Draft:Holly Budge
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|  |
Holly Budge | |
|---|---|
| Born | Hampshire, England, United Kingdom |
| Occupations | Adventurer, conservationist, keynote speaker, entrepreneur |
| Known for | First woman to skydive Mount Everest; founder of How Many Elephants and World Female Ranger Week |
| Website | hollybudge |
Holly Budge is a British adventurer, conservationist, keynote speaker and entrepreneur. She is the founder and chair of the UK-registered charity How Many Elephants and of the global awareness campaign World Female Ranger Week.[1][2] In October 2008 she became the first woman to skydive over Mount Everest,[3][4] and in 2017 she summited the mountain via the north side as part of a two-person team.[5][2]
Early life
[edit]Budge grew up in Hampshire, England, and competed in tetrathlon and equestrian events through her youth, representing her country until the age of 21.[4][6] She later studied for a Masters in Sustainable Design, which she has cited as the foundation for the design-led approach of her conservation work.[5]
Adventuring career
[edit]Skydiving
[edit]Budge began her career in the skydiving industry, qualifying as a freefall camera operator in Lake Taupo, New Zealand, where she completed more than 2,000 jumps.[4][5]
On 6 October 2008, Budge became the first woman to skydive over Mount Everest, jumping from approximately 29,500 ft (8,990 m) and landing at the world's highest drop zone at 12,350 ft (3,765 m) in temperatures of around −40 °C.[3][4][7]
Mongol Derby
[edit]In August 2009, Budge competed in the inaugural Mongol Derby, a 1,000 km horse race across the Mongolian steppe widely considered the world's longest competitive horse race.[2][4] She completed the race in nine days, riding 25 semi-wild horses.[4][7]
Mount Everest summit
[edit]In May 2017, Budge summited Mount Everest via the north (Tibetan) side as part of a two-person team, spending 47 days on the mountain above 5,000 m.[5][8][2]
Other expeditions
[edit]Budge's other expeditions have included snowboarding from the summit of Mera Peak (6,476 m), climbing in the Rwenzori Mountains for elephant conservation, and various long-distance riding, climbing and skydiving projects worldwide.[9][4]
Conservation work
[edit]How Many Elephants
[edit]Budge founded How Many Elephants (UK Registered Charity No. 1186238) following her Masters in Sustainable Design as a design-led awareness campaign on the African elephant ivory trade.[1] The campaign visualises the daily and annual poaching rates of African elephants through immersive exhibitions and has toured internationally.[1]
World Female Ranger Week
[edit]Budge founded World Female Ranger Week as a global awareness campaign held annually in late June. The campaign supports female wildlife rangers worldwide, with a stated reach of more than 500 million people and support for over 6,000 female rangers across more than 24 countries.[10][11][2]
Wildlife Positive Travel
[edit]Budge later founded Wildlife Positive Travel, a boutique conservation tour operator offering immersive experiences with frontline ranger teams in Africa.[11]
Field work
[edit]Budge has spent extended periods on the front line of African anti-poaching operations, including patrolling with the Akashinga rangers in Zimbabwe, the Mara Elephant Project in Kenya, and the Black Mambas anti-poaching unit in South Africa.[12][1][13][14]
Writing and journalism
[edit]Budge is a travel and conservation journalist whose work has appeared in Country & Town House, Travel & Leisure, Adventure.com, Travel Africa, Summit, and The Ethicalist.[15][12][16][17] She has also been featured in BBC Wildlife, Woman's Hour, Sky News, Times Radio, Metro and The Independent.[15][11]
Wildlife art
[edit]Budge is a wildlife artist whose work has been exhibited at the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation's Wildlife Artist of the Year exhibition. In 2025 she was named winner of the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation Wildlife Artist of the Year — Extinction Category.[18]
Speaking
[edit]Budge is a keynote speaker, primarily on themes of risk, leadership and conservation, and has delivered talks for organisations including J.P. Morgan, Shell, British Airways, McKinsey and The North Face, as well as TEDx events and the University of Oxford.[2][1][19]
Awards and honours
[edit]- Guinness World Records — Inaugural Mongol Derby competitor (2009).[2][7]
- Gold Stevie Award — Female Thought Leader of the Year, Non-Profit; Female Innovator of the Year, Non-Profit (multiple years).[19][2]
- David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation Wildlife Artist of the Year — Extinction Category (2025).[18]
- WISE100 — Top 100 Women in Social Enterprise.[19]
- UN Women UK Delegate.[2][19]
- Member of The Explorers Club.[19]
Personal life
[edit]Budge is based in the United Kingdom and has spent extended periods living in New Zealand, where she trained and worked as a freefall camera operator.[4][5]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 "Interview: Holly Budge — Adventurer and Conservationist". Kuoni. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Holly Budge — Keynote Speaker". London Speaker Bureau. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- 1 2 "Meet the first woman to skydive Mount Everest: Holly Budge". The Female Lead Society. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "An interview with adventurer Holly Budge". Explorers Connect. 4 August 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Holly Budge: Why I Always Say 'Yes' to Adventure First". Much Better Adventures. 7 February 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ "Women in Sustainability: Holly Budge — Adventurer, Conservationist". Women in Sustainability Network. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 "First Woman to Skydive Everest". hollybudge.com. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ "Holly Budge — Training For Everest". Lessons in Badassery. 19 May 2017. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ Budge, Holly. "Incredible Journey to the Mountains of the Moon". The Ethicalist. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ "World Female Ranger Day". Marie Claire UK. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Holly Budge: Adventurer & Keynote Speaker". Kruger Cowne. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- 1 2 Budge, Holly. "Elephant Anti-Poaching Patrol with the Akashinga Rangers in Zimbabwe". Wanderlust. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ Budge, Holly. "The Female Rangers Fighting to Save Africa's Elephants". The Ethicalist. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ Budge, Holly. "Meet the Black Mambas: The All-Female Anti-Poaching Unit". The Ethicalist. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ Budge, Holly (2024). "Five women in conservation from around the world". Adventure.com. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ Budge, Holly (2025). "World Female Ranger Week 2025". Adventure.com. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- 1 2 "Celebrating the Winners of Wildlife Artist of the Year 2025". David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation. 2025. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Holly Budge — Female Motivational Speaker". Female Motivational Speakers Agency. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
External links
[edit]Category:Living people Category:British conservationists Category:British women in business Category:British female adventurers Category:British mountain climbers Category:British female mountain climbers Category:British skydivers Category:Wildlife artists Category:Female wildlife artists Category:British travel writers Category:British women non-fiction writers Category:Mount Everest summiteers Category:People from Hampshire Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
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