Holly Budge

Topics

• Adventure Sport
• Female Speaker
• International Speaker
• Leadership
• Motivational
• Risk Management

Holly Budge is a world-class adventurer, Everest summiteer, and the first woman to skydive past the world’s highest peak. She is a sought-after keynote speaker on risk, leadership, and the power of a growth mindset.

Holly’s deeply personal and highly actionable talks supercharge businesses and teams to think BIG, embrace uncertainty and take bold action. With gripping, often nail-biting stories, Holly takes audiences on a journey from the icy slopes of Everest to freefalling at 120 mph past the summit, to racing 1000 km across Mongolia on semi-wild horses. She doesn’t just talk about risk—she lives it.

Through her often-humorous storytelling, she reveals the mindset shifts, strategic decisions, and resilience-building tactics that separate those who dream from those who DO. Holly believes that we all have an Everest to climb, but the fear of failure or the unknown often holds us back. After her talk, you’ll not only be inspired—you’ll be ready to take action.

Off the podium, Holly is the founder of How Many Elephants NGO and the visionary behind World Female Ranger Week. As a UN Women UK Delegate and recently voted ‘Female Thought Leader of the Year in Non-Profit’, she has spent over a decade championing female rangers, witnessing first-hand their profound impact on conservation, communities, and gender equality.

Her work has reached over 500 million people worldwide, earning high praise from Sir David Attenborough. She has raised over £500,000 for conservation, supporting 5,500+ female rangers and funding projects in 24+ countries across Africa, Asia, and South America. Holly’s powerful conservation initiatives have been featured in BBC Woman’s Hour, Sky News, Times Radio, BBC Wildlife, Marie Claire, Travel & Leisure, and Wanderlust. She recently launched Wildlife Positive Travel, offering immersive, on-the-ground experiences with ranger teams, led by Holly, that connect travellers directly with frontline conservation efforts in South Africa and Kenya.