Resilience keynotes for Cambridge founders and scientists
Cambridge combines an 800-year-old university with the tech cluster known as Silicon Fen. Paris brings The Grit Code to its founders, scientists and students.
Silicon Fen
The University of Cambridge was founded in 1209. Around it has grown Silicon Fen, a cluster of tech and life-science companies.
Cambridge and Oxford have contested the Boat Race on the Thames since 1829.
Start-ups run on grit. Paris ran 7 marathons on 7 continents in 5 days, 21 hours and 51 minutes.
Who Paris speaks to in Cambridge
Founders
Grit for founders.
Biotech
Talks for research teams.
Colleges
Sessions for students.
Tech
Keynotes for engineering teams.
Rooms and stages
College halls and science parks host Cambridge events.
- College venues – across the city
- Science-park venues – on the city’s edge
Pick the format
The Grit Code keynote (45–60 min) · Grit Deconstruction workshop (90 min to half day) · virtual keynote (30–45 min) · event host and MC. Compare formats →
Stories with the miles behind them
Seven marathons in under six days
Antarctica, Cape Town, Perth, Dubai, Madrid, Fortaleza and Miami: 7 marathons on 7 continents in 5 days, 21 hours and 51 minutes.
Across the Pacific by rowing boat
A 4,800 km row in 2023 that raised more than £150,000 for marine conservation.
Read the Founders Dubai AI fireside chat recap. Founders Dubai AI fireside chat · Keynote speaker Oxford
On stage or on screen
Available for in-person events in Cambridge, or virtually in your local time zone.
Organisers typically book UK speakers about three months ahead, so get in touch early to secure your date.
See also keynote speaker in the UK, or browse all keynote speaker locations.
A British speaker with real UK roots
Paris Norriss is British-born and British-educated. He was born in Bath, which he calls his home town, and grew up in Somerset, where he went to Millfield School and was captain of the Somerset County Athletics Association.
He went on to the University of Edinburgh, graduating with an MA (Hons) in Business Studies, and worked in the City of London for a short time before his career took a very different turn into adventure and television.
Since then he has rowed 4,800 km across the Pacific with three teammates (2023), run seven marathons on seven continents in 5 days, 21 hours and 51 minutes, and become CEO of Blazing Sand Studios, whose adventure TV shows are distributed in 123 countries. He is also an active member of the British Chamber of Commerce Dubai.
In London he delivered The Grit Code for Durlston Partners. For Cambridge organisers, that means a British speaker who knows UK audiences, UK humour and UK business culture, with the stories to back up every point.
Paris gave my team a gripping talk on grit in London this Summer, filled with his real life stories and passion for adventure.
Cambridge’s economy and who the talk is for
Cambridge has a population of about 123,867 (2011 figure, Wikidata), which makes it a substantial market for conferences, leadership events and company gatherings.
Cambridge is the head-office city for organisations such as BirdLife International (environment), AstraZeneca (pharmaceutical industry), Jagex (video game industry), Frontier Developments (video game industry), AVEVA (software industry) and Federation of European Biochemical Societies (higher education).
Technology and software (Jagex, Frontier Developments and AVEVA). Technology teams ship, fail, learn and ship again. Paris connects that loop to life on an ocean rowing boat, where a broken plan is normal and the crew that adapts fastest wins. It suits engineering all-hands, product kick-offs and AI transformation programmes.
Manufacturing and engineering (AstraZeneca). For industrial and engineering businesses, Paris’s message is that resilience is built, not born. Safety days, operations conferences and leadership offsites are typical bookings.
How a Grit Code session works
- Before the event, Paris speaks with the organiser about the audience and the outcome they want.
- On the day, the 45–60 minute Grit Code keynote mixes adventure film, stories and practical tools.
- Afterwards, teams can go deeper with a Grit Deconstruction workshop of 90 minutes to half a day.
The content is shaped around Cambridge organisations and their goals, so the room hears examples that match its own challenges. Paris presents as an adventurer and CEO of Blazing Sand Studios, not as a theorist.
Where the talk fits in Cambridge
These are typical Cambridge events for The Grit Code:
- Annual company conferences and town halls.
- Change and transformation programmes, including AI adoption.
- Safety, wellbeing and performance days for operations teams.
- Charity dinners and community events, which Paris knows well as an ambassador for Gulf for Good.
Credentials at a glance
- He ran 7 marathons on 7 continents in 5 days, 21 hours and 51 minutes.
- Past speaking clients include Nokia, DHL, Kraft Heinz, IHG, Dubai Airports, Expo 2020, COP28 and the UN Tourism General Assembly.
- In 2023 he rowed 4,800 km across the Pacific with three teammates, raising more than £150,000 for marine conservation.
- He is the CEO of Blazing Sand Studios, an AI video production company.
FAQ
Can I book Paris Norriss as a keynote speaker in Cambridge?
Yes. He is available for Cambridge conferences, offsites and leadership events, on site or online.
Does Paris speak at start-up events?
Yes. He has hosted founder events and pitch competitions.
Is Paris Norriss British?
Yes. He was born in Bath, grew up in Somerset, went to Millfield School and graduated from the University of Edinburgh.
Has Paris spoken for UK companies?
Yes. He delivered The Grit Code for Durlston Partners in London.
Which Cambridge industries is The Grit Code suited to?
The keynote is tailored to each sector. In Cambridge it suits technology and software and manufacturing and engineering audiences in particular, along with leadership teams, sales kick-offs and all-hands meetings in any industry.
Is there a workshop option for teams in Cambridge?
Yes. The Grit Deconstruction workshop runs from 90 minutes to half a day and turns the keynote’s ideas into team habits and actions.
Can the keynote be delivered online for teams in Cambridge?
Yes. A 30–45 minute virtual version is available for remote or hybrid audiences, delivered in your local time zone.
Who has Paris spoken for?
Past clients include Nokia, DHL, Kraft Heinz, IHG, Dubai Airports, Expo 2020, COP28 and the UN Tourism General Assembly.
Planning an event in Cambridge?
Tell us about the room and the date. You can also book a call.