Preet Chandi - “Polar Preet”
Preet Chandi is widely considered the first woman of colour to complete a solo crossing in Antarctica. Nicknamed “Polar Preet”, she braved -50 degrees celsius weather over the 700-mile ski which almost set a new female world record for speed. Her inspirational talks cover her treacherous journey, battles with exhaustion and illness and her perspective as an Asian female outdoorsman in a culture that’s largely non-participatory in such endeavours.
A captain in the Royal Army Medical Corps, Preet has served Britain since 2008. She’s spent 6 months on a UN peacekeeping tour plus additional deployments in South Sudan, Nepal and Kenya. Preet is a staunch advocate for women and minorities in male-dominated and caucasian-centric fields and is working on an adventure grant to encourage more female and minority explorers, athletes and outdoorsmen. As a speaker, she is stalwart and engaging with an easy comfort in front of professional and political audiences.