Skip to Content
Alban Michon

Alban Michon Polar explorer, extreme diver and keynote speaker

Un spécialiste des environnements polaires, Alban Michon transforme ses expéditions sous la glace et à travers l'Arctique gelé en leçons pratiques sur la résilience, la prise de décision, la gestion des risques et la force collective.

An explorer, entrepreneur and keynote speaker, he helps organisations navigate uncertainty, strengthen cohesion and mobilise their resources when familiar reference points disappear.

Languages
English (US), French / Français
Duration
45 to 90 minutes — Bespoke workshops and immersive seminars
Formats
Conference, Keynote, Workshop, Masterclass, Panel discussion, Immersive seminar

Biography

Explorateur polaire, plongeur extrême et entrepreneur, Alban Michon évolue depuis plus de vingt ans dans des environnements où le froid, l’isolement et l’incertitude exigent préparation, résilience et esprit d’équipe.

Une vocation précoce

Né à Troyes en 1977, il découvre la plongée à onze ans. À vingt-deux ans, il reprend l’école de plongée sous glace de Tignes et développe des méthodes permettant de rendre cette pratique extrême plus accessible et plus sûre.

Un expert des milieux extrêmes

Spécialiste de la plongée sous glace et en grotte, Alban Michon accompagne des plongeurs professionnels, des explorateurs et des unités spécialisées. Son expérience lui a également permis de conseiller des productions audiovisuelles et de concevoir des protocoles de sécurité.

Des expéditions majeures

En 2010, il participe à l’expédition Deepsea Under The Pole au pôle Nord. En 2012, il dirige The White Trap au Groenland, parcourant près de 1 000 kilomètres en kayak.

En 2018, il réalise ARKTIC, une expédition solitaire de soixante-deux jours dans le passage du Nord-Ouest. Il parcourt près de 500 kilomètres dans des conditions extrêmes, avec des températures pouvant atteindre -55 °C.

Décider et agir dans l’incertitude

Ses expéditions lui ont appris à anticiper plusieurs scénarios, à s’adapter rapidement et à prendre des décisions avec des informations limitées. Il transpose aujourd’hui ces enseignements aux entreprises confrontées au changement, aux crises et à la transformation.

Un conférencier engagé

Dans ses conférences, Alban Michon partage les réussites, mais aussi les doutes, les erreurs et les détours de ses aventures. Il aborde la résilience, la gestion du risque, la cohésion d’équipe et le dépassement de soi.

À travers ses expéditions et le projet d’habitat scientifique sous-marin Biodysseus, il souhaite également sensibiliser le public aux transformations des régions polaires et des écosystèmes marins.

Adaptation is not optional. It is what allows us to move forward when everything becomes unpredictable.

— Alban Michon
Would you like to invite Alban Michon to your event?

Conferences

Drawing on his expeditions, Alban Michon shares lessons that can be applied directly to organisations and teams.

01

Adventure in the service of business

Turn every difficulty into an opportunity to learn.

A polar expedition operates much like a company. It requires a clear ambition, committed partners, complementary skills, budget management, precise logistics and the ability to respond when events do not unfold as planned.

Drawing on his experience as an entrepreneur and explorer, Alban Michon shows how to maintain direction while adapting the route. He shares the principles that enabled him to turn a childhood passion into a profession and later into international exploration projects.

  • Turn the unknown into a space for opportunity
  • Convert mistakes into learning
  • Sustain commitment throughout long projects
  • Surround yourself with the right expertise
Ideal for Entrepreneurs, executives, project teams and conventions
Format Conference or keynote · 45 to 90 minutes
02

Making decisions under uncertainty

Act with clarity when not all the information is available.

Beneath the Arctic ice, conditions can change within minutes. Decisions sometimes have to be made without a complete view of the situation.

Alban Michon explains how to prepare several scenarios, separate the essential from the secondary and retain the ability to act under pressure. His stories offer practical parallels for leaders and managers facing unpredictability.

  • Prepare several scenarios
  • Prioritise what matters
  • Decide without waiting for certainty
  • Change the plan without abandoning the objective
Ideal for Executive committees, managers, crisis management and transformation
Format Conference or masterclass · 45 to 90 minutes
03

Resilience and pushing personal limits

Discover resources you did not know you had.

During sixty-two days alone in the Arctic, Alban Michon faced cold, exhaustion, a storm and an eye injury. He learned that resilience does not mean denying difficulty, but continuing to move forward despite it.

