Charlie Martell

About

Lieutenant Charles Edward Martell FRGS is an English ocean rower, adventurer and humanitarian worker. A double Guinness World Record holder, Royal Engineer Charlie Martell is no stranger to adventure. Active service in Iraq, Bosnia and Northern Ireland led to a post-Army career in the humanitarian sector, where he specialised in post-conflict resolution.

Working in mine-affected countries such as Cambodia, Angola and the Republic of Georgia opened his eyes to what specialists like him could do for communities living amongst mines, bombs and other debris of war.

What Drives Me | The desire to raise funds for selected charities, knowing that these charities are having a direct  and positive impact on the beneficiaries is probably my main motivator. I am fortunate enough to sit on the Management Team of one of my chosen charities, so I do get to hear how raised funds are being spent.

My Highlights | My career has been in two parts so far. The first being my military career where I always aimed to be the best at things I was interested in. I came top of my first promotion course and came top of the Army’s Diving Course. One of the other main highlights was passing the arduous Commando Course, run by the Royal Marines. My career in humanitarian mine clearance, is something I’m incredibly proud of. It was tough in many ways, but the satisfaction knowing that we had put land back in to use and potentially saved someone’s life was fantastic. Rowing across the North Atlantic Ocean (west to east), raising a large sum of money for charity and earning two world records are definite highlights as well.

Key Talents | I don’t believe I have a particular talent, nor strength, so perhaps my advice would be, be yourself, be personable, be able to speak to everyone at every level in society without judgement.

Do a SWOT test – learn what your strengths and weaknesses are
Try to work on the weaknesses, make them your extra strengths
Use moral courage to make yourself (and others) a better person
Be patient

Characteristics That Have Led To My Success | Stubbornness is probably my main characteristic. Not willing to give in after meeting the first obstacle. I try to relish the obstacles as there is normally a way around them, forcing me to think of alternative routes.

My Critical Skills | Communication is key, without it failure ensues. Setting an example to others, trying to inspire
younger (and hopefully older) generations, through presentation and teaching. Being enthusiastic and not being selfish.

Performing At My Peak | Mental focus coupled with both mental and physical strength is important to me.

Keeping Informed And Inspired | I remain active in fundraising for charities and seeing the beneficiaries, talking to them and where possible, spending time with them keeps me inspired and informed at the same time.

Dreams And Ambitions I would like to circumnavigate the globe both through latitude and through longitude.

The Best Advice I’ve Received | This piece of advice was originally spoken by Sir Winston Churchill, but was reiterated to me by ‘The Forgotten Highlander’, former Prisoner of War (WW2) Alistair Urquhart. Alistair said to me, “Never, never, never give up.” He referred to the quote by Churchill, “Never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently  overwhelming might of the enemy.”

On Building Wealth | Does wealth have to mean rich? A wealth of experience far outweighs someone who is rich with no (life) experience. Greed will leave you unfulfilled.

The Legacy I Would Like to Leave | Quite simply, if I could leave a legacy whereby people push their personal limits, whether mental or physical and hopefully help others in the process, I would be delighted.

Interview Questions

[everest_form id="26923"]

View further interviews.

The Legacy Project

Exploring the online realm via his areas of interest namely wine and education, Sam Paddock has developed Get Smarter with his brother Rob Paddock. Aiming to improve lives through better education, the brothers lead a dynamic team showing groundbreaking results. As a key note speaker, Sam also educates via his personal blog and here, shares […]

The Legacy Project

Daniel Ting Chong is an illustrator, designer and artist based in Cape Town, South Africa. Daniel was born in 1987 in Cape Town. Studied graphic design at Vega. He is emerging as one of Cape Town’s top creative talents following a series of art exhibitions, talks, commissions from clients and design collaborations with leading international […]

The Legacy Project

Bernelle Verster is a bio process engineer who is passionate about water, social entrepreneurship and creating products from nature. In 2012 she was named one of Mail & Guardian‘s 200 Young South Africans. The Work I Do | I’m a Bio Process Engineer and I think most people are comfortable with what engineers do and stuff; […]

The Legacy Project

After leaving her role as the founding CEO of the Interactive Advertising Bureau of South Africa (IAB SA) Josephine Buys, a dynamic and no-nonsense leader in the publishing and marketing industry in South Africa is now the new CEO for Publisher Research Council (PRC). Her interview below typifies the way she goes about life. It’s […]

The Legacy Project

Fred is deeply passionate about Africa and believes that the missing ingredient on the continent is good leadership. In line with this, he has founded two organizations that aim to catalyze a new generation of ethical, entrepreneurial African leaders: African Leadership Academy and the African Leadership Network. In recognition of his work in developing Africa’s […]

The Legacy Project

Maria Popova is a reader, writer, interestingness hunter-gatherer, and curious mind at large. She has previously written for WiredUK, The Atlantic, The New York Times, and Harvard’s Nieman Journalism Lab, among others, and is an MIT Futures of Entertainment Fellow. I Am Driven By | The yearning to learn how to live, how to lead […]

The Legacy Project

Derek Sivers is best known for being the founder and former president of CD Baby, an online CD store for independent musicians. A professional musician (and circus clown) since 1987, Sivers started CD Baby by accident in 1997 when he was selling his own CD on his website, and friends asked if he could sell […]

The Legacy Project

Ted is a keynote speaker, author of A World Gone Social: How Companies Must Adapt to Survive, three-time CEO and Chairman and Founder of SwitchandShift.com. Ted Coiné is one of the most influential business experts on the Web, top-ranked by Forbes, Inc., SAP Business Innovation, and Huffington Post for his leadership, customer experience, and social […]

Disclaimer
The profiles and images embedded on these pages are from various interviews conducted by The Legacy Project.

These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.

Our Mission

We are your partner creating memorable and engaging experiences that go beyond the event itself.

© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME