Pete Bethune
Pete Bethune has pushed himself to the limits, faced adversity and challenge but never given up along the way. In 2008 Pete skippered Earthrace in a record setting voyage around the globe. They completed the journey in 60 days 23 hours and 49 minutes, smashing the old record by over 2 weeks. This amazing journey really has been the pinnacle of his career to date. He is now a saught after conference speaker sharing his amazing stories.
With bachelor degrees in both Engineering and Science, plus an MBA from Sydney, Pete has the business know-how and founded his own high-tech company CamSensor, which manufactures automated camera systems for controlling robots and performing on-line quality control. On leaving University, he worked as an Oil Exploration Engineer, based firstly in the North Sea, and then in the Middle East.
He is passionate about the environment, passionate about technology, and passionate about renewable fuels. The last five years of his life have been dedicated to promoting biodiesel as part of a transition towards sustainability.
In addition to the Earthrace record voyage, Pete and his team visited 181 cities around the globe, and over a quarter of a million people have now walked aboard his amazing vessel. He and his team have wakeboarded Loch Ness, they’ve dived and fished their way around the globe, and they’ve visited some of the world’s remotest reefs and atolls. But the voyage has not been all plain sailing. He’s been shot at by both Somalis and Columbians, he and his crew were detained in a military base under armed guard for 9 days, and he’s been absolutely terrified in more storms than he cares to remember.
Last year Pete signed up with Sea Shepherd, and headed down to Antarctica in the summer to disrupt the operations of Japanese Whalers. He boarded the Shonan Maru, a Japanese security vessel, was arrested and taken to Japan where he spent five months in prison. Eventually after a lengthy battle he was given a five year suspended sentence and was allowed to return home, back to New Zealand.
Pete covers topics ranging from leadership through to risk management and technology. He is a dynamic and entertaining motivational speaker with a lot of exciting stories to share. His storytelling ability really makes you feel like you were there!
Testimonials
Pete is a thoroughly captivating and inspirational speaker with fascinating stories to tell. The audiences were immersed in his story and reacted positively to his environmental message. I watched as many guests caught his passion and reconnected with whatever was once important to them.
As a journalist and broadcaster, I've interviewed hundreds - possibly thousands - of people over my professional life, including performers, top-rated economists and the occasional personal development 'guru'; I'd rate Pete among the best of them.—Eco Living Expo
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