Bjorn Heyerdahl: Viking Environmentalist
Environmental explorer and humanitarian keynote speaker Bjørn Heyerdahl blends ancestral Viking resilience with modern sustainability expertise to inspire courageous leadership, and responsible global stewardship.
Quick Facts:
- Grandson of Thor Heyerdahl
- International explorer and environmental strategist
- Completed 200 km self-sufficient trek along South African coast
- Advocate for sustainability and global responsibility
- Formats:
- Keynote Speaker and Environmental Leadership Expert
- Audiences:
- Corporate leaders, sustainability teams, educators, and organizations focused on leadership, resilience, and environmental responsibility.
- Outcomes:
- Build resilience and adaptability through real-world lessons
- Embrace purpose-driven and values-based leadership
- Strengthen commitment to sustainability and global impact
- Travels from: Toronto, ON
- **Fee range: $10,001 - $20,000
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Keynote Topics:
Earth Charter Principles
Bjørn Heyerdahl often talks about turning the Earth Charter principles into action. “We need backbone, ‘vikingness’, and an unapologetic drive to start the implementation and see this through.
We have an extremely ‘soft’ impulse to nurture and understand one another, but we must balance it with a strong drive to make things happen. We need to design and create the future we want.
Like the Vikings did.
We must stop apologizing and engage with those who are wittingly or unwittingly doing colossal damage to the planet. We must meet them with a loud voice and bring living, alternative models of sustainability into being.
This is the intention of the Midgard Expedition. This Viking is here to promote new ethics and a vision for a sustainable future.
“There is a Viking Ship in every acorn.”
Talent Short Bio
Bjørn Heyerdahl is an internationally recognized explorer, environmental strategist, and humanitarian whose work reflects a powerful convergence of heritage, adventure, and social impact. A direct descendant of Norse seafarers dating back to 812 AD and the grandson of legendary explorer Thor Heyerdahl of the Kon-Tiki Expedition, Bjørn carries forward a lineage defined by audacity, discovery, and a deep curiosity about human interconnectedness. His grandfather’s pioneering spirit instilled in him a commitment to exploration not for its own sake, but as a means to advance sustainability, cultural understanding, and global responsibility.
Bjørn’s own journey began early. At 18, he tested the limits of his resilience by trekking 200 kilometers from Durban to Port Edward with only a backpack, foraging along the way and gaining firsthand insight into self-reliance and environmental harmony. His life took a pivotal turn during apartheid-era South Africa, when he refused conscription as an act of conscience. This moral stand demonstrated the courage, integrity, and justice-oriented leadership that continue to define his work today.
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Fee Range Information
All talent fees exclude VAT, travel and accommodation where required.