Michael brings the mental and emotional skills from elite sport and extreme performance into working life, in an entertaining and engaging way. Whether talking about how it’s possible to run 6 marathons in a single day, high performance later in life, stepping into challenge, or simply blowing minds, Michael’s messages are powerful, humorous and delivered from an utterly unique perspective.
Michael has held international leadership roles in business, run for Great Britain, and founded elite ultra-running team, Hour 7, focused on the science of endurance and recovery. His approach to performance is evident in his bestselling book, One Track Mind, about his run of 155 miles (250km) in 24 hours on an athletics track in London.
To reach an elite level, Michael replicated the support system of an Olympic athlete, within the limitations of a challenging working life. He then ran for GB at the World 24-Hour Championships in France at the age of 50, the oldest runner to debut for GB in the modern era. In 2022 he broke the World Record for 100-miles for any athlete over the age of 50, running the distance in 13 hours 41 minutes, an average pace of just over 8 minutes a mile.
Michael is a highly experienced speaker having regularly addressed audiences of hundreds or even thousands in the course of his career. Before becoming founder and CEO of elite endurance team, Hour 7, Michael founded a number of software and services businesses. He has a background in corporate law and was on the management board of a multi-national mobile phone group by the unusual age of 25. He was subsequently elected to Chairman of the GSMA, the global technology standards organisation for mobile operators from over a hundred countries. In that role he led international discussions that determined the future direction of mobile technology, and was media spokesperson for the industry globally.