Conferences of Peggy Bouchet
Peggy Bouchet is an adventurer, whom we all remember as that daring woman who decided to row across the Atlantic, stating loud and clear: “You should always be bold, give in at times but never give up ».
Shortly after graduating in corporate and management law, the young export finance engineer at Alcatel decided to do everything she could to bring her plans to fruition: to row single-handed across the Atlantic, a considerable feat that had never before been achieved by a woman. After the idea came the planning: Peggy had to raise funds, find sponsors and work on the perfect boat. She sailed across the Atlantic as a crew member on a yacht to gain experience on the high seas before throwing herself into her adventure. On March 10, 1998, following final careful preparations with her team, Peggy gave the first stroke of the oar – the first of one million – as she left the Canaries and headed for the West Indies. A voyage of 5,500 km and 79 days lay ahead, as she rowed 10 hours every day, sometimes in troughs of up to 8 m! And then disaster struck: Peggy capsized and was stranded 120 km off Guadeloupe in raging seas. For nine long hours she clung to the side of her boat as it began to sank, with no hope of saving it. Peggy herself ended up being rescued only in extremis.
But Peggy refused to admit defeat: 18 months later, she left Cape Verde. Never forgetting her motto – Be bold, give in at times but never give up – she embarked on the 4,400 km crossing, arriving victorious in Martinique on January 5, 2000.
Peggy’s exploits were covered far and wide in the media, and she secured a number of partnerships and advertising contracts from major brands: Peugeot, Citroën, BMW, SFR and Roxy Quicksilver to name a few. Television and radio fought over her, and she began giving talks across Europe. She took part, for instance, in the TED X at the prestigious London School of Economics on March 2016 on the theme: Be an adventurer in your life.
Peggy was elected chair of the European Envie d’Agir panel, set up by the French Ministry of Youth and Sport to encourage and showcase the entrepreneurial mindset among young project promoters. She was patron of the class of 2009/2010 at the Ecole des Mines in Paris, where she is a lecturer. But that’s not all! Peggy was a member of the panel for the 2016/2017 Women of Influence awards and patron of the Extraordinary Voyages Prize awarded by the Lombard Odier Foundation and Libres Ensemble. This event is organised by the Organisme International de la Francophonie (OIF) and the frigate Hermione Lafayette. The Hermione will stop off in 11 ports with hundreds of young sailors on board, mobilised by the OIF to support citizen-led, artistic and economic youth initiatives. It’s a bold project that demonstrates once again that the sea is an extraordinary “university of life”.
Finally, in 2018/2019 Peggy is making preparations for a cinema film on a subject she knows all about, bravery: « Osez! »
Languages spoken:
- English
- French
Peggy Bouchet gives conferences throughout Switzerland (Geneva, Vaud, Neuchâtel, etc.) and in French or English-speaking countries.
Learn from a true adventurer
Discover the sheer bravery of an outstanding speaker with UnoMe – a speaker who has given over 400 conferences to date: Peggy Bouchet. Peggy conveys an appetite for hard work and reveals the secrets behind what motivates her. She also looks at how to manage people and risk, and will give you the benefit of her great enthusiasm! But you’ll also find out all about the entrepreneurial mindset, and how to handle obstacles and failure – common values shared with the world of work and young people.
Conference themes:
– How to be bolder, braver and commit yourself
– Managing obstacles and failure, and learning how to make the most of the opportunities behind every obstacle
– Surpassing yourself and resilience
– The importance of choosing and weighing your words when manging a team, and learning how to thank your colleagues,
– Have the courage to take risks: there’s no innovation, no creativity and no change without risk
– Demonstrating the importance of preparation
Awards, honours and recognition
Peggy Bouchet’s achievements have been recognised by her peers, and she has received numerous awards
- Guilde Européenne du Raid Adventurer of the Year.
- Sénat First Prize for sports achievement of the year.
- 2001 Femme en Or prize in the sports / adventure category, an award given to the seven most deserving women of the year; ceremony broadcast on France 2 on December 30, 2000 (winners in other categories: Nathalie Baye, Laurence Ferrari, Véronique Colucci and Muriel Robin).
- Toison d’Or de l’Aventure award at the famous Festival International du Film d’Aventure in Dijon.
- IGN Borne de l’Aventure prize, awarded by a national panel of renowned reporters, navigators and mountaineers at a ceremony broadcast live on France 3; this is the “Oscar” for adventurers, previously awarded to the likes of Florence Arthaud and Christine Janin.
- Premier Prix de la Bourse d’Aventure de la Ville de Paris: adventure scholarship awarded by the City of Paris.
- Prix des Neiges awarded by the Savoie and Haute-Savoie departments, honouring an individual who has contributed to promoting Savoie (in the tradition of Franck Ribou, Roger Frison Roche, Pierre Balmain, Georges Salomon and Maurice Opinel).
PUBLICATIONS
Oser Toujours, Céder Parfois, Renoncer Jamais (published by Chêne). Peggy turns to the sea, adventure and her journey as a metaphor to help readers meet the challenges in their day-to-day lives and so they can feel more comfortable in their own skin. « When things are so gloomy, it‘s important not to be satisfied with just existing but to actually live, to be an actor and to explore your life. Where there’s a will, there is a way! Everyone has his or her own ocean to cross! »
Ma Victoire sur l’Atlantique (published by Cherche Midi): nearly 25,000 copies sold plus references and prefaces in twenty or so books.