Grant "Axe" Rawlinson is a world-class human-powered explorer and team decision-making coach who has spent over two decades proving what's possible when preparation meets audacity. A native of New Zealand now based in Singapore, Axe has completed more than 50 expeditions across five continents — using nothing but his own muscle, breath, and willpower to cross oceans, summit mountains, and traverse continents that most people will only ever see on a map.
He has stood on the summit of Mt Everest via the North Ridge, made first ascents of virgin peaks in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, and led teams on unsupported human-powered journeys through some of the planet's harshest environments — from the Bay of Bengal to the Southern Alps. In 2025, Axe and teammate Luke Richmond set the world record for the fastest human-powered crossing of the Tasman Sea, rowing from Australia to New Zealand in 22 days, 4 hours and 40 minutes.
What sets Axe apart isn't just the scale of his adventures — it's what he's learned from them about how humans make decisions, manage risk, and perform when failure is not an option. He has translated two decades of expedition leadership into "The Explorer's Mindset," a framework now used by organisations around the world to build more innovative, resilient, and decisive teams.
Axe holds Bachelor's and postgraduate degrees, is an Associate Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation (ICF), and is the former chair of the Royal Geographic Society (Singapore branch). He is the founder of Powerful Humans, through which he and his team deliver keynotes, coaching, and immersive leadership programs to organisations including Standard Chartered, SAP, Vodafone, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Workday, and Fitbit. He is also the author of From Peak to Peak, chronicling his 1,300km unsupported journey across New Zealand's mountains.
TESTIMONIALS
“A very high level of interaction with close to 1000 people over two hours. The audience feedback was awesome!”
HPE
“A world class experience and Axe taught me more practical take home value in three hours than three weeks at business school”
ALLEGIS GLOBAL SOLUTIONS
“Lightens up the room and a very interactive speaking style”
SINGAPORE MANAGEMENT UNIVERSITY (SMU)
“Not the traditional ‘rara’ type of speaker, you really feel you are with him on the expeditions making the tough decisions along the way”
SINGPOST
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WHAT PEOPLE SAY
