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 speaking agent, Diana Boulter of DBA Speakers by emailing admin@dbaspeakers.com.

Testimonials from sponsors and audience.  Event photos.

Brad and David have spoken to business audiences at conferences  and events, as well as general audiences at universities and colleges, literary festivals, Antarctic conferences, church groups, bookstores, and cross-Atlantic cruises. Our speaker’s agent, Diana Boulter of DBA Speakers, would be pleased to discuss your specific event requirements. Diana can be contacted by emailing admin@dbaspeakers.com.

Brad and David tailor their talks to each specific audience.

2019 Talks

• Viking Cruise Line, Mar 2019
  • Guest lecturer on North Atlantic crossing
• Royal Society of Chemistry, Apr 2, 2019
  • Guest speaker at their away-day team building session in Cambridge
• Literary Festival,  Apr 27, 2019 
  • Keynote speaker at the Hawkesbury Upton Literary Festival
• Business Conference, London, May 13, 2019
  • After Dinner speaker at the Customer Experience World Conference in London
• Antarctic Conference, Dublin, June 8, 2019
  • Speaker at the 4th South Pole-sium Antarctic Conference in Dublin
• WH Smith, Richmond, Surrey (near London) June 15, 2019
  • Book signing event
• Windstar Cruise Line, Summer 2019
  • Guest lecturer on North Atlantic crossing
• Antarctic Conference, Athy, Ireland, Oct 2019
  • Speaker at the annual Shackleton conference
• Business Conference in San Francisco, Nov 2019 (being confirmed)
  • Keynote speaker
• One Ocean Antarctic Cruise, Winter 2019
  • Guest lecture

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
  • “Tales from the Antarctic”
• 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
  • “Improve your Decision Making: Lessons from the early Antarctic Explorers”

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. 

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.