Marin Minamiya – Keynote Speaker

Marin Minamiya is the youngest person in the world to complete the Explorers Grand Slam. The Explorers Grand Slam is an adventurer’s challenge to reach the North Pole, South Pole and the highest summit of each of the seven continents. She achieved this feat in April 2017 after she started the first challenge in 2015.

Minamiya has lived in Malaysia, Dalian and Shanghai in China, Hong Kong, as well as South Africa. She speaks English, Japanese, and Mandarin Chinese, She currently studies Computer Science at Columbia University in the city of New York. She transferred to Columbia University from Waseda University – faculty of Political Science, in 2021. Minamiya started climbing mountains at age 13 in Hong Kong and still has vivid memories of when she looked down from the summit of her first hike. The scenery of the coexistence of Hong Kong’s concrete jungle and the mountains were so beautiful and special that made her be in the grip of mother nature.

In December 2016, she was appointed as the first female Global Brand Ambassador of UNIQLO, alongside other athletes such as pro-tennis player Novak Djokovic and pro-golfer Adam Scott. In December 2019, Minamiya received the Miss Japan Special Honorary Award, and she has spent her reign volunteering in various parts of the world. One notable work she has been committed to is marine-reforestation. She actively scuba dives to plant kelp seeds and eliminate overpopulated sea urchins for healthier marine-life. Minamiya is also an avid sailor and has plans to circumnavigate around the world by yacht.

“Through my future projects, I sincerely want to make the world a better place for all life. I hope more people in the world come to realise that life is full of opportunities and that the key to all possibilities is within themselves.”