Rob Hamill - Gold Elite Speaker
"An extraordinary mental and physical effort – something very, very special" is how the late Sir Peter Blake described Rob Hamill and the late Phil Stubbs' incredible achievement in winning the Atlantic Rowing Race in November 1997.
Marathon rowing champion Rob Hamill represented New Zealand in international rowing for 16 years. Rob’s numerous rowing achievements include a silver medal at the World Championships, gold at the Commonwealth Regatta and a world record on the Concept 2 rowing machine. Rob represented NZ at the Atlanta Olympics then teamed up with Phil and captured headlines around the world winning the gruelling Atlantic Rowing Race in 41 days, 2 hours and 55 minutes.
In the 2001 Trans-Atlantic Rowing Race Rob entered a two-boat campaign, with a women’s crew as the second entry. However, while the crews were in Tenerife preparing for departure, Rob came to the aid of a woman who was being beaten and in the process broke his hand. A replacement was flown in, and amazingly the men’s crew, who had not even trained together, defended the title. And the women’s crew came fourth. More outstanding results for a team and challenge that was put together and co-ordinated by Rob.
In 2003 Rob was Team Leader for the successful Holiday Shoppe Tranz-Atlantic Challenge, who made it a 3-peat of victories in the Atlantic Rowing Race for New Zealand. The team, made up of rowers Kevin Biggar and Jamie Fitzgerald, smashed the previous record by 21 hours.
Rob has spoken to over 100,000 school children throughout New Zealand to help them aspire to reach their goals. He also helps to organise ‘The Great Race’, an annual rowing 8s clash between Waikato and Cambridge/Oxford (UK) Universities on the Waikato River and his latest project is the Bridge to Bridge Rowing Challenge between Sydney and Auckland harbour bridges; not to mention helping his wife Rachel, raising their two young boys!
Rob’s book The Naked Rower is a gripping account of the experience of ocean rowing competition.
Rob believes that with vision and passion anything is possible and says "Find out what you enjoy, find out what you’re good at and don’t let anyone say you can’t do something."
"Brother Number One" is a New Zealand documentary on the torture and murder of Rob’s eldest brother Kerry Hamill by the Khmer Rouge in 1978. It follows Rob’s journey as he travels to Cambodia to retrace the steps taken by his brother, Canadian Stuart Glass and Englishman John Dewhirst, speaking to eyewitnesses, perpetrators and survivors. To read more and see a sample of the film click here.
Rob's presentation on the trials and tribulations of ocean rowing and related projects is humorous yet motivational. He will inspire you to pursue your dreams whatever they may be, to take on new challenges, overcoming hardship against the odds and know that with passion anything is possible!
Rob's life is about following the dream, decision making, commitment, team building, goal setting, planning, focus, determination, positive thinking and, of course, winning!
Testimonials
Rob is a fantastic speaker. He was humorous and kept the audience entertained and inspired. The feedback from our clients has been extremely positive. He is extremely down to earth and even stayed behind and mingled with our clients after the presentation which was a nice touch.—GHD Limited
Rob was asked to speak on behalf of Rowing NZ. I know he had to put in some extra hours preparing the speech and linking it to our function. It was fantastic. My feedback comments indicate that he made the night. He sold a large number of his books and gave us his profits’ for our fundraiser. We thought that was very generous. He networked the tables and was accessible to all. He arrived early to ensure that the electronic equipment was working , this made for a good presentation. Good humour and speech content were evident—St Peters School
Rob was given a very tight time frame, he managed to condense his address and relate it to our business. The audience were totally focused. They were entertained plus informed. Visual were good and technically excellent.—Building Industry Authority
What an excellent speaker and a very inspirational story. The audience loved it.— Colonial
Rob has a remarkable story, told in a clever and compelling way. He is able to engage deeply with his audience; he made us laugh, cry and most importantly think deeply, as leaders, about our role in the world. One of the best!—Fonterra
Extremely motivational speaker – related his comments back to the crowd and their lives so made it personal for everyone.—Direct Management Services
Favourite quotes
"Find out what you enjoy, find out what you’re good at and don’t let anyone say you can’t do something."
"Anything is Possible."
"The right product, the right team came from nothing - nothing but a dream."
More information
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