Craig Mathieson is a polar explorer who is ‘Explorer-in-Residence’ with the

Royal Scottish Geographical Society The Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS) is an educational charity based in Perth, Scotland founded in 1884. The purpose of the society is to advance the subject of geography worldwide, inspire people to learn more about the world around ...

. Craig takes children from high school all over Scotland on a polar expedition

Overview

Born in Johnstone, Renfrewshire and raised in Buchlyvie,

Stirlingshire Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling, gd, Siorrachd Sruighlea) is a historic county and registration countyRegisters of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties. of Scotland. Its county town is Stirling. It borders Perth ...

, Mathieson was educated at

Balfron High School Balfron High School is a secondary school situated in the village of Balfron, approximately 18 miles (29 km) west of Stirling and 16 miles (26 km) north of Glasgow. The catchment area extends over most of West Stirlingshire including th ...

. He began his working life overseas in the military, before moving into HM Customs & Excise as an inspector and anti-fraud officer. He spent seven years with Ernst & Young, before joining Johnston Carmichael in 2007. In January 2014, Craig Mathieson joined accountancy firm French Duncan to head a new VAT department. In 2018 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by

Abertay University , mottoeng = "Blessed is the one who finds wisdom." , established = 1994 – granted University Status 1888 – Dundee Institute of Technology , type = Public , chancellor = Alice Brown , principal = Liz Bacon , head_label = Chair of Co ...

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

Expeditions

In 2001 Mathieson participated in an expedition to the summit of unclimbed peaks in

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is ...

, naming one Mount Mathieson. He successfully led the first dedicated Scottish Expedition to the

South Pole The South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole, Terrestrial South Pole or 90th Parallel South, is one of the two points where Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on Earth and lies antipod ...

in 2004, man-hauling his sledge 730 miles over the

Antarctic The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and other ...

Continent, and two years later led an expedition to the Geographical

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distinguish from the Magn ...

, taking a 16-year-old boy as part of his team. In 2009 he was Leader of the ‘Northern Lights’ sea kayaking expedition on the east coast of Greenland

Appointments

He was appointed special advisor to HM Forces regarding Polar training and guiding in 2012. In 2013 he was appointed ‘Explorer-in-Residence’ by Royal Scottish Geographical Society.

Charity work

Mathieson established the Polar Academy charity in 2013, taking young adults from a variety of backgrounds and inspiring them through participation in Arctic expeditions. The young adults Mathieson targets for his expeditions are not those who fit the profile of the extreme high achievers or the other extreme, for which there is an abundance of initiatives already in existence. Rather, Mathieson aims to help the average young adult who struggles through life; surviving without recognition, and without ever truly realizing their full potential

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mathieson, Craig, Polar Explorer Living people Scottish polar explorers Year of birth missing (living people)