Rona, who has completed a round the world yacht race and trekked a notorious trail in Canada as well as dog sledding across the Arctic, will speak on ‘Steering the Right Course - Leadership in Action’ on Wednesday 13 February in the Great Hall.

Her corporate presentations aim to motivate audiences to achieve their potential, both individually and as part of a team, creating a ‘can do’ culture in business.

The event is being run jointly by Queen’s and the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), with support from Invest NI, as part of the Management Leadership Network’s (MLN) Management Month.

Just a few years ago Rona was a middle-aged single parent, but a lifelong ambition to travel led her as a novice sailor to join the BT Global Challenge Round the World Yacht Race in 2000 - 2001.

She had to face a range of challenges from the initial training, team building and preparation for such a massive undertaking, to physical and mental challenges she and the team experienced, including a dramatic crash with one of the other yachts in New Zealand which threatened their chances of completing the race.

Richard Jay, from the School of Education at Queen’s commented: “We are very pleased to host this event in Queen’s as part of the MLN’s Management Month.

“Rona’s talk is not just aimed at those who are currently filling management roles, but also will, we hope, inspire the current generation of students to meet the challenges and opportunities that will face them when they leave us.”

Victor Jordan, Invest NI’s Director of Business Improvement Services, said: “A high level of management and leadership skills is vital to the success of the Northern Ireland economy.

“Companies with inspirational leaders can achieve increased turnover and profitability, and realise their full potential in the long term.

“Strong management skills help to motivate employees, improve planning processes and ultimately ensure higher quality outputs.”

Rona’s other adventures have included trekking one of the world’s toughest trails - the West Coast Trail in Canada - where a combination of bears, cougars and injury made the demanding trip even more treacherous; dog-sledding across the frozen Arctic wilderness in temperatures as low as minus 30c; and sailing and winning the Round Britain Challenge in March 2003.

She also helped organise and took part in the Nordkapp Expedition, dog-sledding 600 km to the northernmost tip of Europe on a trail that was thought to be impossible.

Stanley Wallace, regional manager of the CMI, said: “The purpose behind our annual association with Queen’s is to emphasise the role that both of our organisations play in developing managers and encouraging their leadership skills.

“This year it is great to have Rona Cant on her first visit to Northern Ireland. She has been all around the world on her expeditions and will soon be taking a leadership challenge into the Arctic, so she has some great stories to tell and inspire local managers to improve the way they work with their staff teams.”

Source: By Queen's University Belfast