Young professionals from across the region were inspired to tackle the challenges they face in their careers by Dave Bunting MBE, an Everest expedition leader and ex-British Forces mountaineering specialist.

A guest of the Fresh Thinking Network, Dave spent many years as the chief training instructor of the Joint Service’s mountain training centres around the world. As an inspirational speaker, he focuses on expedition leadership, effective teamwork and the pressures of decision-making in high-risk and remote situations.

The Fresh Prosperity Programme aims to grow the wealth of knowledge and skills of professionals in the deal-making community.

Commenting on the event, Dave Bunting said: “It’s fantastic to be able to share my story and experience with young people at the start of their careers. We all face challenges in our lives at work and at home. It’s important that people have the tools they need to tackle problems and become more resilient.”

Dave Bunting was featured on the Bravo series Man vs Mountain. It documented his expedition to lead the first-ever British team to climb the West Ridge of Mount Everest, a route so dangerous that it has taken the lives of 21 people and had not been used for the past 17 years.

The network is backed by Fresh Thinking Capital and will hold monthly events to provide networking opportunities and training seminars from inspirational speakers. It is supported by the wider deal-making community with speakers from leading professional services firms.

Mel Hird, director of Fresh Thinking Capital, said: “It’s great to see young professionals investing their time in building their skills and personal networks. We hope that Fresh Thinking Network will inspire the next generation of leaders, and Dave certainly gave the audience a lot to think about.”