Lewis Pugh

Lewis Pugh goes to extremes. As an ocean advocate and pioneer swimmer he's been to the world's most inaccessible places. He's put his body through unimaginably difficult conditions, harnessed the energy that comes from overcoming extraordinary odds, and turned it into fuel for his motivational fire. Lewis read law at the University of Cape Town and University of Cambridge before working as a maritime lawyer in London for a number of years. In 2003, he left to follow his dream: to protect our oceans. He is the only person to have completed a long distance swim in every ocean of the world. In 2007 he became the first to undertake a swim across the icy waters of the North Pole. In 2010 he swam across a glacial lake on Mt Everest to draw attention to the melting glaciers in the Himalayas. To date he has pioneered more swims around famous landmarks than any other swimmer in history. His mission: to raise awareness about the vulnerability of our oceans and their importance to humanity. Lewis's vivid storytelling style makes him a popular public speaker. His leadership address at the Business Innovation Forum was voted one of the “7 Most Inspiring Videos on the Web”. Many millions of people have viewed his TED talks, and countless others followed him on BBC, Good Morning America, CNN, Jon Stewart, National Geographic, Sky News, Al Jazeera, Jay Leno and more. His autobiography “Achieving the Impossible” is a Bestseller and was chosen for Oprah’s Exclusive Book List.His awards include France and South Africa’s highest honours, as well as the Freedom of the City of London. In 2010, the World Economic Forum named him a Young Global Leader for his “potential to contribute to shaping the future of the world through inspiring leadership.”Lewis is currently training in Cape Town for a major expedition to highlight the plight of the world’s oceans. Follow his preparations at http://www.lewispugh.com.