A unique professional experience for leaders in times of uncertainty.
The 2027 Financial Times Shackleton
Leadership Expedition
Today’s business leaders face heightened uncertainty on all fronts: geopolitics, economics, technology, security, environment and more.
An expedition mindset can help equip leaders to plan and manage unexpected events as an operational norm. With the right approach, preparation and earned resilience, leaders can summon the judgement, adaptability and humanity for which Sir Ernest Shackleton has become globally renowned.
The FT Shackleton Leadership Expedition is a unique leadership development programme for executives looking to develop their personal and professional capabilities in the majestic polar wilderness of Norway's Hardangervidda National Park.
REGISTER YOUR INTEREST
Shackleton has partnered with the Financial Times to deliver the ultimate leadership development programme for senior leaders and C-Suite executives, combining a polar expedition with business strategy to help leaders navigate increased adversity and uncertainty.
Finse, Norway - the historic training ground for leaders and explorers.
The five-day program is based at the iconic Finse 1222 hotel in central Norway, a unique location steeped in exploration history and offering stylish Norwegian hospitality to today’s adventurers.
Finse served as the training ground for Shackleton, Scott and Amundsen during the Heroic Age of Exploration over a century ago. Located high in the spectacular Hardangervidda National Park and accessible only by the Oslo-Bergen snow train, the Finse region closely resembles Antarctic topography and conditions, making it the first choice for polar preparation then and now.
Shackleton demonstrated that the measure of a leader is not what they achieve when everything goes to plan, but who they are and how they behave when everything falls apart.
Ernest Shackleton’s leadership over a series of polar expeditions was forged entirely in conditions of unpredictability, isolation, and resource scarcity - precisely the conditions that forge strong leaders. He had no supply chain, no communications infrastructure, no ability to escalate decisions upward. Every call was his, made with incomplete information, under extreme pressure.
Shackleton demonstrated that the measure of a leader is not what they achieve when everything goes to plan, but who they are and how they behave when everything falls apart.
Ernest Shackleton’s leadership over a series of polar expeditions was forged entirely in conditions of unpredictability, isolation, and resource scarcity - precisely the conditions that forge strong leaders. He had no supply chain, no communications infrastructure, no ability to escalate decisions upward. Every call was his, made with incomplete information, under extreme pressure.
A landmark partnership for leadership.
Jon Slade is the CEO of the Financial Times Group, our partner on the initiative:
"Sir Ernest Shackleton understood that true leadership is forged in extreme conditions and moments of uncertainty. Today, that same level of unpredictability defines global business - demanding resilience, clarity and decisive action from leaders.
Giving executives the opportunity to test themselves both physically and mentally - off-the-grid and far from daily distractions - is a unique experience we're proud to be a part of."
A five-day event combining polar expeditioning with a structured leadership development program.
The in-field expedition components will be led by Shackleton’s Director of Expeditions, Louis Rudd MBE, an ex-special forces operator and one of the world’s most accomplished polar explorers.
The leadership development elements of the programme will be led by Geraldine Wessing, one of the world's foremost scenario planning practitioners.
These sessions will be predominantly hotel-based with three phases forming the intellectual spine of the week.
A five-day event combining polar expeditioning with a structured leadership development program.
The in-field expedition components will be led by Shackleton’s Director of Expeditions, Louis Rudd MBE, an ex-special forces operator and one of the world’s most accomplished polar explorers.
The leadership development elements of the programme will be led by Geraldine Wessing,
one of the world's foremost scenario planning practitioners.
These sessions will be predominantly hotel-based with three phases forming the intellectual spine of the week.
Phase One : Exploring Uncertainty reveals and breaks down the cognitive defaults that mislead leaders under pressure — the shortcuts that feel like sound judgment but systematically distort the decisions that matter most.
Phase Two: Confronting Uncertainty scenario planning masterclasses led by Geraldine Wessing, applying the Shell Scenarios methodology to each participant's own real strategic challenge.
Phase Three: Leading Through Uncertainty answers the question the programme has been building toward: how do you apply this directly to your leadership challenges and, importantly, make sure you take your people with you?
The Output:
The Shackleton Leadership Compass.
Every element of the week - each workshop, each venture onto the ice, each campfire conversation - contributes to the creation of each leader's Shackleton Leadership Compass: a personal framework that makes the implicit explicit - bringing together their challenges and aspirations, strategic tools, character and influence required to lead.
Where adventure meets strategy.
This program combines the raw challenge of polar expedition training with structured leadership development, creating an experience that fundamentally shifts how executives approach adversity, teamwork, and decision-making under pressure.
Senior staff from the Financial Times and Shackleton will be in attendance.
