Management Blog

Fiona Thornewill, MBE - Polar Explorer

Fiona Thornewill, the current record holder for the fastest solo, unsupported ski to the South Pole – 41 days, is an Associate of Call of the Wild.

Fiona explains that the absolute finest moment of her expeditions was arriving at the South Pole solo. “You see I never felt my other trips had truly tested me. I don't mean this to sound grand or anything, but I needed to do something that stretched me, something where no one held my hand. My other trips had been guided. They were great trips and I enjoyed them immensely but I had really wanted to do it all ourselves. - So to stand there all alone meant much more to me. As I took the last steps I said aloud: Mike I'm here, I've done it. There was this overwhelming feeling of joy and satisfaction inside me. I cried, and saw in my head then, the faces of those I loved. I was so utterly satisfied.”

Fiona explains that the scariest moment on the ice was” Finding myself lost in the crevasse field at 87.40S. Never been so scared in all my life. Huge holes - some big enough to swallow my house! And some very uncertain snow bridges too. Crevasses have always been my greatest fear and threading my way over and around them totally alone and with no one to re assure me was terrifying. I was left physically sick.”

Fiona and her husband, as at year end 2006 raised £ 201,532.65 for charity. This is a fantastic amount. If you want to work with us and this calibre of individual then visit our website

Who We Work With - Fiona Thornewill, MBE

This will give you an idea of the calibre of our staff. Fiona is an MBE and you can see why if you look at a list of her outstanding personal achievements:

Records held:

• 4/1/2000: 1st British woman to ski - Geographic South Pole.*
• 5/5/2001: 1st British woman to ski - Geographic North Pole.*
• 5/5/2001: 1st Woman to ski - both Geographic Poles.*
• 5/5/2001: Fastest woman to ski - Geographic North Pole in 55 days.*
• 10/1/2004: 1st British woman to ski solo & unsupported - Geographic South Pole.
• 10/1/2004: Fastest (man or woman) to ski - Geographic South Pole - unsupported in 41 days 8 hours 14 minutes.
• *Record held jointly with Ms. Catharine Hartley

Fiona adds real life experience to our programmes and is inspirational for delegates. She  brings a different perspective to our programmes in terms of team development, leadership, communication and problem solving.

Take a look at website

Case Study - Team Building Event

Company - Innogy

Event - Team Development

Group Size - 44

Venue - Gower Peninsula

For a company as large as Innogy - formerly National Power - regular meetings with colleagues from various departments can prove challenging. With this in mind customer services manager, Chris Legge brings together a number of employees each year to meet over a team-building weekend. Following last year's mountain based event in the Brecon Beacons, Innogy opted for Wales again, but, this time to take part in beach based challenges at Llangennith on the Gower peninsula.

"We had looked at holding the event on the west coast of Wales, but it was a little too far from Swindon where we're based," says Chris Legge.  "The Gower was just far enough away to be getting away from it all, but near enough for us to reach. We were looking for a relaxed, informal event so after some research on the web we saw the Gower could provde the right balance of activities, learning and fun."

Event organisers Call of the Wild, who helped with Innogy's event the previous year arranged the whole event from using accommodation in their private hotel  to the activities. In keeping with the informal feel of the event, the first evening's meal was a barbeque. Then it was straight into the activities the following morning.

"The group took part in challenges to help them win equipment to use in their hunt for buried treasure," explains Call of the Wild Director Mark Soanes. "Then the winning team was able to choose how to spend a leisure afternoon from a range of beach based activities such as coasteering, surfing, surf-kayaking or speed boating. But the loosing team got buried in the sand."

"The area and the activities met all our objectives to have a fun team building weekend  and would certainly come back again next year," said Chris Legge.

Thoughts and All

Kevin Gould, Corporate Sales Director  sets out his thoughts and all.

How did you get here?

I spent 10 years in the pharmaceutical sales industry in the UK before leaving to join Call of the Wild

Describe your Ideal Job

Helping clients increase the productivity of their workforce. Working with friends

What motivates you?

High personal standards and providing a secure future for my children.

Who do you most respect in business and why?

Sir Clive Woodward. He is always setting new paradigms in both sport and business.

What are the most important qualities for people going into the training industry?

A real desire to help people to be the best they can.

How do you relax?

Running, reading and spending time with family

What infuriates you?

Bad manners, bad time keeping and as I work in the National Park - litter

Who would you most like to have dinner with?

My father - there would be a lot to catch up on.

What's the most romantic thing you've done?

