Choice’ at the Speaker Awards 2024.

So if you want to help your organisation ride the waves towards the brightest tomorrow, Mark is ready and waiting to work with you.

Signature Keynotes

LEADERSHIP & TEAMWORK: ‘TOGETHER WE TRIUMPH’ – making the impossible possible

‘TOGETHER WE TRIUMPH’ is Mark Denton’s signature Leadership and Teamwork Keynote, an ‘edge of your seat’ multi-media journey through the ups, downs, twists and turns of leading an amateur Team to success in the ‘world’s toughest’ around-the-world yacht race. 

And as this epic journey unfolds, the secrets are revealed that allowed this team to thrive when facing constant adversity, change and competition including:

• Galvanising the team with a compelling and unifying Purpose and Value set
• Playing to the Team’s strengths in key onboard positions
• Intelligent and meaningful goal setting that built confidence over time
• Data driven strategic decision making, constantly adjusting performance for risk
• The Leader being self-aware, creating an enabling rather than disabling environment
• Instilling a daily meeting with strong psychological safety, where clarity, feedback, and creativity flourished to overcome the constant changes they faced
• Empowering the frontline sailing teams to be able to experiment to improve performance
• Challenging mindsets and collaborating to achieve breakthrough performance
• A focus on overall victory rather than short term glory

Mark summarises these into the 3 cultural factors that are crucial for any Leader and Team to embrace if they want to achieve the seemingly impossible, no matter how choppy the waters.

Great for: Leadership conferences as well as all-staff conferences with a mix of Leaders and Team Members

RESILIENCE: ‘NAVIGATE THE STORM’ – 8 steps to unstoppable

‘NAVIGATE THE STORM’ is Mark Denton’s signature ‘Resilience’ keynote, a roller-coaster multi-media journey through the ups, downs, twists and turns of an amateur team taking part in the ‘world’s toughest’ around-the-world yacht race. 

And as the gripping account unfolds, Mark shares his unique perspective on what kept him and the team resilient, including top-tips on how to nurture the 8 key factors summarised in the ‘Navig-8 Compass’ that builds stage by stage as the race unfolds.

This simple but comprehensive framework that’s shared with attendees post event, equips them to:

• Recognise that resilience is multifaceted and accessible to all
• Understand the different factors, and why each is key
• Learn practical ways of accessing these when facing a challenge
• Navigate any storm in their personal or professional lives

Great for: Leadership/Management conferences and All-Staff conferences, especially where Organisations are facing turbulent, challenging and changing time.

Reviews

“An absolutely outstanding speaker on Leadership, Teamwork and navigating changing times. Never in all my years has a Speaker had such an impact on my thinking, and the feedback from the rest of my 200 strong team has been overwhelmingly positive. 
And I am already seeing them put his insight into action with positive results” Liz Walker, COO, Unum PLC

“Exceptional speaker, remarkable story, profound insight. There couldn’t have been a better fit for our Senior Leader Conference, and I’ve heard nothing but praise for the session. Many were ‘blown away’, so recommended!” Jonathan Hirst, CEO, Dreams PLA Unique Approach