Talks & Events
Brad Borkan and David Hirzel talk on the themes of:
Leadership, teamwork, resiliency, communication, trust, and decision making all set in the exciting context of polar history.
Seeking a speaker for an event or conference? Please contact us or email our speaker’s agent, Diana Boulter.
Brad delivered a terrific, fascinating and extremely motivational session at the B2B Marketing Leaders Forum this year – his passion and knowledge about the great age of exploration is extraordinary, and this made for an excellent addition to our agenda.
Brad and David have spoken at business conferences and events, universities, literary festivals, Antarctic conferences, church groups, bookstores, and on Atlantic and Antarctic cruises. Our speaker’s agent, Diana Boulter, is always available to discuss your specific event requirements. Please contact Diana at admin@dbaspeakers.com.
Brad and David tailor their talks to each specific audience. Testimonials
2020 Talks
- Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, Mar 2020
- Guest speaker
- HULF Literary Festival, UK, Apr 2019
- Guest speaker
- South Georgia Heritage Trust, UK, date to be determined
- Guest speaker
2019 Talks
- Antarctic Cruise: Polar Latitudes Hebridean Sky, Nov 2019
- Guest lecture about Shackleton on the day the ship visited Grytviken, South Georgia island in Antarctica, which is where Shackleton is buried.
- Internet Radio Interview, Sept 2019
- Brad with Chris Fagan (author of The Expedition: Two Parents Risk Life and Family in an Extraordinary Quest to the South Pole)
- Western Mortgagee Advisory Council Conference in San Francisco, Sept 2019
- Keynote speaker
- Windstar Cruise Line, August 2019
- Guest lecturer on North Atlantic crossing
- TV Interview, June 2019
- Brad interviewed by Dr. Joan Goldstein
- WH Smith Bookstore, Richmond, Surrey, UK June 2019
- Book signing event
- Internet Radio Interview, June 2019
- Brad and Dennis Kleinman (audiobook narrator for When Your Life Depends on It) talking about how they made the audiobook and why it was up for a major Hollywood award.
- Antarctic Conference, Dublin, June 2019
- Speaker at the 4th South Pole-sium Antarctic Conference in Dublin
- Business Conference, London, May 2019
- After-dinner speech at the Customer Experience World Conference in London
- Literary Festival, Apr 2019
- Keynote speaker at the Hawkesbury Upton Literary Festival
- Royal Society of Chemistry, Apr 2019
- Guest speaker at their away-day team building session in Cambridge
- Viking Cruise Line, Mar 2019
- Guest lecturer on North Atlantic crossing
2018 Talks
- Windstar Cruise LIne, Nov 2018
- Guest lectures on North Atlantic crossing
- Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge England, Oct 2018
- Guest lecture on When Your Life Depends on It.
- B2B Marketing Leaders Forum, London, Sept 2018
- “Developing a Resiliency Mind-set for Modern-Day Business Leaders: Lessons from Scott, Shackleton and the Heroic Age”
- Conference attended by 150 CMO’s (Chief Marketing Officers)
- Testimonial from B2B Marketing provided above
- Present Day Club, Princeton NJ Sept 2018
- “Leadership, Team Work and Decision Making: Lessons from the Antarctic”
- Private members club was founded by Woodrow Wilson’s wife.
- 116 in the audience. Testimonial from Club President provided.
- Credit Suisse Investment Bank, London July 2018
- “Disruptive Innovators and early Antarctic Explorers”
- 370 Credit Suisse employees attended from 16 different countries.
- Great Minds Lecture Series in Princeton NJ, May 2018
- Author Talk Radio Interview, Apr 2018
- “3 Authors who write about Brave People in Cold Climates” Margaret Winslow (Antarctica and the Southern Oceans), Roger Seiler (Alaska), Brad Borkan (Antarctica)
- University Guest Lecture: Dominican University of California, April 2018
- “Leadership, Teams, and Change”
- Speaker at “Interesting Talks London”, March 2018
2017 Talks
- Princeton PSRC Charity talk Dec 2017
- “More Tales from the Antarctic”
- Antarctic Conference in Ireland, Oct 2017
- Book Launch on the first day of the Shackleton Autumn School Conference, Athy, Ireland
- Strand Business conference, Oct 2017
- Keynote speech at “Customers as Advocates” business conference. “
- Leadership, Team Work and Decision Making: Lessons from the Antarctic” at the Dorchester Hotel, London. Event program.
- Book talks at libraries and bookstores, July – Sept 2017
- Public Library at Hancock Point, Maine
- Floreys Bookstore, California
- Copperfield’s Bookstore California
- Book launch: Discovery Point, Scotland: May 2017
- Antarctic Conference held at Discovery Point, Dundee, Scotland – museum housing Scott’s Discovery ship
- “Shackleton’s Genius—Reframing the Image of Success, a critical skill for the 21st century”
- Book launch: Fram Museum, Norway: May 2017
- South Pole-sium Conference – Fram museum housing Amundsen’s Antarctic ship, the Fram.
- Devon & Cornwall Polar Society: March 2017
- Book talk at the Devon & Cornwall Polar Society, Duke of Cornwall Hotel, Plymouth.
- Shackleton stayed at The Duke of Cornwall Hotel the night before the Endurance sailed to Antarctica in 1914.
David presenting at book launch, Fram Museum, Oslo
Presenting to 150 business leaders in London
Testimonial from the Present Day Club, Princeton, NJ (click to enlarge)
Business Decision Workshops
Our workshops and book talks include:
Unforgettable true adventure stories about the challenges and decisions faced by the early Antarctic Explorers – Scott, Shackleton, Amundsen and Mawson – presented with historic photographs.
Come away with powerful techniques to improve your own decision making — at a personal, as well as business or team, level:
- Confronting adversity
- Building effective teams
- Succeeding against all odds
Please email us at info@extreme-decisions.com for more information.
