A British Business Group member will be reliving the experience of trekking 850km to the North Pole at an Iftar dinner hosted by the BBG on Wednesday.

Adrian Hayes, a Dubai-based adventurer, completed the arduous walk to the North Pole in April this year, and will be reflecting on the mission with fellow BBG members and guests at the event at Le Meridian Mena Seyahi hotel. 

A former Ghurka officer and special forces soldier in the British Army, Adrian has a CV full of spectacular experiences, action and achievement.

Guests at the BBG event will be able to ask him questions about his latest mission and there will also be an opportunity to hear more about his summit of Mount Everest in 2006 as well as find out about the final quest in his ‘Three Poles of the Earth’ challenge, to walk to the South Pole in November 2007. 

“The expedition to the North Pole is deemed to be the biggest challenge in the world,” said Hayes. “No-one can prepare you for or even describe the brutality of the weather conditions you face.”

“I trained hard in Dubai, pulling tyres along the beach, hiking in the mountains with heavy rock packs, running, cycling, weight training and rowing, but the month we spent in Canada acclimatizing to the conditions helped us the most.”

 “I was the new boy in the team as I’m a mountaineer rather than a trekker, and the lessons I learnt from Richard Weber and Iain Morpeth, my team mates on the mission, were invaluable.  The North Pole is like a completely different planet – I felt like I could have been on Mars, it is so far removed from civilization.  We encountered absolutely no wildlife and in almost two months, I only saw one aircraft in the sky,” he added.

Hayes has been a Dubai resident for more than 10 years and a BBG member for four.  Since leaving his previous job with Airbus he has concentrated on life coaching and motivational speaking for businesses.

Mark Beer, chairman and CEO of the BBG, said: “Adrian’s accomplishments are remarkable and we are honoured he has agreed to relive his latest expedition.  This Iftar dinner is sure to inspire all BBG member and their guests as our community celebrates  Ramadan.”

The BBG was set up in 1987 to encourage the development of British business in the UAE and undertakes a wide range of activities from communicating with decision makers and testing British goods to sharing best business practice. 

Adrian Hayes is one of many inspirational and world class speakers providing speeches at BBG events for the rest of the year.