Meet
Gavin Bate

In recent years Gavin has developed a role as a speaker, both in the management industry and event guest speaker. He often uses the proceeds of the talks to help fund the charity.

With six expeditions to the highest mountain in the world to his name, Gavin is able to speak with experience and eloquence about what it means to try and climb to the top of the world. With a track record of climbing both with and without oxygen, alone and with clients, this is a personal odyssey of perseverance and following a dream. As an Everest facilitator and expedition guide, Gavin gets under the gloss and provides a fascinating insight into the costs and practicalities of organising an Everest trip.

No stranger to the difficulties of decision-making in hostile environments, Gavin has spoken to many leading companies and management institutes about the nature of strategic planning, good communication and working as a team. A variety of talks on this subject draw from many experiences of big expeditions and travels around the world to the office and the boardroom. Far from being an irrelevant comparison, these talks are both aspirational and inspirational, with a clear focus on the history of management theory and psychology.

The story of the charity which Gavin has set up and the ethos behind it, this talk looks at how developmental aid can be modernised to represent a modern, progressive approach to an emotive subject. Gavin has had many years of experience working in East Africa, Nepal and Borneo and speaks articulately on setting up NGOs, co-operatives, self-help groups and implementing management structures that enable people to become the architects of their own success.

A wry look at how tourism has developed in the past twenty years in the age of the global village, and how few people have benefitted from it. One of the world’s largest industries, tourism is still known for exploitation and inequality. Yet the latest Code of Ethics proposed by the UNWTO is forcing companies to take more responsibility for human rights and the impact of tourism on marginalised. With extensive experience in setting up financially sustainable tour companies in East African and Nepal, Gavin talks about how tourism can go beyond the balance sheet and leave a legacy to be proud of.

As an expedition guide Gavin has led trips to many of the most iconic destinations in the world and he speaks regularly at clubs and many of the major adventure travel events on climbing the Seven Summits, trekking in Nepal, Tanzania, Kenya, China, Argentina and Russia, to name some. These are down-to-earth shows with a practical view of how to achieve some of these great ambitions. Some of the popular talks include how to climb Kilimanjaro safely and properly, and also Mount Elbrus and some of the popular trekking peaks in Nepal.