Program takeaways:
Clear leadership principles and values
Mental tools to navigate the uncertain landscape of modern business
Psychological readiness to lead in adversity
Scenario planning and crisis response models
The Boss (Ernest Shackleton) showed us that effective leadership is built on personal resilience - an ability to dig deep and make good decisions even in the most difficult of times. This will be a unique opportunity to develop an explorer mindset in an epic and challenging environment. Whatever happens, it will be unforgettable.
Ian Holdcroft
Co-Founder, Shackleton
In business, as in exploration, preparedness is the key to any success.
Two components will support your readiness.
A program introduction will take place at a meeting in London in the autumn of 2026 (or via remote channels if required). You will receive full details of all aspects of the program and you’ll meet the teams from Financial Times and Shackleton as well as your fellow explorers.
To help you arrive in Norway fully ready, you’ll have full access to Shackleton Challenges Foundations. This world-class expedition preparation program is delivered via a combination of personal consultations, online webinars and unique experiences by Shackleton’s expert performance partners in endurance, expeditions and extremes. Shackleton has partnered with global institutions Loughborough University and Royal Geographic Society, alongside industry leaders Science in Sport and Calo to deliver a unique and impactful preparedness experience.
Preparedness is the prerequisite to any success, be it business or in exploration.
Two components will support your readiness.
A program introduction will take place at a meeting in London in the autumn of 2026 (or via remote channels if required). You will receive full details of all aspects of the program and you’ll meet the teams from Financial Times and Shackleton as well as your fellow explorers.
To help you arrive in Norway fully ready, you’ll have full access to Shackleton Challenges Foundations. This world-class expedition preparation program is delivered via a combination of personal consultations, online webinars and unique experiences by Shackleton’s expert performance partners in endurance, expeditions and extremes. Shackleton has partnered with global institutions Loughborough University and Royal Geographic Society, alongside industry leaders Science in Sport and Calo to deliver a unique and impactful preparedness experience.
The Mission:
Develop your ability to lead in uncertain times, build personal and professional resilience, learn new skills,
and discover what you’re made of.
Price:
£11,250.00 + VAT
Dates:
Week 1: Sunday 4th to Fri 9th April 2027
Week 2: Sunday 11th to Fri 16th April 2027
Strictly limited to 12 places per week.
Included
Foundations expedition preparation programme
All Challenge specific expedition & camping equipment
Loan of Challenge specific clothing (Pulk jacket & Down jacket)
Accommodation, food & drink
Food whilst on expedition
In-country travel & logistics throughout the duration of the Challenge
Leadership program, associated events and materials
Not Included
Return flights to Norway
Personal Insurance
Personal clothing and items
SHACKLETON DESIGN & MANUFACTURING COMPANY LTD (“Shackleton”) BOOKING CONDITIONS
These Booking Conditions (“Booking Conditions”), together with our Privacy Policy, Acknowledgment of Risk form and any other written information we brought to your attention before we confirmed your booking, form the basis of your contract with Shackleton of Flint Buildings, 1 Bedding Lane, Norwich NR3 1RG with company number: 07169051 (“Shackleton” “we”, “us”, “our”). Please read them carefully as they set out our respective rights and obligations. In these Booking Conditions references to "you" and "your" include the first named person on the booking and all persons on whose behalf a booking is made or any other person to whom a booking is added or transferred.
This is not a corporate retreat. The FT Leadership Expedition is a carefully curated experience for senior executives ready to challenge themselves physically and mentally. Limited to ensure intimacy, exclusivity, and genuine transformation. No prior polar experience required, but a commitment to fitness and personal growth is essential.
1: Ability to hike for a day of 6 hours with a backpack
2: Ability to hike for 4 consecutive days of 6 hours with a backpack
3: Ability to hike for over one week in consecutive days of 6 hours with a backpack
Discover (L1): Learn fundamental skills that enable you to operate in extreme environments
Explore (L2): Develop your capability with longer, more demanding and self-sufficient expeditions Pioneer
Pioneer (L3): Create your own chapter in the history of exploration with long-range expeditions along untrodden paths
DELIVERY TEAM
Louis rudd
Louis Rudd MBE is a record-breaking polar adventurer, former Royal Marine Commando and SAS soldier. He is the first and only person to have traversed Antarctica twice using human power alone and has reached the South Pole three times from different coastal starting points. Louis has covered more than 3000 polar miles on skis, with multiple extreme cold-weather tours in Northern Norway with the special forces. He has guided expeditions on a 1100-mile crossing of Antarctica and a 350-mile crossing of Greenland. He is also a military Arctic warfare instructor, a military ski instructor, a qualified army patrol medic, and a military snowmobile instructor, with additional training in crevasse and avalanche rescue. A member of the Explorers Club and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Louis has written of his journeys to date in his autobiography ‘Endurance’.
