MICHAEL MCGRATH
Michael’s
remarkable life story is one of consistently overcoming incredible odds. British
born with a cocktail of Irish and Brazilian blood and educated by the Jesuits,
Michael describes himself as the black sheep of his family, a catalyst
for change and a champion of
difference; most of his family are in medicine. Michael made history in
January 2004 by becoming the only disabled person in the world to have reached
both the North and South Poles ~ by any standards, an extraordinary example of
determination, courage and singular achievement.
His
father was a dental surgeon running one of the UK’s largest practices, his
uncle is a retired orthopaedic surgeon, his aunt worked with leading oncologists
from around the world at the European School of Oncology in Milan, a brother who
sits on the General Medical Council in Australasia and is an osteopathic
physician in Dunedin, New Zealand and another brother who lectures in the
Department of Oral and Dental
Science at the University of Bristol.
Michael
himself is first and foremost a father to his daughter and husband to his wife,
who is also his business partner. At the age of 12yrs, Michael wanted to be a
professional golfer. At 14yrs, he was invited to play at Junior Wimbledon. At
15yrs, he dreamt of becoming the General Manager of the Savoy Hotel in
He
is in demand as a sought after inspirational business speaker. He travels the
world, provoking, stimulating and inspiring change whilst championing his 3M formula for success (based around the brain being a muscle,
the body’s ability to move and the
mind needing to be fuelled by motivation)
for both private and public sector organisations. Clients have
included Barclays, Roche Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Lloyds TSB
Women's Network, DHL Global, Hilton International, Credit Suisse, Shaw Trust,
Capital Resourcing, Carillion Transport, the NHS, Shoosmiths, the Cabinet
Office, Motorola, Remploy, Government Office for the South East, Morgan Stanley,
various UK public sector organisations including County Councils, as well as
many places of learning from Ashridge Business School (one of the world's
leading business management colleges) to junior, secondary and special education
needs (SEN) schools. Sir Richard Branson, Chairman of
the Virgin Group said "Michael is an inspiration”.
Managing
his own consultancy practice, he works with organisations seeking to effectively
measure diversity. A specialist adviser to the hospitality industry and a judge
on the industries prestigious Cateys Awards, he focuses on leveraging the
revenue opportunity offered by accessibility and inclusion. He is often invited
to write for industry journals. Past clients include Hilton Hotels
When
not speaking or consulting, he’s raising vital funds and awareness to support
The Muscular Help Foundation, a
In
January 2004, Michael returned from
Antarctica
,
having successfully led his team to the South Pole.
In doing so, he made history by becoming the only disabled person in the
world to have reached both North and South Poles – he reached the North Pole
in April 2002. Leadership, trust, a strong sense of self-belief, teamwork and
absolute confidence were critical success factors.
Michael
received support and endorsements from around the world including business
entrepreneurs such as Sir Richard Branson, actors, media presenters, sports
people and adventurers such as Kenneth Branagh, Lorraine Kelly of GMTV, Michael
Palin, Chris Bonington, Jon Snow of Channel 4 News and Britain's best known
Paralympic athlete, Tanni Grey Thompson as well as many worldwide government
representatives including the Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs at
the European Commission in Brussels.
In
recognising and valuing difference, Michael was included in The Queen’s 2004
Christmas Day broadcast from
In
the words of Alexandra Shackleton, one of his expedition Patrons, Michael
continually demonstrates, like her grandfather Sir Ernest Shackleton, the
qualities of optimism, courage, imagination and patience – his polar
achievements are extraordinary triumphs of physical and mental endurance, and
should serve as a reminder to us all that, in Michael’s own words, ‘our
limits are often far beyond where we may assume them to be’.
***
Michael
McGrath speaks at conferences and events worldwide. He is available to host
award ceremonies, support product launches, make appearances and deliver bespoke
workshops that for example draw
out key learning’s from his own experiences and achievements, revealing how
individuals and organisations can expand their performance potential.
Areas
of Expertise
Strong
self-belief, meticulous preparation, focus and personal accountability are his
guiding principles. Michael’s qualities of determination, courage, resilience,
optimism and purpose of mind ensure all parties with whom he connects achieve
positive outcomes. Beneath his personable disposition and appealing sense of
humour, there lie profound messages that provoke, stimulate and inspire change.
By
no means exhaustive, Michael has delivered on a variety of topics, themes and
workshops including:
Belief
and The Power Within
Leadership
in Action
pole2pole
~ What Goes Up Must Go Down
Working
with calculated Risk
Flexing
your Brand
Muscle
Challenging
Preconceptions about disABILITY
Valuing
Difference
Inspiring
others to Reach
Beyond
Look
at ME … not my disability
ABILITY,
not disABILITY
Triumph
over Adversity
The
Disability Business Case
Focus
on YOUR goals
Inclusion
Today in business
Finding
the Balance
“You’re expertly researched, emotive and thought-provoking presentation set an enthralling benchmark for the rest of our
conference” Hertfordshire Sports Partnership (Director)
“The session was fully booked, or rather over-booked and Michael immediately captured the audience with his sheer focus and determination. I wouldn’t hesitate to urge anyone looking for an inspirational speaker to engage him
immediately.”Notting Hill Housing Trust (Group Corporate Services Director)
“Michael’s
can-do presentation at our 2005 Barclays UK Banking Senior Leadership Conference
was inspirational … in particular, he really brought to life the commercial
imperatives of the diversity agenda … contributing significantly to the
overall success of the event”
Alastair
Camp, Managing Director, Medium Business &
Daniel
Kemmler, International Business Leader
Sharon
Dance, Director of Communications & Corporate Affairs
“Michael
had a significant impact at our 2005 Senior Management Conference by providing
an inspirational message to all. His
strong message of the powerful benefits to be gained by connecting with people
was very well received; this will continue to add value for years to come in our
internal relationships, with our clients and with our customers.
Michael’s energy and portfolio of achievement in the face of adversity
serves as a great example to all who are privileged to hear him speak”
Paul
Kirk, Group Managing Director
Wolfgang
M. Neumann, Area President
Sir
Richard Branson, Chairman