The event
This was not a keynote. In November 2025, a group of generous people came together for a charity night at The Lana, Dorchester Collection, in Business Bay, Dubai, to raise money for underprivileged children, those who have had a tough start in life. The beneficiaries were two charities, Gulf for Good and The Sovereign Art Foundation.
The night was hosted by Tom Urquhart, Addison Gelpey led a thrilling auction, and Sean Gavin and his band played afterwards. Paris thanked Amy Cadman, who managed the event and made it run smoothly.
The artwork
The spectacle of the night was a live art piece created by Sacha Jafri, inspired by the adventure in which Paris and his team ran seven marathons on seven continents. Sacha took the memorabilia picked up along the journey, as well as the team’s running kit, as the inspiration for the piece, which was auctioned on the night.
The result
“I’m proud to say the collections for the night were over AED 800,000,” Paris wrote, thanking everyone who supported it.
He thanked the sponsors: The Sovereign Group, The Brain & Performance Centre (a DP World company), flinki, Kachins Group, GEMS Education, Beneple, Addleshaw Goddard, Kestrel Global Ltd, TEC Middle East and North Africa, Dan Bolton and ITC Malta. He also thanked those who donated auction prizes, including ActionFlight, Chef Paola Rodriguez, BidAid, Nico Colsaerts, Ant Middleton, Josh McCartney, Letswork, Deep Dive Dubai, Hero Experiences Group and Xclusive Yachts.
About The Grit Code keynote
The Grit Code is built on real stories from extreme environments. Paris rowed 4,800km across the Pacific Ocean in 2023 with the Brothers N Oars crew, a row that raised more than £150,000 for marine conservation. He also ran seven marathons on seven continents in 5 days, 21 hours and 51 minutes, in Antarctica, Cape Town, Perth, Dubai, Madrid, Fortaleza and Miami.
From those experiences he draws practical lessons on purpose, vision, limiting beliefs, adapting a plan and keeping a clear head under pressure. He has delivered the keynote for audiences including the UN Tourism General Assembly, TEDx Amman, COP28, Expo 2020, DHL, Nokia, Kraft Heinz, IHG, Dubai Airports, Durlston Partners in London and Surfbreak in Honolulu. Every talk starts with a briefing call, so the stories connect to your theme, your industry and the challenges your people are facing right now.
“I’m proud to say the collections for the night were over AED 800,000.”
— Paris Norriss on LinkedIn
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