Matt Smith
Mark Beaumont
Mark Beaumont
An avid outdoors man from a very young age. Matt was born and raised on the west coast of Scotland. With an adventurous spirit and a desire to delve into the unknown Matt joined the Army in 1994.
During this time, Matt specialised in adventurous training, passed the Airborne Parachute selection, Army Commando selection followed by 6 years
An avid outdoors man from a very young age. Matt was born and raised on the west coast of Scotland. With an adventurous spirit and a desire to delve into the unknown Matt joined the Army in 1994.
During this time, Matt specialised in adventurous training, passed the Airborne Parachute selection, Army Commando selection followed by 6 years with Special Forces. A life of adventure and rapid learning unfolded with two, six-month tours in Bosnia, followed by tours in Macedonia, Kosovo, Sierra Leonne, Northern Ireland, Iraq and two, six-month tours of Afghanistan.
A qualified Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape Instructor and Arctic survival trained, Matt has led on the Real Heroes of Telemark sabotage mission over the Hardanger-Vidda in Norway from 2008 up to the present day. Matt’s passion to share vitally important life skills and the history of SOE's epic operations, led to the creation of SOE Expeditions in 2020.
Mark Beaumont
Mark Beaumont
Mark Beaumont
Passionate about ultra endurance and adventure Mark Beaumont has become a household name through his documentaries having smashed the circumnavigation cycling World Record twice in his career. He now holds this 18,000 mile title in a time of 78 days and 14 hours, averaging 240 miles a day.
Part of the SOE team Mark knows all too well abo
Passionate about ultra endurance and adventure Mark Beaumont has become a household name through his documentaries having smashed the circumnavigation cycling World Record twice in his career. He now holds this 18,000 mile title in a time of 78 days and 14 hours, averaging 240 miles a day.
Part of the SOE team Mark knows all too well about endurance based adventure and limits of the human body. Having completed and re-enacted Operation Frankton the famous Cockleshell Heroes operation during WW2. His epic documentaries have taken viewers to over 100 countries, from the Arctic, the high mountains and around the Commonwealth, also surviving capsize in the mid-Atlantic.
Mark lives in Edinburgh with his wife Nicci and two daughters, having grown up in Argyll and then Perthshire and studied at Glasgow University. Known best as an athlete, Mark also works in education including Honorary President of Scottish Student Sport, as well as in business,
Brian Desmond
Mark Beaumont
Brian Desmond
Brian served with the British military for 25 years, specialising in winter warfare. He has represented Great Britain in X-country skiing, ski orienteering, (5 World Championships) and is a former British biathlon champion.
Over the years Brian has led over 70 summer and winter expeditions in Norway, some as long as 450kms through some of
Brian served with the British military for 25 years, specialising in winter warfare. He has represented Great Britain in X-country skiing, ski orienteering, (5 World Championships) and is a former British biathlon champion.
Over the years Brian has led over 70 summer and winter expeditions in Norway, some as long as 450kms through some of Norway's most well-known mountain areas. Brian is well recognised for his expertise, and was asked to work as a special consultant for the Norwegian army to organise and teach Dutch special forces in Arctic warfare and X-country skiing.
Brian's other main interest is Norwegian war history, particularly the dramatic and daring raid on the heavy water plant at Rjukan during the winter of 1943. Brian's intimate knowledge of this action and several other SOE operations during WW2, make him an invaluable member of SOE Expeditions.
Rebecca Silva
Rebecca Silva
Rebecca Silva
Hailing from the west coast of Scotland, Rebecca maintains high standards as a dedicated support specialist delivering world-class services. During her time in Public Relations for a FTSE 100 business, Rebecca was responsible for managing international events, and spent a period living and working in Southern Europe.
Rebecca is a big pictu
Hailing from the west coast of Scotland, Rebecca maintains high standards as a dedicated support specialist delivering world-class services. During her time in Public Relations for a FTSE 100 business, Rebecca was responsible for managing international events, and spent a period living and working in Southern Europe.
Rebecca is a big picture thinker who grasps innovative ideas and concepts, translating those into action, developing creative and innovative solutions to challenges with the ability to communicate and negotiate concisely at all levels. Rebecca enjoys being part of successful and productive teams and thrives in a collaborative and inspirational culture.
Rebecca’s close family includes many veterans who have served in both Britain and mainland Europe. She takes a keen and enthusiastic interest in their experiences and is immensely proud of the contribution they have made. When not supporting exceptional leaders Rebecca loves spending time with her children in the great outdoors. An exercise enthusiast, Rebecca enjoys running, yoga, hiking and travel.
Dave Stewart
Rebecca Silva
Rebecca Silva
Dave heads up our SOE training experiences and has a passion for creating bespoke, no bullshit thinking and develops programmes for leaders and teams. This passion has its roots in a fearless, adventure-filled childhood growing up in Scotland and the experience gained as a member of a rock band, a mountain rescue team, and in senior lea
Dave heads up our SOE training experiences and has a passion for creating bespoke, no bullshit thinking and develops programmes for leaders and teams. This passion has its roots in a fearless, adventure-filled childhood growing up in Scotland and the experience gained as a member of a rock band, a mountain rescue team, and in senior leadership and non-executive roles across private, public and not-for-profit sectors.
In a first career Dave also served in the British Army, joining for three years and staying on for twenty-nine! Every day is a school day in terms of self-awareness, trust, team-working, mindset, resilience, responsibility, decisions and moral courage. Key experiences included a tour in Special Forces, command of an infantry battalion, leadership of the Army’s pre-operational deployment training organisation, and management of a large portfolio of fast-moving tech projects for Special Forces.
Married with two grown-up children and two marginally obedient dogs, Dave lives in Perthshire. A qualified mountain leader, he loves cycling and photography and has a fascination for antique maps and the stories they tell.
Dan Smith
Rebecca Silva
Dan Smith
Born and raised in the small mining town, Craghead Co Durham, with three generations of miners before him, Dan had a lot to live up to but all the mines closed and there were no real job prospects in the area Dan, then eighteen, turned his attention to the British Army.
A former British Army Sergeant and Physical Training Instructor, Dan'
Born and raised in the small mining town, Craghead Co Durham, with three generations of miners before him, Dan had a lot to live up to but all the mines closed and there were no real job prospects in the area Dan, then eighteen, turned his attention to the British Army.
A former British Army Sergeant and Physical Training Instructor, Dan's real passion lies in the great outdoors, leading adventure expeditions such as guiding groups down rivers and leading on multi day trips on mountain ranges around the world.
Helping people to step out of their comfort zones to challenge themselves physically and mentally, arming them with the tools to make lifelong changes.
Dan is always looking for personal adventure and challenge as a keen outdoors man and adventurer,
Dan loves the open water and is the only man to have paddled the length of Britain. Embarking on the solo challenge in 53 days, Dan covered over 1000 miles, in what he has described as “the
biggest physical and mental challenge” of his life.