AMELIA RUDD
Amelia is a polar explorer with experience in Svalbard, Norway, Iceland, Greenland and Antarctica. In 2020, Amelia became only the seventh woman in history to complete a solo, unsupported journey from Hercules Inlet to the geographic South Pole. She has also completed a full traverse of Greenland and trained extensively in Finse. In addition to her own trips, Amelia has more than a decade of experience in planning and managing other major expeditions – she was the expedition manager for Louis’ record-breaking Spirit of Endurance Expedition in 2018. Amelia also has a wealth of knowledge about the history of polar exploration and scientific research at high latitudes.
GERALDINE WESSING
Geraldine Wessing is the world's foremost scenario planning practitioner. She has decades of experience leading the pioneering scenarios team at Shell - the most revered strategic foresight group in history. She boasts a career advising heads of state, global boards, and the senior leadership of the world's most complex institutions on the decisions that have shaped industries, economies, and the futures of nations - her depth of expertise in navigating uncertainty and change is unrivalled.
MAX THORPE
Max Thorpe is a record-breaking adventure athlete specialising in scenario planning and extreme environments preparedness - predominantly stress-testing senior leaders and teams on their resilience. He is defined by a journey to the edge with Chris Williams during which life and death was ultimately determined by a few inches and a series of high-pressure decisions in an Atlantic storm - an ocean he returned to conquer just a few years later. As an integrated member of the Shackleton team, he has led expedition preparedness for Shackleton Challenges since its inception and leads the connection between the programme theory and the physical exposure out on the ice in Finse.
CHRIS WILLIAMS
Chris Williams is a qualified psychologist specialising in the science of leading under stress and pressure. His experience spans over a decade of leadership in commercial elite sport including premiership football, British Cycling and global triathlon. Chris builds and leads the essential foundation of behavioural psychology that underpins the programme, ensuring insights deliver on both an individual leadership and organisational level.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
This program is designed for senior leaders in larger organisations who are looking for an experience to stretch their leadership strategies and abilities. We welcome people from all genders, ages and backgrounds.
The in-field component requires a good standard of physical fitness (ability to run 5km is a good minimum), but no prior experience of skiing or expeditions is required.
NEXT STEPS
Register your interest on a no-obligation basis
You will receive an automated email with further details
A Shackleton consultant will contact you via email shortly afterwards
Places are strictly limited to 12 persons for each of the two weeks
Programme Questions
Everything you need to know about the FT Leadership Expedition before registering your interest.
Register Interest
No prior polar experience is required. The programme is designed for executives from all backgrounds. However, participants must have a reasonable level of physical fitness to fully engage with glacier training, cross-country skiing, and wilderness camping activities. Detailed fitness guidelines will be provided upon selection.
The fee covers all accommodation at Finse1222 hotel, meals throughout the five-day programme, expert expedition leadership from Louis Rudd MBE, all equipment for glacier training and skiing, leadership coaching sessions, and comprehensive travel insurance. Participants are responsible for their own travel to Finse, Norway.
This is a curated experience for senior business leaders. After registering interest, you will receive a detailed application form. Selection is based on leadership experience, commitment to personal development, and alignment with the programme's ethos. Final selections will be communicated by 30th June 2026.
You will receive confirmation of your registration and be added to the priority list. Full programme details, including the complete itinerary and application process, will be released on 26th June 2026. Priority registrants will receive this information first with an exclusive early application window.
Given the bespoke nature of this expedition and limited places available, specific cancellation terms will be outlined in the programme agreement. We recommend ensuring schedule flexibility before applying. Full terms will be provided with your application pack in June 2026.
MEET OUR GUIDES
FOUNDATIONS PROGRAM
BESPOKE EXPEDITIONS
We work with the very best guides and expedition partners, ensuring the highest possible safety, tuition and expertise on every expedition.
Our expedition team is led by our Director of Expeditions, record breaking polar explorer Louis Rudd and our Expedition Manager, Amelia Rudd.
Foundations is a world-class expedition preparation programme designed to inspire, prepare and equip Shackleton’s clients for the Challenge. The program is delivered via a combination of personal consultations, online webinars and unique experiences by Shackleton’s expert performance partners in endurance, expeditions and extremes.
Shackleton provides a comprehensive bespoke expedition service to clients with wide-ranging ambitions. From highly experienced solo explorers seeking a progressive training path to the South Pole, through to groups of first-timers looking for the experience of a lifetime, our record-breaking expedition leaders will make it happen.
Learn More
Learn More
Enquire Now
SHACKLETON CHALLENGES CLIENT SERVICES
+44 (0) 2081380212
We would also be delighted to
meet you in store:
Shackleton,
214 Piccadilly,
London,
W1J 9HL
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