Dave to show IoD members true meaning of resilience
Motivational speaker Dave Bolton has overcome huge challenges in his life and will offer an insight into his amazing journey to members of IoD Liverpool this month. Tony McDonough reports
If resilience is key to recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic then IoD Liverpool’s next motivational speaker has it in abundance.
As a serviceman and police officer, Dave Bolton was the recipient of numerous commendations, accolades and awards. But his biggest battle came when he was crushed by an 23-tonne articulated lorry in a near fatal motorbike accident.
He spent eight days in a coma and underwent a 12-hour lifesaving operation. There were initial fears his leg would have to be amputated. Not only did he recover, he also went on to become a world kickboxing champion.
On Thursday, October 29, Dave will offer an insight into his incredible story to members of IoD Liverpool in an online webinar. At a moment in time when we are all facing the challenge of a lifetime, Dave will relate the exhilarating highs and devastating lows of his life and the lessons he has learned.
Dave joined the Royal Air Force at 18. He served for three years and completed a tour in Iraq in 2000, where he was awarded the GSM II medal. He then joined Merseyside Police and, as a detective sergeant, where he smashed a major organised crime gang in Knowsley.
All of the above would be enough for most people but there were further battles for Dave to fight. A tennis ball-sized tumour was found in his frontal lobe and he underwent emergency surgery for the second time in his life. Despite the success of the op, the tumour later returned.
Told his condition was terminal, Dave underwent chemotherapy at Clatterbridge in Wirral and now, more than three years on, he has once again defied the odds. In 2018 Dave starred in Sky One’s award-winning The Heist.
Dave is now an international keynote and motivational speaker. Just some of the organisations he has worked with that have span across the globe include UnderArmour, British Telecoms, BT Openreach, Unilever, The NHS and Macmillan cancer support.
IoD Liverpool chair, David Wafer, will introduce Dave at the webinar. He said: “A better example of an inspirational speaker would be hard to find. Dave’s story is awe-inspiring and I can’t wait to hear him speak.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has presented the biggest challenge of our generation. As businesses and individuals we have been asked to adapt to a crisis we never expected in our lifetimes.
“I’m proud of the way our members have demonstrated their resilience since the crisis began in March. And I am sure they will draw further inspiration from Dave Bolton’s remarkable story.”
David Wafer is managing director of award-winning Liverpool recruitment firm, McIver Scott Recruitment.