Will Millard

Keynote Speaker

Will Millard's Biography 

Will Millard is an expert at living and working with people who live in the remotest corners of the world. As part of his award-winning and critically-acclaimed BBC documentaries, he has immersed himself in the lives of the Bajau people, a semi-nomadic people who spend their entire lives at sea; made the first recording from the shoulder of the lamafa, the spearman at the head of an ancient indigenous whale hunt; and lived in the Papuan jungles with the Korowai people, recording their transitions from the forest and into the challenging world outside.  

Will’s story-telling speaks of the importance of truth; even if it is awkward or controversial; and of the patience needed to get the very best results from the people you are working with. He has contended with cerebral malaria whist soloing the border of Sierra Leone and Liberia for BBC Radio 4; has been lost in the New Guinean rainforest for a month, without food, whilst researching inter-tribal trade routes; has been wrongfully arrested and accused of gold smuggling; been held hostage at arrow point; negotiated interviews with illegal diamond miners; and has battled with his own PTSD. He knows the resilience and determination it takes to find a pathway forward in the most challenging of environments, and is an accomplished speaker with over a decade of experience speaking in businesses, schools, theatres, key notes, and team days.  

Will is also the author, writer, and ghost-writer of four adult non-fiction books and five children’s books, including The Old Man and the Sand Eel (Penguin: 2018), about his childhood in and around water, and The Way of the Hermit (Pan Macmillan: 2023) written with legendary Scottish hermit, Ken Smith.  

For his decade of expeditionary work, he has been awarded Fellowship of the Royal Geographical Society and The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. He is an ambassador for Keep Wales Tidy, The World Fish Migration Foundation and The Angling Trust; and is the very proud Patron of Mobile Education Partnerships, who supply resources and training for Teachers in war-torn Myanmar.  

Testimonials

“A wonderful talk that reflected perfectly the reasons why we love Geography” - Sir Michael Palin, President of the Royal Geographical Society 

“Everyone who attended was really engrossed and engaged in your amazing tales of your expedition”  - St Mary’s School, Hull 

“The sessions were absolutely brilliant, and the kids were inspired.” - Willowbrook Primary School, Cardiff 

“A man of boundless heart and decency... light and laughter and uncomfortable truths, established him as a prize catch for the BBC.” — Daily Express