Debra Searle MBE

Debra Searle MBE is a professional adventurer, author and TV presenter. She is also a keynote speaker par excellence who is trusted by the world’s top organisations such as IBM, Unilever, BT, UBS, Microsoft, Nokia, AMP and Pfizer. Debra’s keynotes focus on:

Change

Motivation and productivity

Team work and positive relationships

Achieving impossible goals

Commitment and perseverance

Debra’s most popular keynote is ‘Choose Your Attitude!’ sharing the story of her remarkable row across the Atlantic following her former husband’s premature departure from their small wooden boat.

Atlantic Rower and Adventurer

After her oarsman husband developed an uncontrollable fear of the ocean, Debra, a novice rower, continued alone and rowed 3000 miles across the Atlantic. It should have taken them 6 weeks but, to achieve her goal, Debra ended up spending 3 ½ months at sea alone, often battling against 30' waves, sharks, and force 8 squalls in a 23' plywood boat. Since this amazing feat Debra has also completed the longest canoe race in the world, sailed around Antarctica, set a new World Record in a Dragon Boat across the English Channel and completed the gruelling L’Etape du Tour cycle race in the Pyrenees Mountains.

Motivational and after-dinner speaker

Debra is a ‘refreshing change’ to the usual speakers on the circuit. She is young, attractive, articulate, funny and unassuming. Often very emotive, she shares her highs and lows, personal battles and victories, to help illustrate in a very human way what we are all capable of. She is not a motivational speaker reliant on buzz words, hype and jargon. Her main themes are how to stay motivated, being adaptable to change, overcoming obstacles, excelling outside your comfort zone, how to improve team-working through encouraging one another and how to choose the right attitude, however impossible the end goal may seem.

Debra powerfully illustrates her speech with slides and stunning video footage and leaves her audience in no doubt of their own ability to achieve the extraordinary both individually and collectively. She sets herself apart from other speakers by her level of commitment to each project. Taking the time to ensure she fully understands the conference themes and gathering company and industry specific information allows her to tailor her presentation to your exact requirements. This same level of commitment is carried through to the event where she makes every effort to speak with delegates on a one-to-one basis.

Debra in business and the media

Not just a woman with an interesting story, Debra Searle walks the talk in the business world having started her first company aged 24 and her second aged 27. She is a Managing Director, the only female and youngest Trustee of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, a published author of two books and regular newspaper feature writer.

Debra's ease in front of the camera, drive and enthusiasm has led to a number of TV presenting opportunities outside of the adventure arena. As well as presenting on BBC Grandstand, Debra has also presented Big Strong Boys and Builders, Sweat and Tears on BBC1 Daytime. She has completed work for CBBC Education, was the subject of a documentary for BBC Extreme Lives and presented ITV’s Southampton Boat Show.