Cathy O'Dowd

Cathy O’Dowd is the first woman to climb Everest from both its north and south sides. Her first ascent happened during the chaotic events that formed the basis of the "true story" behind the Hollywood movie "Everest." O’Dowd, who grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa, has climbed ever since leaving school, both rock climbing and alpinism. Her first expeditions were to central Africa and the Andes, followed by a year exploring the Alps.

She was completing her Master's degree in Journalism while working as a university lecturer when she saw a newspaper advert for a place on the 1st South African Everest Expedition. Six months later, she became the first South African to summit Everest. Three years later, she became the world's first woman to climb the mountain from both sides. She made one last expedition to Everest to try a new route on the Kangshung face. She has written a book about her Everest experiences, "Just For The Love Of It."

For her, the years she spent in the Himalayas were a degree "in living." The insights she discovered about herself and about individuals and teams under intense stress in the face of overwhelming challenges are ones she has been sharing with her corporate audiences ever since. Her stories touch on themes of importance to anyone trying to run successful projects and get the best out of people.

O’Dowd’s most challenging Himalayan epic was as part of a team attempting a new route on an 8000-metre peak. Although O’Dowd herself did not reach the summit, two of her teammates did, doing the first ascent of Nanga Parbat via the Mazeno ridge and winning the prestigious Piolet d’Or for their achievement. She has turned this experience into a fascinating interactive case study of successful project execution of truly innovative goals.

O’Dowd has been a professional speaker for 28 years and has presented her message to companies in 47 countries on six continents. She is a PSAE Hall of Fame Speaker and a Global Speaking Fellow. O’Dowd lives in Andorra, in the Pyrenees mountains, where she pursues her speaking career and explores the mountains of Europe. In her free time, she does technical rock climbing, ski mountaineering, canyoning, and sea kayaking. In 2024, O’Dowd is focused on ski touring, canyoning, and sea kayaking adventures, with trips to places including Bulgaria, Arctic Norway, and Utah. Through the summer, she travels through Scotland with her sea kayak.