Ben Saunders

Ben Saunders is a pioneering polar explorer and a record-breaking long-distance skier, with six 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, he worked out that this equates to two percent of his entire life living in a tent.

Ben is currently preparing for a groundbreaking expedition between October 2011 and February 2012. He will lead a three-man team to retrace Captain Scott's ill-fated return journey to the South Pole on foot. On the centenary of Scott's last expedition, this four-month, 1,800-mile expedition will be the longest unsupported polar journey in history, and the first completion of Scott's planned journey.

In spring 2004, Ben skied solo to the North Geographic Pole from the Russian side of the Arctic Ocean, a challenge described by Reinhold Messner as ten times as dangerous as Everest. Four solo expeditions set out that year and within 24 hours, one was dead and another had been rescued with frostbite in every finger and toe. Six weeks later, the third was airlifted out with a fractured ankle. Ben was the only one to reach the Pole and spent 72 days alone, holding the record for the longest solo Arctic journey by a Briton and youngest person ever (at 26) to reach the North Pole on foot.

Ben is a keen athlete. In his teens, he discovered mountain biking and went on to race bikes on and off-road at national level. Since then he has run seven marathons and three ultramarathons, including an attempt at the inaugural 250-mile Thames Ring Ultra in summer 2009.

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, a Patron of the British Schools Exploring Society (BSES), an honorary member of the Cordon Rouge Club, a Fellow of the British American Project, and supports the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and the Orchid Cancer Appeal. Ben has also been a global brand ambassador for Land Rover since 2009.

Ben spoke at the prestigious TED conference in California in 2005, where he was consequently described as A master storyteller. Out of 40 speakers (including U2's Bono and Noble Laureate James Watson) Ben's presentation was chosen to pilot a televised series of TED talks in the US. Ben is a figurehead for a new generation of adventurers and an outstanding motivational speaker.