Bought my wife a Springer Spaniel puppy

For more information visit our website

VIP Grand Opening of Castle Hotel Bar

Last night we attended the VIP opening of the Castle Hotel's refurbished bar in Neath. You may ask why blog about this. It's because it's amazing what you find out about building you take for granted in your everyday life. The Castle Hotel is steeped in rugby history. The Welsh Rugby Union was inaugurated there in 1881. The Castle Hotel was the meeting place for the founders of the Welsh Rugby Union. The inaugural meeting of the Welsh Rugby Union took place in the Nelson Room at the Castle Hotel on 12th March 1881. There is a plaque outside the hotel commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Welsh Rugby Union, and at that time The Nelson Room name was changed to The Centenary Room. Still displayed in the room are the plaques of the original eleven members of the Welsh Rugby Union. It is reputed that Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton frequented the hotel on a number of occasions. The steps that Lord Nelson reputedly used to get into the four poster bed are still in the hotel today

Business Breakfast Meeting Technium

We regularly attend Business breakfast meetings with various business clubs in Britain. Although it means an early start, usuallu around 7am to 7.30am they do work well given you are away and back in work by 10am. This morning we attended one which was held at Technium Sustainable Technologies. This morning one of the topics related to the economic forecast for 2008. The forecast is good with lower growth in the economy next year but no recession. Growth will pick up in 2009 following anticipated cuts in interest rates.

Technium Sustainable Technologies is located at Baglan Energy Park in South West Wales. Overlooking the M4 motorway, this prestigious building comprises 3,397 sq m of floor space and contain incubator units, meeting rooms and common areas, as well as a business support facility.

Technium Sustainable Technologies is ideal for young technology businesses creating commercial propositions that exploit

Energy; renewables, hydrogen vector, power supplies and auto power train, and electrical control technologies.

Materials, reuse of former waste materials, reconstitution and reprocessing, high performance metals and alloys, bio-composites and bio-polymers and renewable materials substitution.

Geo-environmental, such as land remediation and reclamation including bio techniques, environmental monitoring, assaying and surveying, waste treatment and conversion.

Technium Sustainable Technologies is a partnership between the Welsh Assembly Government, Swansea University, Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council, BP and GE.

Call of the Wild Attend Charity Auction in Aid of Cancer Research

Call of the Wild attended a Charity Auction in aid of Cancer Research on Saturday 3rd November in the Holland House Hotel, Cardiff. The event was well attended. Call of the Wild donated an auction item which which was a team event for up to 10 people. This was bought by Meadgate Housing who are now looking forward to their visit. We were very pleased given that only a signed boxing glove from Joe Calzaghe went for more money on the evening.

The event was arranged by Alison Quinn and Angela, "The2ofUs", who are aiming to raise 40k for Cancer Research Wales. 1k for every year it has been set up -it's now in its 40th year. Both are celebrating their 40th birthday soon and came up with the idea of raising money for Cancer Research in their 40th year.

If you're 40 this year or in your 40's you can help demonstrate the power of 40 by donating at http://www.justgiving.com/40power . Over forty thousand people in Wales are celebrating their 40th.  If everyone gave a small amount to celebrate their 40 years , Cancer research Wales would soon have 40k to help others celebrate their 'special birthdays.

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way : Cancer Research Wales will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

2ofUs will be organising various Events and Challenges, so that you can join in and support Cancer Research Wales.  Please help us reach our target by donating at this site and by supporting the events below.

Sponsored Trek in Peru - September  2007

Done it.

Angela and Alison trekked and camped the ancient  Inca Trail, suffered altitude sickness at heights of 4500m and freezing temperatures to climb the snow-capped Andean mountains and finally reached Machu Picchu.

Management Thinkers

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Article taken from our online e-learning website. Contact us for your free trail login.

Amitai, Etzioni

His analysis of power - the power to influence behaviour in organisations - is that it is a function of four factors: position information and access expertise personal qualities. A boss has power because he or she is the boss. Managers have authority to hire and fire, reward and punish, authorise payments and so on. Such power resides in the role and not the person. It may be that such power is diminishing in the modern company as ability to hire and fire (and so on) is gradually taken away from the line manager Access to information provides power and those who control the management information system can use such power. Those who are gatekeepers to information can also use the power to allow access to information. Expertise can give power and the modern organisation cannot function without its specialists - its accountants, lawyers, scientists and so on. The organisation frequently cannot proceed without their opinion or acceptance. Some people are charismatic. They get people to want to follow them. Sometimes this is a natural event and at other times it is the result of understanding what it is that the followers want personally and being the route through which they can achieve it.