27 February 2026 · 3 min read
Speaker of the day: Nicolas Hale Woods — Leadership and Management
Every day we spotlight one voice from the UnoMe network. Today: Nicolas Hale Woods, Leadership and Management — one of the keynote speakers we recommend for corporate events and conferences in Ras Al Khaimah, Dammam and across the GCC.
Who is Nicolas Hale Woods?
Nicolas Hale-Woods is known as the co-founder of the Xtreme de Verbier, and founder of the Freeride World Tour, the Ski and Snowboard Freeride World Cup, of which the Xtreme de Verbier is the final. Heading a team of 12 people, the company also manages the sport's pyramid comprising 4,000 licensed athletes and over 130 competitions worldwide that allow juniors to progress on the Freeride Junior Tour, and the next generation to qualify for the Freeride World Tour on the Freeride World Qualifier.
Son of an Englishman and a mother from Neuchâtel, Switzerland. He got used to going on the slopes from a young age with his grandmother. He studied in Switzerland, but also in the United Kingdom and Belgium, and it was in Fribourg that he obtained a degree in economic sciences. During his studies in the mid-80s, he developed a passion for snowboarding. His goal: to accumulate adrenaline off-piste and why not in other environments (especially in water surfing).
With friends, he created the Swiss Surfing Association and was able to participate in the amateur world surfing championships in 1992. For a country with no ocean, that's cool, he said! A bit like the Jamaicans in bobsleigh…
It was then that he developed freeride competitions in Verbier, and that marked the beginning of his career.Languages spoken by the speaker
- English
- French
Nicolas Hale-Woods offers conferences in French-speaking Switzerland and Anglo-Saxon countries (Geneva, Lausanne, Paris, London…)
With UnoMe, you can benefit from the expertise of this business leader specializing in the organization of high-quality sporting events.
He can offer high-level conferences on business, leadership and management themes, and on motivating your teams.
Topics on stage
- Leadership and Management
- Individual and Collective Motivation
Who is this keynote for?
A talk by Nicolas Hale Woods fits annual kick-offs, leadership days, industry conferences and talent programmes. The format usually runs 45 to 60 minutes, with an optional Q&A or a closed-door executive workshop.
Booking in the UAE and the Gulf
UnoMe, the Swiss Speakers' Bureau in Dubai, handles everything: selection, negotiation, travel and preparation with your team. Contact us to check Nicolas Hale Woods's availability for your date.