Mark Squirrell OAM
Mark “Squiz” Squirrell OAM has lived a high risk and high impact life. Squiz was awarded the coveted “Green Beret” whilst serving with the Australian Commando’s and then went on to work across the globe as an International Aid Worker. Squiz escorted food convoys through the Gaza Strip, negotiated with the Liberation Tigers of Tamel Eelam (Tamil Tigers) and brokered deals with Somali Clansmen to ensure the safe delivery of United Nations food aid.
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From car bombings, the Ebola Outbreak to meeting Yasser Arafat and making it to the summit of Mount Everest, Mark ‘Squiz” Squirrell OAM has experienced more than many can dream about.
Squiz was awarded the coveted “Green Beret” whilst serving with the Australian Commando’s. His tenure with the military provided him with the skills and courage to succeed amongst adversity and turmoil. It was the perfect grounding for a career as an International Aid Worker.
Squiz escorted food convoys through the Gaza Strip, negotiated with the Liberation Tigers of Tamel Eelam (Tamil Tigers) and brokered deals with Somali Clansmen to ensure the safe delivery of United Nations food aid. In doing so, he has mastered the challenges of performing under pressure, communicating effectively and building relationships.
Squiz uses anecdotes and presents real time scenarios that demand lateral thinking to deliver relevant and practical tips for those working in today’s complex and fluid global market. The real time conundrums are presented via authentic video, Virtual Reality goggles and photos that have the audience embroiled in the critical decision makingthat led to his eventual success.
In addition to this, Squiz has taken the concept of being motivated at work to an all new high. He was inspired by his organisation, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), and the impoverished people that it feeds, to climb to the top of the world to help raise awareness of the global hunger crisis. After a gruelling six week ordeal, Squiz raised the WFP flag on the summit of Mount Everest. The inspiring and thrilling recount across glaciers and up exposed cliffs reveal the motivation, habits and adversity skills that facilitated his success.
Squiz has a Bachelor of Business (HRM) and has published a memoire titled From Arafat to Everest. In 2019 Squiz was recognised in the Australia Day Honours List with an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for “service to the international community through humanitarian aid”. He continues to deploy on short term assignments to emergency zones, such as the Ebola Outbreak in West Africa and Nepal Earthquake.
Now based out of Melbourne, Squiz provides keynotes, workshops and team building activities to develop workplace performance. Unique footage played through Virtual Reality goggles guarantee that your staff will have a life-like, high impact and unforgettable experience!
Talks that move a room to act
Each keynote is tailored to your audience, theme and outcomes.
Extreme Leadership
This session focuses on the importance of making informed and early decisions in order to take control of high pressure and fluid circumstances. There are also tips and ideas that frontline and strategic leaders can take back to the workplace to build the teams they lead and motivate them to reach new heights.
Strategic Thinking
This session reveals how Squiz was motivated to step outside of his “Job Description” to climb Everest in order to raise awareness of global hunger. By doing so he was helping his organisation, the United Nations World Food Programme, achieve one of its strategic goals; to obtain global awareness on behalf of those that endure hunger and poverty.
Virtual Reality Experience
Experience first-hand the challenges and rewards of working in war zones and climbing Everest with this unique visual stimulation. Your team will literally be taken on a humanitarian mission into the Gaza Strip to experience first-hand an authentic, high-pressure situation that demands excellence in decision making, teamwork and leadership. They will also experience the joys of climbing to the summit of Mount Everest, inspiring them to go to new heights.
Building Resilience and Decision Making Under Pressure
This session reveals the proven strategies that enable success when dealing with adversity, high pressure and complex work environments. It will motivate your team to dive in when things begin to get challenging and allow your organisation to succeed when others are pulling back.
Safety and Risk Management
Squiz has managed the safety of personnel and operations in some of the world’s most high risk and fluid work environments, the battlefield! The mindset and mitigation strategies that he has employed have given him the confidence to go back into these environments over decades and face up to the inevitable obstacles found on Mt Everest. This storyline provides a perfect example of how high-risk environments can be successfully navigated.
Inspiring reads by Mark Squirrell OAM
Explore publications and books authored by Mark Squirrell OAM.
What your audience walks away with
Belief
Living proof that more is possible, no matter the starting point.
Resilience
Practical strength they can use the moment they leave the room.
Permission
To talk openly about mental health and support one another.
Momentum
The motivation to act, reinvent and perform at a higher level.
What organisers say
"Squiz was fantastic! A really strong, engaging presentation and Q&A that was truly inspirational and landed the key messages for the team to take away really succinctly. He delivered very strongly against the theme / messages brief I provided prior to the session. He has an amazing story to tell which inspired the team to think bigger We are in the midst of a post conference survey and Squiz presentation has received a 4.8 out of 5 across all participant responses – Definitely one of the highlights of the conference! I personally will be recommending Squiz to others – not only a great guest speaker, but a bloody good guy!"
"Oh my goodness! He was amazing. You were absolutely right….he was inspiring, funny and truly had the audience captivated! I actually have one of our franchisees in Melbourne thinking about booking him for another event!"
"....it was a pleasure to have you take us all on a journey to some places far removed from our daily work lives, but none the less relevant. The scenario exercise in particular provided our staff with a great opportunity to problem solve using some basic tools that operate at a very human level, something I know the team valued and made for great discussion the next day as we continued to work with these principles"
"All delegates at the Forum were impressed with his story and the relevance to what we as an industry are trying to achieve. Squiz's story and the way he presented it uplifted all of us to new heights."
"The executive team at Indigo was very energized by your presentation to the group. Hearing your stories about working as a team in times of adversity, allowed us to draw some terrific parallels to how we can work closely together as a cohesive unit under difficult circumstances."
"Squiz was an absolutely engaging guest speaker. His incredible story of resilience and adventure was not only inspiring but also captivating from start to finish. Squiz has a natural way of connecting with the audience, and his energy and authenticity made a lasting impression. A truly memorable and motivating experience! "
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