He shares the mental tools that helped him remain engaged: putting events into perspective, stepping back, accepting the situation, breaking the goal into smaller stages and maintaining a vision of the future.

  • Distinguish fear from apprehension
  • Move forward through small objectives
  • Accept the situation in order to act more effectively
  • Sustain motivation over time
Ideal for Teams facing change, healthcare, sales and management
Format Conference or keynote · 45 to 75 minutes
04

Risk management and a culture of safety

Take risks without putting the organisation in danger.

In the Arctic, mistakes can have immediate consequences. Yet eliminating all risk would make exploration impossible.

Alban Michon shows how to create a framework that allows people to be bold while protecting them. He emphasises anticipation, accountability, communication and the ability to stop an action when limits have been reached.

  • Identify and assess risks
  • Develop protocols that work in practice
  • Make every team member accountable
  • Learn when to say stop
  • Create an environment that supports controlled innovation
Ideal for Industry, energy, transport, healthcare and safety
Format Conference, keynote or workshop · 45 to 120 minutes
05

Exploring to understand and protect the world

Turn wonder into a driver of commitment.

Alban Michon témoigne directement des changements dans l'Arctique : fonte des glaces, nouvelles routes maritimes, pression touristique et bouleversements majeurs pour les communautés locales.

Il montre également comment les contraintes environnementales peuvent stimuler la recherche et l'innovation. Grâce à Biodysseus et ses partenariats scientifiques, il défend une exploration utile conçue pour améliorer notre compréhension des environnements menacés.

  • Understand the concrete consequences of climate change
  • Connect science, exploration and public awareness
  • Turn constraints into drivers of innovation
  • Give meaning to environmental commitments
Ideal for CSR, climate, industry, innovation and scientific events
Format Conference or keynote · 45 to 75 minutes

For which events?

Alban Michon speaks at the key moments where people, performance and impact matter.

  • Seminars and conventions
  • Leadership committees and strategic talks
  • Product launches
  • CSR and climate events
  • Institutions, schools and universities

Possible formats

Formats adaptable to your goals and context.

  • Inspiring talk
  • Impactful keynote
  • Participative workshop
  • Panel
  • Webinar

Why choose them?

A unique experience serving strong, useful messages.

  • Field experience backing the message
  • Authentic and inspiring stories
  • Human, demanding and accessible approach
  • Tailored content aligned with your stakes
Would you like to invite Alban Michon to your event?

Videos

Discover Alban Michon through his polar expeditions, talks on resilience and first-hand accounts of the Arctic.

Looking for more content or a specific clip? Contact us
Turning every difficulty into an adventure 58:11
Conference clip

Turning every difficulty into an adventure

From entrepreneurship to polar expeditions, Alban Michon shares a lesson in perseverance, adaptation and collective trust.

Watch video
Exploring to understand and protect the world 08:58
Interview

Exploring to understand and protect the world

Alban Michon partage son expérience des environnements extrêmes et souligne les transformations climatiques et humaines affectant l'Arctique.

Watch video
Exploring the worlds beneath the ice 03:30
Short format

Exploring the worlds beneath the ice

From Tignes to the Arctic, Alban Michon shares a life devoted to extreme diving and polar exploration.

Watch video
From a childhood dream to the life of an explorer 44:43
Conference clip

From a childhood dream to the life of an explorer

Alban Michon explique comment la passion, la persévérance et la confiance en soi lui ont permis de transformer ses rêves en expéditions.

Watch video
I feel apprehension, not fear! 18:34
Short format

I feel apprehension, not fear!

Alban Michon explique comment transformer l'appréhension en vigilance et en énergie afin de progresser malgré l'incertitude.

Watch video

Want to feature Alban Michon at your next event?

Our team helps you craft a tailored intervention, aligned with your goals and your audience.

Publications

The White Trap

Glacéo

The School of Explorers

Journey of an Ice Nomad

Would you like to invite Alban Michon to your event?

Workshops

Immersive seminar in Tignes

An immersive experience delivered in a controlled environment to observe how teams respond to stress, discomfort and uncertainty.

Depending on the objectives, the programme may include ice diving, a cold-weather bivouac, camp construction, team-cohesion exercises, an unexpected-situation simulation and a collective debrief. The purpose is not physical achievement, but a deeper understanding of communication, trust and cooperation.

Would you like to invite Alban Michon to your event?