Major Accomplishments

Here is a pdf document with the official biography of Caroline Hamilton

March -> June 2002 / M&G Investments North Pole Expedition 2002 : Together with two other briton ladies, Pom Oliver and Caroline Hamilton, Ann starts the trek from Ward Hunt on March 13th. Quite slow progression during the first weeks of the expedition averaging about 2 km per day. Pom Oliver leaves the ice on March 28th as a result of frostbite and wet gangrene. After many dramatic events along the journey (both fell into the ocean and had to swim across open leads), on Saturday June 1st, Ann and Caroline reach the NP.
They are the first female British explorers to have trekked to the geographic North Pole as part of an 'all female' expedition. As members of the 2000 M&G ISA Challenge Expedition to the geographic South Pole, Caroline and Ann are the first female explorers in history to have trekked to both geographic Poles as part of 'all female' expeditions.
(Our coverage)

Background

Caroline Hamilton is a recordbreaking polar explorer and a successful businesswoman. She shares her experiences and insights into human potential in speeches that are moving, humorous and inspirational.
In June 2002, after 81 days and over 500 miles hauling sledges through appalling polar conditions, Caroline Hamilton and her team-mate, Ann Daniels, reached the North Pole. In so doing, they set two world records:
· Caroline and Ann are the first female British explorers to have trekked to the geographic North and South Poles as part of all-women expeditions
· Caroline and Ann are the first female explorers in history to have trekked to both geographic Poles as part of all-women expeditions Caroline had led two previous expeditions, but the journey to the North Pole proved her most demanding yet.
Together with Ann and Pom Oliver, she set off to become part of the first all-women team to reach the North Pole unsupported. However, from the start, conditions turned against them and they battled for weeks through fields of giant ice boulders, enduring exceptionally low temperatures of minus 45-50 ° Celsius. Their equipment froze solid and, worst of all, three major storms with winds of 90 mph confined them to their tent for days at a time. At one point, unable to put up their tent, the women were trapped under a tarpaulin on the open ice for 50 hours without food or heat, as they were buried alive under drifting snow. The team survived, but not unscathed. Caroline's frostbite was so severe that she could not use her hands for two weeks, while Pom's toes became so infected that, after 47 days of excruciating pain, she had to be airlifted out. Caroline and Ann were devastated but carried on. In a race against time, they managed to cover the last 330 miles in 30 days.

As the weather improved, the ice began to melt and break up around them. Caroline and Ann fell through the ice many times and, with sections of the route cut off, they were forced to swim with their sledges through stretches of sub-zero sea water. Finally, after giving their all, they reached the North Pole on June 2 nd 2002 , the day of the Queen's Golden Jubilee.

Caroline shares her experiences of the harshest environment on earth, of what it feels like to be pushed to your limits, and how she survived her brutal, life-threatening journeys. Her story is one of courage and tenacity, of dealing with rapidly changing circumstances, focussing on your goal and building supreme trust in the people around you. Caroline has never failed to reach her goal. Prior to the North Pole expedition in 2002, she was the leader and driving force behind two other successful polar expeditions – the first all-women relay to the North Pole in 1997 and the first British all-women expedition to the South Pole in 2000.

Caroline was also an investment banker for eight years. She is a Cambridge blue and is now a director of a private company called Screen Partners where she acts as a risk manager and advisor to insurance companies financing the international film and television industry. Unlike many explorers and adventurers, Caroline's continued success in other walks of life allows her to draw valuable lessons from her polar experiences and create closely tailored presentations for her clients.

Her topics include:

- Trust and Teamwork
- Risk and Crisis Management
- Managing Change
- Thinking Without Limits

Caroline's corporate clients have included BT, Credit Suisse First Boston, Marks and Spencer, McKinsey & Co, Miller Insurance, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter and Novartis.