The Master of Understatement
Posted on April 26, 2007
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Yesterday I attended for the second year running the Annual Convention for the Institute of Directors at the Royal Albert Hall. Personally, I think it started badly if you compare it to last years speakers. But it started to turn round when Jacqueline Gold, Chief Executive of Ann Summers spoke. A take no prisoners kind of woman. Followed by John Madejski, Reading Football Club’s Chairman for the last 17 years, who was a last minute stand-in for David Dein, the then Vice President of Arsenal F.C ( bad timing for falling out with Arsenal). Both Jacqueline and John were speakers that had had their fair share of passion, problems and humour. Their talks turned the conference round for me.
But after lunch saw, in the dreaded graveyard slot, after a superb lunch, a number of ales, was the Master of Understatement, Ranulph Fiennes. If you’re ever having a bad day, or you think that your being dealt a bad hand and the world is out to get you, just read up on this guy. Seriously, he humbles you! I don’t know many people walking on this planet that can say, “I can top that…”. A soldier, adventurer, author and politician, this man has done it all. Not to mention having chopped off it own fingers in the back of his shed because they were annoying him (actually frostbite), this man climbs mountains to overcome his fear of vertigo!
Now I’m someone who always gives credit where credit is due. This guy can have it all. Recently I have been in two minds about training for a marathon in Poznan, Poland this coming September. This guy, after suffering a heart attack and a triple bypass operation, four months later completes seven marathons, in seven days in seven continents as part of the Land Rover 7×7x7 Challenge for the British Heart Foundation. So no more second thoughts…time to get off my arse and start running.
We left the conference as soon as Lord Levene took the stage…he may be a good man to speak to an a day-to-day basis, face-to-face, but speaker he is not. As we left, we also noted a lot of other attendees leaving the Royal Albert Hall or taking unscheduled fag breaks, with Lord Levene droning on in the background about London, Finance and Tax. All important subjects, but just not this way…and I know I will have missed a gem or two contained somewhere deep within his presentation. Hey ho…
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