Marie Leautey holds two Masters degrees, one in Finance from the Universite de Rouen, and one in European Law from the University of Strathclyde. She is also quadrilingual, fluently speaking four languages. This has come in useful during her career as she worked in countries across Europe and Asia.

Prior to her world-record run, Marie Leautey had a varied and interesting career. She started as a lecturer in European community law at the Glasgow Caledonian University, then became the International Finance and Commercial Controller for the Heineken company, auditor for The Coa-Cola Company, Kingfisher plc, and Mondelez International,  business development manager for MetaSport, and Chief Financial Officer for Norgas Carriers PTE LTD, and RGP. And if that wasn’t enough, in 2007 she founded and became Director of Hop! Events Ltd, a start-up sport events producer.

MARIE LEAUTEY | EXTREME RUNNER

Marie Leautey’s impressive run took her across four continents, covering a total distance of 28,300 km. She ran 15,420 km across Europe, 5,383 km across North America, 3,0002 km across South America, and 4,500 km across Australia and New Zealand.

A combination of CFO know-how and running experiences gives Marie a unique experience and an extraordinary capacity to adapt to ever-changing circumstances. Able to adapt in any environment, Marie used this skill to navigate her world run.

But just three months, and 3,000 km into her run, Covid struck; borders were closed and movements forbidden. But she didn’t let that stand in her way, and went on to beat two world-records in the process. As long as she remained focussed, there was no circumstantial hurdle that would make her fail. Again, drawing from life in the office, she believes that external circumstances vary all the time, stock markets go up and down and some collapse, and if you’re not willing to adapt, then you won’t succeed. Going back to the drawing board constantly is what kept her dream a reality.

Insisting she is “just” an ordinary person who went on to pursue an extraordinary dream, Marie says the methods she used to keep going, maintain her motivation, and keep herself safe and in good health, is based on common sense and techniques she used at work.

Whilst running nearly 700 marathons in just over 800 days is impressive, the number she is most proud of is zero; she did not pick up a single injury throughout her run. What’s more, between 50-70% of runners will get an injury every year, which makes the fact she developed none in over two years even more astounding.

There is no better example of an outside-of-the-box situation. And Marie insists that having an idea outside of the box is just the start : your solutions need to be outside of the box too.

She went back to the basics and questioned every bit of “science” that was prominent in the microcosm of the running community. She developed her own science and solutions. And though she insists there is no “one fits all” solution, and that everyone has to find what works for them, she saw great value in questioning everything that was held as a truth. In typical CFO fashion, she likens it to the toughest projects she had to handle at work.

She explains it similar to taking your team through the most delicate and convoluted project – and going through it as a team, with no one left behind, no burnout, no departure, no bitterness.

In 2023, she published her book The World Under My Feet or Le Monde Sous Mes Pieds in her mother tongue. The book retraced her journey across the world, from the idea, the preparations, and the completion.

MARIE LEAUTEY | KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Marie’s amazing experiences have made her a popular keynote speaker and conference host. Whilst she does have topics she talks about, she tailors them to the business world and the client specifically, drawing on her unique mix of business and sport experience.

MARIE LEAUTEY | SPEAKING TOPICS

– Commitment to a Unique Direction

– Importance of Planning (and Continuous Adaptation of the Plan)

– Effective Decision Making

– Preservation of Key Assets

– Mechanisms of Motivation

– Atypical Solutions for Atypical Projects (Think Out of the Box, Act Out of the Box)

Call +44 1753 439 289 or email Great British Speakers now to book world-record runner and CFO Marie Leautey for your next live event or corporate video.

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