Rob Lilwall (@roblilwall) header
Rob Lilwall (@roblilwall) profile picture

Global Keynote Speaker on Resilience, Agility and Growth Mindset | NatGeo TV Adventurer | Conferences & Events | Based in HK & SG

Hong Kong
Joined April 2009
A slightly crazy 48 hours this week, involving one ferry, seven taxis, three trains, three planes, three countries, two speaking engagements, and a five minute swim in the sea. As I got ready for this, I was a nervous about whether the logistics would work.
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In Siberia, at the start, I really worried about being eaten by a bear. But I'd remind myself that most bears were safely hibernating! This week, the evidence was on my side - flights were booked, taxis were ubiquitous, trains were reliable, and I'd prepared well for my talks.
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Of course, things don't always go to plan, and we need to be ready to adapt. But there's no point spending too much energy worrying about things that probably won't happen. Prepare well, trust the evidence, and take things one step at a time. #ThinkLikeAnAdventurer #Resilience
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It’s been a really interesting couple of weeks, speaking at three events across three very different industries – financial services, shipping and hospitality. The week before last I spoke at @SunLife's Employee Learning Series;
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then last week for Kuok Maritime Group's leadership meetings in Singapore, followed by at Pan Pacific Hotels Group's global leadership conference in Kuala Lumpur. #ThinkLikeAnAdventurer #Resilience #Adaptability #Leadership #GrowthMindset
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I am very proud of my wife Christine because last weekend, she took on the Lantau 30km trail race! It is a brutal course, which runs over two of Hong Kong’s highest peaks, on the island where we live. Until fairly recently, Christine was rather intimidated by trail running.
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But over the past couple of years, she’s gradually got into it, and signing up for the 30km was a big deal, way out of her comfort zone. In the end, it was an incredibly hot day, and a painful leg meant she slowed down a lot on the second big mountain.
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By the time she reached the flatter final stretch of the course, she realised she needed to pull out. She was understandably disappointed at the time… but soon she felt glad to have tried… and I was so very, very proud of her! #Hardgoals #failinggreatly #grit
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Great fun speaking at the @TravMedia event in Singapore last week, with lots of journalists and people from the hotel and travel industries. I spoke about the power of stories, and how important they’ve been on my expeditions.
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When you’re travelling through unfamiliar places, being able to share your story helps people understand what you’re doing. Afterwards, the privilege of writing about my adventures has helped me better understand not just the journeys themselves, but also my life. #Keynotespeech
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Great fun last week speaking at two internal onsite events in Singapore — for @Bulgariofficial and @bp_plc . At both, I reflected on some of the lessons I’ve learned from expeditions about navigating change and uncertainty: adapting as we go,
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being willing to step outside our comfort zones, and asking for help when we need it. Two very different organisations, two brilliant groups of people - and lots of great conversations afterwards. A big thank you to both teams for having me. #Adaptability #Keynotespeech
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Great fun speaking at the Aon Insights Series Asia in Singapore. The whole event was built around a big question: how do we make good decisions in a fast-changing and uncertain world?
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It’s a question I’ve had to wrestle with a lot on expeditions too. You rarely know exactly what’s coming next, and you certainly don’t have all the information you’d like.
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I shared three lessons that have helped me along the way: - Be determined to learn and adapt as you go. - Keep growing by being willing to step outside your comfort zone. - Seek out the insights you need from others - asking for help is a strength. #AISAsia2026 #Aon #Leadership
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Great to give keynotes to two of the world’s top tech firms recently - @awscloud in Tokyo on 9 September, and then @Microsoft in Singapore last week.
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This week, three more keynotes — with @bp_plc, @Manulife and @Bulgariofficial. Excited to share the message again. #keynote #future #thinklikeanadventurer
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Very happy to say that the audiobook of my first book, Cycling Home From Siberia is now live! It was a fascinating experience recording it in London back in May.
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When recording the audiobook I had to go back and read the whole thing — the thoughts, fears, mistakes and decisions of myself in my late twenties. Quite a few times I found myself thinking: Who was this guy?! Where did he go?!
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But it was also moving to meet that younger me again - and to remember how much that journey - changed my life. Cycling Home From Siberia is now available as an audiobook, read by me. #Motivation
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