Sele Selamolela

Sele Selamolela is an accomplished explorer who has journeyed to some of the most inhospitable environments in the world. Sele made mountaineering history when he summited Mount Everest on 18 May 2006, becoming the second Black African and the youngest African to set foot on the top of the world.

Sele's expedition nearly came to an end when he collapsed near the summit at 8845m. He believes it is through a deep instinct to live, teamwork and the grace of God that he survived this ordeal. An 18 men epic rescue by the Expedition leaders, Sherpas and teammates made sure Sele's life was spared, achieving the highest Mountaineering rescue in history.

Prior to the Everest expedition, Sele pursued mountaineering and adventure escapades across the globe. He has climbed in four continents, and has completed three of the seven summits.

Sele was born and raised in Soweto and completed his schooling in Johannesburg. He then relocated to study at the University of Cape Town, where he received a Civil Engineering degree. He currently works as a Risk Manager in the banking industry.

MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKING

Sele is an ordinary man who has achieved the extraordinary. He inspires with his personal story about reaching the top of Mount Everest, through a warm, authentic and personal presentation style.

He shares his experiences and insights into human potential in speeches that are moving, humorous and inspirational. Using spectacular images, video footage and stories to describe the harshest environment on earth and tells what it is like to be pushed to your limits, Sele's story is one of courage, tenacity, triumph of the human spirit and the immense human instinct to survive. It is a story of dealing with rapidly changing circumstances, focusing on your goals and the innate strength we all have within us to succeed.  He was part of the Everest Peace Project which was made up of people from different cultures, races, religions and countries. His story powerfully demonstrates how any team can work together to achieve any goal by building supreme trust in each other.

Mount Everest has been seen as an icon of tacking a big challenge. He uses powerful anecdotes and vivid analogies to convey the elements that parallel the challenges of striving individuals and organizations.

His presentation touches on various themes, including:

• The paradox of risk
• Cross-cultural communication
• Mountaineering
• Teamwork
• Personal Leadership
• Personal inspiration
• Interfaith dialogue
• Training
• Crisis and disaster management
• Anyone can succeed: Sele's journey from Soweto to Everest