Jonny Huntington

Jonny Huntington is an elite endurance athlete, explorer, stroke survivor and motivational figure who recently became the first person with a disability to ski solo and unsupported to the South Pole.

While serving as an officer in the British Army in 2014, Jonny had a stroke that caused complete paralysis from the neck down on his left side. Following extensive rehabilitation and discharge from the Armed Forces, Jonny entered the world of elite sport as a disabled athlete, competing for Great Britain as a para cross-country skier.

This winter, determined to push his physical and mental limits, and having undertaken numerous endurance challenges in the past, Jonny embarked on his toughest expedition yet. Over 46 days, Jonny covered 911 km of Antarctic tundra, joining a select group of people who have successfully skied to the South Pole without support.

Jonny skied for around 11 hours a day, dragging all his equipment and food in a sled weighing more than 100kg. Throughout the expedition, he battled Antarctic temperatures as low as -40°C, high winds, crevasses and relentless 24-hour daylight.

A sports scientist with expertise in psychophysiology, cognition and nutrition, Jonny strives to help others optimise their performance, have greater confidence in working towards ambitious goals, and build a more sophisticated understanding of what is really meant by resilience.

In the buildup to his expedition, and since completing, Jonny has been delivering talks and workshops for corporates and schools. His corporate work has seen him deliver talks for insurance, property and tech businesses both as one-offs or as a series of workshops helping deliver organisational change.