Matt Lewis

Matt Lewis survived a shipwreck on the Antarctic seas, hundreds of miles from land. During his first deployment as a marine biologist, the fishing boat’s pumps failed amid ocean waves the size of houses. When the officers in command fell quiet or fled, Matt stepped up to rally the crew and evacuate them into life rafts. Matt’s raft was flooded with -1°C seawater. The winter storm that sank the ship went on to claim the lives of almost half the crew, as they drifted at night. He described the sinking, and the fight for life that followed, in the best-selling Last Man Off.
Matt was born in Bristol, England, in 1974. He trained as a marine biologist first at Bangor University and then at Aberdeen University, and gained an MSc with distinction in Marine and Fisheries Science. In 1998 he got his first deployment as an observer aboard a deep sea fishing boat in the Southern Ocean. The trip was to end in tragedy. He returned to sea less than a year later, off Newfoundland, before embarking on a career in public speaking. He now lives with his wife and two children in Aberdeen.

Matt can tailor his talk to suit your audience, but the story behind Last Man Off illustrates important lessons in teamwork, communication, and risk management in a particularly memorable way

“A heart-thumping tale of tragedy and survival – minus the Hollywood ending” (Daily Telegraph)

“Harvard MBAs could also scour the pages as a case study in dysfunctional workplaces and woeful man management. It's like the Perfect Storm, but with gruesomely, even murderously, imperfect people” (Sunday Times)

“A story that reminds us of the unforgiving nature of the sea and the courage that lies within the everyday heroes that have found themselves in hell.” (Bear Grylls)

“I can highly recommend Matt as an excellent speaker.  He gave a talk to a joint meeting of book club members and friends in our village which created a huge amount of interest and discussion.  His story is extraordinary and he managed to take the audience back into the life raft with him and afterwards to take a dispassionate look at how the sinking might have been prevented.  Quoting from feedback given to me after the talk “Matt was a great speaker and so modest about his story.  I think we could all have listened and asked questions for a lot longer –  a very interesting evening.”  Braemar Book Club