In 2013 his international team of more than 40 cavers established the Huautla cave system as the deepest in the Western hemisphere.

The experience and knowledge gained through these expeditions led to his involvement in the dramatic rescue of 12 boys and their football coach from a flooded cave in Thailand in 2018

Chris will feature in an upcoming feature documentary about the Thai cave rescue which is currently in production with an expected release at the end of 2020.

Chris was presented with the Queen’s gallantry medal in October 2019

Keynote topic

High performing teams under pressure – The Thai Cave Rescue

High performance in business isn’t just about how good we are when we are at our best – it’s about how we perform when we’re tired and under pressure.

It’s about keeping focused and motivated over a weeks and months and still getting the job done when we’re having an off day.

Very often performance isn’t so much about the peaks in output – it’s about how you deal with the troughs.

Cave diving success is also about sustained achievement over an extended period. With little external recognition, it relies on personal motivation and goal setting. There are no points for style in what we do – it’s about getting the job done, even in the toughest conditions.

Operating under the immense pressure, the Thai cave rescue required belief and confidence in our team’s skill as well as the ability to challenge and innovate.

The rescue was an unprecedented situation which required unique thinking and negotiation of many obstacles in order to attempt something high risk which had never been tried before.