Martyn Williams is the first person in the world to have led expeditions to the three extremes; the North Pole, the South Pole and the peak of Mount Everest. In addition Martyn has founded and run both a multimillion dollar expedition tourism business as well as an organic food business. As a people orientated leader with a passionate commitment to bringing out the best in his teams Martyn is well known as one of Canada’s foremost leadership trainers and as a speaker for both corporations and educational institutions. Martyn has been a speaker and presented workshops for thousands of people in Asia, South and North America. Presentations have included the Organization of American States, Harvard University and Brown University.
Martyn founded Pole to Pole out of his personal dedication to inspiring young people to develop leadership skills and to get involved in environmental and humanitarian issues world wide. He led the Pole to Pole Journey 1 in the year 2000 which resulted in millions of youth in taking action to help environmental and humanitarian causes.
Originally President and Founder, and currently Director of Adventure Network International which is a logistical support company for Antarctic expeditions Martyn is also the former owner of Ecosummer Yukon Ltd. which operated skiing, rafting, canoeing, hiking and natural history tours in Canada’s Yukon Territory. As well Martyn was a Director of Ecosummer Canada Ltd.
Originally educated as a teacher Martyn taught aboriginal youth in the Yukon and during this time he designed and implemented an award-winning curriculum for native children and city-wide outdoor educational programs.
As a mountain and wilderness expedition guide worldwide Martyn has extensive guiding experience climbing, skiing, canoeing and rafting in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, USA, Greenland, Himalayas, Indonesia, the Arctic and Antarctica.
Some of Martyn's achievements in the mountain and wilderness field include:
* Leader -First American South Pole Expedition, 750 miles in 50 days.
* Leader-First human-powered crossing of Antarctica in 80 days.
* Leader-North Pole from Canada in 55 days.
* Guided Mount Everest Expedition. 5 members reached the summit.
* Successful ascents of the highest peaks on three continent.
* First Canadian and second North American to reach North and South Poles overland.
* More than 30 first ascents on new routes in the last 20 years of climbing in Peru, Wales, Greenland, Alaska, Canada (British Columbia and the Yukon) and Antarctica.
* Leader of six successful guided climbs of Mt. Logan, Canada's highest mountain.
* Researcher and consultant on natural resources use of park and recreational planning to Parks Canada and the Yukon Government.
* Safety instructor for Parks Canada in river rescue and warden training.
* Leader or organizer of 14 successful climbing expeditions to Vinson Massif, the highest peak in Antarctica.
Throughout his life Martyn has been active in environmental issues including being President (Past) of the Yukon Conservation Society; Trustee of the Canadian Nature Federation and National and Provincial Parks Association; and Trustee and Founding Member of Nature Network, an environmental fund for businesses who donate 10 per cent of profits to environmental and spiritual causes.
In April 2003, Mr. Kevin M. Scott & Mr. Martyn Williams came together to co-found the Pole to Pole Leadership Institute. In June of 2003, Kevin was appointed President of the Institute.
Building on the tremendous success of the first Pole to Pole journey, Kevin restructured the concept into an international registered non-profit.
Kevin brings over fifteen years of experience in organizational development, design, and management to the Institute.
Kevin began his career with Tatshenshini International, a small non-profit that successfully protected what is now the largest preserve and complex of World Heritage Sites in the world. Kevin continued working for the protection of North America’s wild spaces and wildlife providing leadership to the negotiating team that successfully protected over twenty-five new parks representing over 250,000 hectares in southwest British Columbia, Canada. Soon after, working as the Executive Director of Canadian Endangered Species Coalition, Kevin developed a national campaign strategy, which would eventually lead to the passing of Canada’s Federal Endangered Species Act.
Kevin also has extensive experience on the international stage, working within the United Nations, the NAFTA side panel Commission for Environmental Cooperation, and Global Biodiversity Forum. In the USA, Kevin has held board positions on several of the largest conservation organizations.
In 1998, Defenders of Wildlife, one of the top five conservation organizations in the world, hired Kevin to establish and manage an autonomous sister organization in Canada -- Defenders of Wildlife Canada, which Kevin established and ran for three years. During this same period Kevin co-founded WildCanada.Net (WCN), an Internet based conservation organization. WCN is now Canada’s largest Web-based conservation society, with over 25,000 subscribers and well acknowledged as an integral component of many conservation victories.
Kevin’s has a long history working with youth on environmental, social justice, and political issues. As well, he has established several groundbreaking training, empowerment, and mentorship programs for youth around the world.
Kevin was named in the top five most influential people in British Columbia, Canada, for three consecutive years in the late nineties. He has been awarded several national and international awards for his work with youth, social justice, and the promotion of conservation issues.
In addition to Kevin’s extensive experience in the charitable field he has co-owned the largest photographic studio in West Vancouver, BC, Canada. Kevin also founded and operated a successful multi-million dollar consulting firm; On The Ground Strategies Inc., which specialized in strategic planning, organizational development, and project management.
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