Resilience for Hangzhou’s tech giants
Hangzhou is home to Alibaba, Ant Group, Geely, NetEase and DeepSeek. Paris brings The Grit Code to its founders and teams.
West Lake, the G20 and a tech boom
Alibaba Group, Ant Group, DeepSeek, Geely and NetEase all have their headquarters in Hangzhou.
The city hosted the G20 summit in 2016 and has three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the West Lake Cultural Landscape, the Grand Canal and the ruins of Liangzhu.
Zhejiang University, one of China’s C9 League, is here, and Hangzhou ranked first in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s emerging city rankings for 2021/22.
Who Paris speaks to in Hangzhou
Platform and fintech teams
Keynotes on resilience at scale.
AI and software start-ups
Talks on setbacks and iteration.
Car makers
Sessions for engineering teams.
Zhejiang University
Talks for students and faculty.
Where Hangzhou meets
Hangzhou’s big events use the Olympic Sports Center and the lakeside hotels, and its companies run many meetings on their own campuses.
- Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center – completed in 2018, with an 80,000-seat main stadium
- West Lake – the UNESCO-listed lake with lakeside hotels and pavilions
- Tech campuses – the headquarters of Alibaba, NetEase and the city’s other tech firms
Keynote, workshop or virtual
Choose the flagship Grit Code keynote (45–60 min), a Grit Deconstruction workshop (90 min to half day), a 30–45 min virtual keynote, or Paris as host and MC for the day. Compare formats →
Tested at sea, on the ice and on stage
7 marathons, 7 continents
Antarctica, Cape Town, Perth, Dubai, Madrid, Fortaleza and Miami in 5 days, 21 hours and 51 minutes.
Rowed the Pacific
4,800 km in 2023, raising more than £150,000 for marine conservation.
See the Shanghai page, or read how The Grit Code is built. Keynote speaker Shanghai · The Grit Code keynote · 39 days at sea: the Pacific row film
How a booking works
Available for in-person events in Hangzhou, or virtually in your local time zone.
Organisers typically book speakers about three months ahead, and shorter notice is sometimes possible, so it is worth asking.
Paris speaks in English, and organisers can add interpretation for the audience if needed.
See also keynote speaker in China, or browse all keynote speaker locations.
Hangzhou’s economy and who the talk is for
Hangzhou has a population of about 11,936,010 (2020 figure, Wikidata), which makes it a substantial market for conferences, leadership events and company gatherings.
Hangzhou is the head-office city for organisations such as Geely (automotive industry), NetEase (technology industry), Hikvision (closed-circuit television), Leapmotor (automotive industry), Geely Auto (automotive industry) and Unitree Robotics (robotics).
Automotive (Geely, Leapmotor and Geely Auto). Automotive teams balance engineering precision with commercial pressure. Paris was a brand ambassador for Land Rover Middle East, and the keynote shows how grit turns long development cycles and tough sales targets into steady progress.
Technology and software (NetEase and Hikvision). 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.
Students, graduates and faculty
Higher education is part of Hangzhou’s talent pipeline, with institutions such as Zhejiang University, Zhejiang University of Technology and Hangzhou Normal University. Paris’s talks for students and graduates focus on grit as a skill that can be learned, using his own expeditions as evidence.
Typical formats include welcome weeks, graduation events, entrepreneurship programmes and alumni dinners. University keynote speaker →
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 Hangzhou 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 Hangzhou
In Hangzhou, the most common bookings fall into a few groups:
- Leadership offsites and strategy days, where senior teams need energy for a hard year ahead.
- Sales kick-offs and annual conferences, where the talk resets ambition and stamina.
- Awards nights and staff celebrations, where Paris can speak or host.
- Graduation, alumni and entrepreneurship events.
Credentials at a glance
- In 2023 he rowed 4,800 km across the Pacific with three teammates, raising more than £150,000 for marine conservation.
- His TV shows have been distributed in 123 countries, and Guy in Dubai has 22 million views.
- 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.
Common questions
Can I book Paris Norriss as a keynote speaker in Hangzhou?
Yes. Paris takes Hangzhou bookings for keynotes, workshops and hosting, live or virtual.
Does Paris speak to e-commerce and AI teams?
Yes. He talks about setbacks, iteration and keeping a team going through a long build.
Can Paris host a technology conference in Hangzhou?
Yes. He can host or moderate the day as well as give the keynote.
Which Hangzhou industries is The Grit Code suited to?
The keynote is tailored to each sector. In Hangzhou it suits automotive and technology and software audiences in particular, along with leadership teams, sales kick-offs and all-hands meetings in any industry.
Does Paris speak at universities in Hangzhou?
Yes. He speaks to students, graduates and staff, for example at institutions such as Zhejiang University and Zhejiang University of Technology, on grit as a learnable skill.
Is there a workshop option for teams in Hangzhou?
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 Hangzhou?
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.
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