William Pike

William Pike is an inspirational kiwi who is on one hell of a journey - from losing his leg in a volcanic eruption, to starting a nationwide youth development programme, to mountaineering in Antarctica.

William is an accomplished inspirational speaker who doesn’t retell stories, he relives them. In 2007, William almost lost his life in a volcanic eruption on Mt. Ruapehu. Doctors noted William’s survival as a miracle. William’s obsession for the outdoors, education and seeing life’s challenges as opportunities to try again have helped him overcome adversity more than once.

It’s easy to see that William has an infectious enthusiasm for adventure, life and fun. His character and outlook
on life are nicely summed up by the title of his popular autobiography, Every Day’s A Good Day.

William’s stories are wrapped with a relatable message that challenge audiences to be everyday explorers, to be
obsessed in a good way and how taking it slow is the fast track to success. Be prepared to relive this gripping,
tear-jerking, and hilarious journey on the edge of your seat.

As well as inspiring adults, William is the inspiration behind the William Pike Challenge Award, a youth
development programme with a vision to grow resilient, confident and connected kiwi kids. Since 2013 the
programme has made a positive impact on thousands of youth and close to 100 communities across the
country.

As a 2015 Young New Zealander of the year finalist, 2017 Blake Leader Award recipient and a national role
model – William is a leader and an achiever who resonates passion and success without limits.

Testimonials:

"William is simply an amazing speaker. He inspired everyone to build tight-knit teams, never stop exploring and that purpose drives organisations and people. His humour and audience engagement (especially the leg trick) made his presentation fantastic to listen to! I couldn’t recommend him enough!" Chris Henderson, CO-CEO & Director, Pita Pit NZL & AUS
 
I have been fortunate to hear many excellent professional speakers in my career, and William is one of them. He is fantastic at sharing his story, making it not only inspirational but also very entertaining. William nicely ties his key messages into his stories making for easy listening. His drive, motivation and passion for life are infectious and he left a lasting impact on our audience. I highly recommend William as a speaker and his book is a brilliant read too!  Ray Dunn, Executive General Manager at Schneider Electric

“His ability to link his story to my business and give my team some take home thoughts was great... I thoroughly recommend William as a speaker for any organisation keen to inject some attitude into their teams and get them thinking about their vision in life.” Graham Viall - Principal, Harcourts

“I just wanted to thank you for William Pike – he was absolutely fantastic! All our staff raved about his story. He was such a good speaker, so engaging and his story and his pictures were so inspirational. He is also a nice guy and it was a pleasure to have him. He is definitely a speaker that companies will love to have!” Nicole H - AIA Insurance

William - the feedback we received from staff was overwhelming (almost every response) mentioned William
Pike as a highlight. The key word used over and over was ‘inspiring’. Other words used were amazing, motivational and thought provoking and ‘This would have been good for all ERO staff’.  One staff commented, it brought tears to my eyes when he told us that he asked his friend James to tell his family that he loved them as he was being left behind with the real possibility that he would not survive. William, you were very humble and honest about your experiences, and how difficult it was to start life over again.  You also gave us a few “aha” moments that some felt in themselves had slipped away, and the only excuses for not following your dreams is the excuses you tell yourself. We loved hearing your determination and willingness not to give up on life, but to keep dreaming and this inspired and reminded us that life is so precious.  All the best for the future William and keep inspiring, motivating and reaching out to everyone to be explorers, to be obsessed and to daydream. Thank you so much for sharing your story with us and your books. We were truly very honoured and blessed to have you at our conference.  Särai Penita, Business Partner, Systems, Process and Projects Education Review Office | Te Tari Arotake Mātauranga