Cathy O’Dowd | Keynote Speaker

The First Woman to Climb Everest From Both Sides

Cathy grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa, and began climbing after leaving school. Her early expeditions took her to Central Africa and the Andes, followed by a year exploring the Alps.

While completing her master’s degree in Journalism at Rhodes University and working as a university lecturer, she saw a newspaper advert for a place on the 1st South African Everest Expedition. Six months later, she was on Mount Everest.

Cathy reached the summit of Everest from the south side in 1996, becoming the first South African to summit Everest. That first ascent happened during the dramatic events that helped inspire the Hollywood movie Everest. In 1999, she returned from the north side and became the first woman in the world to climb Mount Everest from both sides.

Her Everest experiences gave her a rare understanding of how individuals and teams behave under pressure, especially in the face of overwhelming challenge.

Author of Just For The Love Of It

Cathy is the author of Just For The Love Of It, her book about her Everest expeditions and the human story behind them.

The book follows the ambition, fear, conflict, trust and personal discovery involved in trying to climb Mount Everest. It gives readers a closer look at the decisions and emotions behind Cathy O’Dowd’s extraordinary story, including what it took to become the first woman in the world to climb Everest from both its north and south sides.

For event audiences, the book adds depth to Cathy’s keynote message. Her stories are honest, practical and grounded in experience, which makes them easy to connect with for leaders, managers and teams facing their own high-pressure challenges.

Think Like an Explorer

One of Cathy’s most popular keynote presentations is Think Like an Explorer.

In this interactive keynote, Cathy takes audiences inside the uncertainty of a major expedition. Rather than simply telling a story, she asks people to think through key decisions as if they were part of the expedition team. This makes the session highly engaging for conferences, leadership events and corporate away days.

The keynote is especially relevant for organisations dealing with change, innovation, growth or uncertainty. Cathy helps audiences understand how to keep moving when the plan changes, how to make better decisions with limited information, and how to stay focused when the route ahead is unclear.

Lessons from the Mazeno Ridge

Cathy’s most challenging Himalayan epic was on Nanga Parbat’s Mazeno Ridge, one of the great unclimbed routes on an 8,000 metre peak.

Cathy was part of the expedition team attempting the first ascent of this long and dangerous ridge. Although she did not reach the summit herself, two of her teammates completed the route and won the prestigious Piolet d’Or for the achievement.

Cathy has turned that expedition into a powerful case study for business audiences. It shows what can happen when a team is working towards an ambitious goal with no clear blueprint, limited resources and constant uncertainty.

For event hosts, this keynote works particularly well when the audience needs to think differently about strategy, risk, collaboration and leadership under pressure.

A Professional Speaker With Global Experience

Cathy has been a professional speaker for more than two decades and has presented to audiences around the world. She is recognised by the Professional Speaking Association and has received its Professional Speaking Award of Excellence.

Her speaking style is warm, clear and human. She does not rely on empty motivation or neat business clichés. Instead, Cathy shares real expedition stories, then draws out the lessons in a way that feels useful for the people in the room.

Her stories touch on themes that matter to almost every organisation: trust, communication, pressure, conflict, resilience and the way teams respond when the easy route disappears.

Why Book Cathy O’Dowd?

Book Cathy O’Dowd if you want a keynote speaker who can hold a room with a remarkable story and leave the audience with ideas they can actually use.

Cathy is a strong choice for leadership conferences, corporate events, sales meetings, senior team gatherings and events focused on change, resilience or performance. Her experience as an expedition leader and high-altitude climber gives her a distinctive perspective on how people work together when the stakes are high.

From the south side of Everest to the north side, from the Norwegian Arctic to the Himalaya, Cathy has spent her life exploring what people are capable of when the challenge feels bigger than they are.

Check Cathy O’Dowd’s speaking fees and availability

To book Cathy O’Dowd or check Cathy O’Dowd’s speaking fees, contact the Speaker Ideas team with your event date, location, audience size and format.

The team can help you confirm availability and advise on the best keynote option for your conference, leadership event or corporate programme.