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 adventurous 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.

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.

Recent clients

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, Medtronic Inc, Remploy, Government Office for the South East, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, various UK public sector organisations including County Councils and Housing Associations, 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 business, Michael has influenced and changed the mind-sets of thousands through speaker engagement and bespoke masterclass activity, giving clients a robust opportunity to creatively leverage key business objectives. Today, his greatest power is his emotional force to not only inspire action but help organisations motivate their people. Michael is also a specialist disABILITY adviser to the hospitality industry and is often invited to write for professional industry journals. He is a judge on the industries prestigious Cateys Awards. Within the hospitality sector, past clients have included Hilton Hotels UK & Ireland, for whom he was exclusively appointed the disABILITY Champion (a figurehead role) for 4 years.

When not speaking or consulting, he’s raising vital funds and awareness to support the important work of The Muscular Help Foundation (musclehelp.com), a UK registered charity based near London that helps children and young people in the UK with muscular dystrophy via its Muscle Dreams programme, live a dream or fulfil a cherished ambition. He is the Co-founder.

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.