Mike Bates

Mike Bates — The Operative Turned Optimiser. From covert missions to corporate transformation Mike Bates doesn’t tell stories — he declassifies them. Mike Bates is a human intelligence specialist, covert counter-terrorism operations leader, entrepreneur and adventurer. Mike served a combined total of 20 years serving the UK both within His Majesty’s Royal Marines and the Intelligence and Security fields of the Ministry of Defence. He is the first officer in the history of the MOD to pass all required courses to serve at the very front line of the U.K.’s counter-terror response. Mike is also well known for becoming the fastest solo British person to complete the ‘The World’s Toughest Row’, across the Atlantic in a little over 46 days. His efforts over the three-year campaign for this challenge raised a phenomenal £175,000 for charity and inspired people all over the world. A former MOD covert operations leader and human intelligence specialist, Mike spent over two decades navigating the world’s most demanding environments — from covert counter-terrorism operations to surviving the Atlantic Ocean alone. Dubbed ‘the real James Bond’, Mike’s unique career took him from secret briefing rooms and battlefields to boardrooms, where the same skills that kept him and others alive now help leaders and teams perform under pressure and unlock their hidden potential.