About Axe

Grant 'Axe'Rawlinson The Human Powered Explorer. Expeditions across mountains, oceans and continents, and the leadership lessons earned on them.

Curiosity has always been my compass.

See the Journey Explore the Axeperiences™

Where it starts

The lessons I share today weren't developed in a boardroom. They were earned through exploration.

I am driven by what's beyond the horizon. Not purely in the geographical sense, but also in terms of human potential.

For nearly three decades that curiosity has taken me across mountains, oceans, continents and some of the world's most challenging environments through human-powered expeditions.

Every expedition is a living laboratory: testing ideas, challenging assumptions and discovering what people and teams are capable of when the outcome is uncertain.

What I live by

The values that guide my life

Axe under a paraglider wing above a wooded alpine valley
AdventureI actively seek risk and uncertainty to lead a life filled with adventure.
Axe holding his two children on a beach after a swim, still in his cap and goggles
FamilyI give my family my full support to help them be the best they can.
Axe at the oars of the ocean rowing boat, mid-stroke on a flat sea
DisciplineI train hard, eat well and limit alcohol to be the best I can.

The journey

The making of a human powered explorer

Each one of my expeditions contributes to the Axeperiences™ I deliver today. Some of the highlights of my adventure life include:

Climb
  • More than 50 summits worldwide, Mount Everest among them, by the North Ridge.
  • Exploratory first ascents in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
  • Mount Ruapehu to Mount Cook, 1,300 km non-stop and unsupported.
  • Ben Nevis to Mont Blanc, 2,000 km, attempted.
Axe on the summit, arms raised, oxygen mask on, under a deep blue sky A climber on the blue ice wall of the North Col, on a fixed rope
Row
  • Singapore to New Zealand by rowing boat, 14,000 km, attempted in 2017.
  • The Tasman Sea in 22 days, 4 hours and 40 minutes, the fastest human powered crossing, in 2025.
  • The Bay of Bengal, crossed by pedal boat.
The ocean rowing boat leaving Raffles Marina in Singapore, past the moored yachts Axe standing in the rowing boat with both arms raised, on arrival at the dock
Swim
  • 122 km around Phuket Island, without swimming propulsion aids, in 2023.
  • The Million Baht Swim, which raised one million baht for charity.
A lone swimmer beside a red support kayak in open turquoise water Axe and two of the support crew on the deck of the escort boat after a swim leg
Cycle
  • Across Australia by bicycle.
A loaded touring bicycle on a red desert road in Queensland at low sun A cyclist on the road above a turquoise glacial lake in New Zealand
Fly
  • Exploring at altitude since 2025, paragliding in Spain, France, Switzerland, Thailand and Indonesia.
A blue and yellow paraglider wing turning above a wooded valley and limestone cliffs

Read and watch

From Peak to Peak, and The Sea Decides

Beyond the stage

I will never stop exploring.

When I'm not working with organisations helping them build stronger teams and more powerful people, you'll find me preparing for my next expedition, adventuring with my family, building the next Axeperience™, or exploring the limits of my own potential, whether that's learning a double backflip in my 50s or paragliding from a distant mountain peak.

Axe resting in a tent at high camp, on supplementary oxygen, in the orange light through the fabric

To explore is my purpose.

Credentials

Where the practice is grounded

  • Associate Certified CoachInternational Coaching Federation
  • Former chairRoyal Geographical Society, Singapore
  • Bachelor and postgraduate degrees
  • Three yearsSingapore national rugby sevens team

Next step

Every expedition became an Axeperience™

The mountains, the oceans and the continents are where the frameworks were tested. Let's put them to work with your leaders and your teams.

Book a Discovery Call See the Axeperiences™