From boardroom to adventure guide - a journey of discovery
As a young 16 year old I couldn’t wait to join the army and explore all the amazing opportunities it had to offer. After completing the Royal Engineers Junior Leaders Course over 12 months and thereafter specialist continuation training, I was posted to North Yorkshire. Here my appetite for climbing, kayaking, mountaineering, skiing and pretty much any other type of adventurous activity was more than satisfied through close links with the Tri-Service Adventure Training School.
In the late 1980’s opportunity to travel the world was abundant and I made certain to grasp every opportunity that came my way. This is where my love for wilderness travel and expeditions was cemented and my passion for canoeing and kayaking in particular confirmed.
After nearly 14 years service which included re-badging to the Royal Army Medical Corps I left the military qualified as an Operating Department Practitioner and almost by mistake found myself working in medical recruitment. This is where I remained for over 20 years, working my way up the career ladder to positions as Managing Director and Chief Executive.
Throughout this time I was never far away from adventure and took time to qualify as a British Canoeing Level 3 Coach, Leader and Accredited Guide. Spending as much time as possible exploring inland and coastal waterways both home and abroad, the notion of one day setting up my own canoe guiding business was born.
They say that the pandemic caused many people to refocus and reevaluate what should be important in life. This was certainly true for me and eventually provided the catalyst to quit the day job and focus on building my own canoe coaching and guide business – Red River Guiding.
My objective throughout has been to provide accessible adventure in a safe and supportive manner. This underpins my coaching and leadership philosophies and encapsulates my firm belief that wilderness adventure shouldn’t be for a privileged few but accessible to all irrespective of ability or background.
The journey from boardroom to adventure guide continues but the decision to swap my three piece suit for my dry suit appears to have been the right one!
For courses and expedition opportunities visit
