Speaker of the day: Nicolas Vanier — Leadership and Management

Languages spoken by the speaker:

• French
• English

Nicolas Vanier gives lectures in French-speaking Switzerland (Geneva, Lausanne, Vaud, Neuchâtel...).

The traveler… of the cold

With nearly twenty expeditions to the Great North and tens of thousands of kilometers covered from Alaska to Siberia, passing through Canada, Lapland, Mongolia, China and Russia, Nicolas symbolizes for most of us the very spirit of adventure with a capital A.

His experiences have been rich in lessons, some difficult situations, true life lessons, and his many encounters a real source of inspiration, which Nicolas is now passionately striving to share! Come meet this incredible traveler of the cold and let him tell you his wonderful stories lived in the Up Country.

Nicolas Vanier's odysseys through the great cold

• 1979 Nicolas's first journey at 17, crossing LAPLAND on foot
• 1983 COUREUR DES BOIS QUEBEC-LABRADOR Peninsula by dog sled (1700 km)
• 1986 HISTORICAL TRIATHLON ALASKA (7000 km)
• 1990 TRANSSIBERIA from MONGOLIA to the ARCTIC OCEAN by canoes, reindeer, horses, dog sleds, ponies (7000 km)
• 1993 Nicolas shares the life of the Evenks, reindeer herders, a nomadic people of Siberia
• 1994 2000 km in the heart of the CANADIAN ROCKIES with his wife and daughter
• 1996 First participation in the YUKON QUEST The most ambitious dog sled race (1600 km)
• 1998 WHITE ODYSSEY Crossing Canada in 100 days
• 2004 Creation of LA GRANDE ODYSSÉE SAVOIE MONT-BLANC European dog sled race (1000 km)
• 2005 SIBERIAN ODYSSEY from Lake Baikal to Moscow (8000 km)
• 2014 WILD ODYSSEY – His ultimate 6000km expedition in Siberia, China and Mongolia
• 2015 For the second time, he participates in the YUKON QUEST (1600 km)
• 2017 His last challenge before hanging up his snowshoes: THE IDITAROD, the most famous dog sled race over 1600 km

The director and the writer

Nicolas Vanier is also a storyteller; his journeys are the subject of some forty books, films and documentaries in which he retranscribes his experiences, making the general public and the traveler slumbering in each of us dream.

Nicolas turned to fiction for the first time in 2004 with The Last Trapper and reiterated this exercise four years later with Wolf. His directorial talents were confirmed in 2013 with Belle & Sebastian, then with School of Life (2017), Spread Your Wings (2018), Poly (2020), and Champagne!, a film released on June 8, 2022.

Between family adventure films and ecological chronicles, Nicolas's works are true hymns to nature, gathering around him a loyal audience, sensitive to his passion and the values he embodies.

The ambassador of nature

Ambassador of nature and fervent defender of what he calls "positive ecology," Nicolas seeks to express the beauty of the world in images, in words, but also in actions. A privileged observer and direct witness to climate change on landscapes, peoples, and biodiversity, Nicolas acts as the spokesperson for those who believe in humanity and its capacity to live sustainably and in harmony with our beautiful planet.

Far from adopting an alarmist discourse, he shares his concrete and resolutely positive vision of ecology through educational actions and environmental education, conferences, or strategic support missions for companies. Many organizations call on Nicolas to talk about sustainable development, risk management, management, and to transmit his passion for entrepreneurship...

Through numerous themes inspired by his personal and professional accomplishments, thanks to a unique and authentic testimony, he creates direct analogies with the challenges of your company, your organization, and society in general.

Nicolas Vanier's favorite themes

Motivation

Nothing beats strong experience to talk about motivation and boost your audience's imagination! Throughout his career, Nicolas has constantly pushed his own limits, and he demonstrates, through a testimony filled with enthusiasm and humility, that it is possible to achieve one's dreams!

Management

As an entrepreneur, Nicolas has managed many teams, both for the preparation of his expeditions, on the field, and for the filming of his movies. He also knew how to manage his pack of dogs, learning to channel them without curbing their will to go. His objective? To raise awareness and acculturate managers and leaders to current and future managerial challenges.

Risk Management

During his expeditions, Nicolas was constantly subject to the ruthless laws of the Great North: climatic conditions, isolation, unforeseen events, stress, etc. For some of his films, he had to mobilize very large teams for long periods, while the climatic conditions and isolation were harsh and difficult for novices to grasp. Nicolas learned to prepare for and react to the many difficulties he faced. He thus humbly shares the incredible trials he overcame during his many journeys.

Foresight

Nicolas is a man resolutely focused on the future, who nourishes a prospective reflection on what comes next, thus trying to envision different scenarios to face and anticipate the world of tomorrow more serenely.