Jo entered the Guinness World Records for the fastest female ascent of the Seven Summits. Jo also is the second British woman to ever climb Everest’s North Ridge. In 2005 Jo Gambi and her husband, Rob, became the first couple to both climb the ‘Seven Summits’ and ski to the North and South Poles. Jo was also the first female and Rob the first Australian to achieve this. Remarkably they unwittingly achieved these records not only while Rob was in remission from his second bout of cancer, but also in spite of facing death along the way, while stranded high in the Himalaya.

With nothing more than Rob and Jo’s characteristic passion and determination, they also succeeded in completing the Seven Summits in record time.

Jo’s book ‘Holding On – a story of love and survival’ was successfully launched in the UK and internationally in 2006 with substantial media interest, and Jo is now in demand for speaking both at home and abroad. As a talented and keen photographer, Jo has captured images from some of the most remote and wild places around the globe and in addition to contributing to the prestigious Nikon Owner Magazine, she is currently working on her second, photographic book.

At an early age Jo’s passion for the outdoors developed on family holidays where sailing, camping and hiking were the norm. Although Jo competed successfully throughout her school years in numerous athletics disciplines, she excelled in her academic studies too, going on to be awarded the highest grade and a first class honours degree in ‘Business Management and Clothing’, as well as a ‘Diploma in Biblical Studies’. After this Jo was accepted on the acclaimed graduate management programme at Marks and Spencer which led to her career as a Product Technologist in the men’s and women’s wear buying teams.

Jo’s university summer vacations saw her passion for travel and adventure develop as she worked overseas extensively in Kenya, Romania, Bolivia, US, Greece and Malaysia. With roles varying from sailing instructor and lifeguard to community, hospital and church based projects. In 1997, Jo’s career changed direction as she wanted to pursue a profession more dedicated towards helping people – something she had always enjoyed throughout her ten years of church youth work. After gaining a degree in Physiotherapy she worked at University College London Hospitals (UCLH), one of the country’s leading NHS trusts as well as working privately for the London Welsh Rugby Club and teaching Clinical Pilates.

Jo’s warm, gregarious personality combined with her dynamic and engaging speaking style enable her to inspire, challenge and motivate any audiences. She not only brings fascinating insights as a result of her experiences, but her reflections both as a female and a wife are also unique.

Whilst Jo’s achievements may seem out of reach for most people, audiences are often delighted and relieved to discover she is from a “very ordinary background” without any of the potential advantages of a privileged upbringing or education. By tenaciously overcoming personal obstacles, Jo has discovered that so many of life’s answers are within reach of us all. Jo loves the opportunity speaking brings her to inspire people to be the best they can be, maintain perspective, and passionately pursue their dreams.

Jo now lives in west London with her husband Rob, who is now an MD for UBS Global Asset Management.

“Jo’s talk was excellent and inspiring. It dealt honestly with confronting very difficult situations, and how setting clear goals allied with determination, teamwork and a passion to succeed can make al the difference. The conference delegates were able to take these messages and see the relevance for them” Phillip Hewtson – Director of Finance – Supply & Capability, AstraZeneca

“Jo is a natural communicator; her talk was inspiring and fascinating. It was also beautifully illustrated by first class visuals. Jo captivated the audience and left them wanting more” Charlotte Hindle – Wanderlust Career Break

“Thank you so much for your talk. The audience was mesmerized. It was not only the subject but also the quality of presentation. You should take up public speaking as a career”. Robert Thomas – Master of The Worshipful Company of Actuaries

“It was a delight to hear Jo share the story of her and Rob’s global climbing adventures. I would happily recommend her to anyone looking for a highly engaging speaker with a truly inspirational tale to tell”. Wendy Hand, Director of Celebrity Speakers Australia

“Grays of Westminster have presented numerous talks, lectures, seminars and workshops for the years. They have all received excellent feedback. However, none of those events have ever received the kind of rapturous response as that given in our Christmas Evening with Rob and Jo Gambi. From the moment of their dramatic entrance to the very personal talk with the accompanying images all these elements came together to make ad heady mixture of utter professionalism and whole presentation edge of the seat excitement. It was inspiring and dramatic” Gray Levett, MIoD, Director, Grays of Westminster

“Jo was an excellent speaker. I really did have the students talking about how this was the best assembly we’ve ever had!! Our students really enjoyed your story and it was very inspirational”. Dave Waddington, Principal, Arran Tara Elementary School, Canada

“As an educator, I would recommend your presentation most highly to school groups. Your presentation was brilliant, informative, entertaining and inspirational! The visuals were stunning.” David Langmuir Ph.D, Principal, School District 45, Canada

“An awesome and inspirational true story that I could listen to dozens of times. This is one of the best I have seen or heard, and as a fellow speaker it was truly an 11 out of 10 talk. It will make you laugh and cry! Two big thumbs up”. Karl Hartley, Oswestry School

“To hold the attention of 150 teenagers for an hour is no mean feat; Jo did so with apparent ease. Jo was readily able to match the style and content of her lectures to suit different age groups. She struck an excellent balance between covering the material relating to her many expeditions and that of their incredible life story, skilfully weaving two together in a manner which was both interesting and inspiring. Unashamedly, yet unobtrusively, too, she described how, as a Christian, her faith impacted on their story. I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Jo. I have no doubt she could address (and engage and inspire) a wide range of different audiences, from school children through to hard nose business executives. Hers is an incredible story told with honesty, humour and sincerity”. Paul Stockdale, Headmaster, Oswestry School’s 600th Anniversary Celebrations

“I want to say a huge thank you for coming and sharing your inspiring story with us. Everyone was gripped by your presentation and we had so much positive feedback from those who came along. My personal lasting memories from your talk (apart from the bits about having to put your food inside your clothes to defrost it with body heat!) were of your incredible perseverance to keep going even when pushed to your physical, emotional ad spiritual limits”. Ali Preston, Co Ordinator, Women’s Christmas Celebration Evening, Holy Trinity, Hazlemere

“You managed to engage the audience and present an entertaining account of your extraordinary experiences in a way that enabled us to relate to them. We really feel we know what you went through and what it must be like to test yourself beyond the limit” Ian Buckley, Chief Investment Officer, Henderson Global Investors

“Jo Gambi spoke at our New Wine Women’s day at Westminster Central hall. She was an engaging and fluent speaker, who was able to hold the attention of the audience and point them to a higher spiritual goal. I thoroughly recommend her to you”. Anne Coles, Leader of Women’s Ministry, New Wine Trust

“Jo Gambi was the keynote speaker at the Cancer Research UK Long Service Awards 2007. Her ability to connect her tremendous achievements to the lives of everyone in the room was really motivating. I have no hesitation in recommending Jo as a speaker at future events”. Tom Russell, Director of Strategic Resourcing & Reward

“Jo joined us recently in Oxford to share with our students her extraordinary experiences. The warmth and humour with which she hared, coupled with an ability to really connect with her audience was quite remarkable. I have no hesitation in recommending her to you”. Ceri Rees, College Manager, King’s Bible College & Training Centre

www.robandjogambi.com