Jonty Warneken is a disabled ice swimmer, four-time Guinness World Record holder and Team GB representative whose life story exemplifies resilience, reinvention and elite performance. Following a life-changing accident in his early 20s that resulted in the amputation of his left leg below the knee and extensive skull reconstruction, Jonty rebuilt not only his physical strength but his entire professional and personal trajectory. Today, he is hired as a motivational speaker for his rare ability to connect high-performance sport, board-level finance and extraordinary adversity into one compelling narrative.
A graduate of the University of Hull with a BA in Psychology with Sociology and Anthropology, Jonty initially aspired to become a military pilot and represent his country in rugby union. Those ambitions were abruptly halted by a devastating car accident. Refusing to be defined by tragedy, he redirected his focus into the financial sector, beginning as a Financial Consultant at Prudential Assurance. He progressed to Manager at Deloitte & Touche Private Clients before taking senior leadership roles, including Head of Northern Region Wealth Management at Sanlam Private Wealth, Director at Da Ponte, and Senior Investment Director and Head of the North at Brooks Macdonald. Since 2023, he has served as Head of Harrogate at Atomos Wealth and became Non-Executive Chairman of E Marketing in 2024, demonstrating sustained leadership at the highest commercial levels.
Parallel to his corporate career, Jonty established himself as one of the most accomplished adaptive endurance swimmers in the world. He is a four-time Guinness World Record holder, most recently setting the fastest male circumnavigation swim around Jersey in 2024 in just over 11 hours. In 2023, he achieved the world record for the fastest swim across the North Channel, becoming the first para swimmer to complete the crossing and part of the first ever disabled team to do so. He has represented Team GB at two Ice Swimming World Championships, created the first para 4x250m country relay team, and founded the Para V series, a pioneering five-country, five-day, 5km per day challenge for adaptive athletes. He also serves as Vice President of the International Ice Swimming Association and Director and Treasurer of the World Open Water Swimming Association, alongside frequent appearances on BBC television and radio.
As a speaker, Jonty translates extreme cold water endurance, record-breaking achievement and executive leadership into practical frameworks for resilience, risk management and sustained performance. Equally at ease addressing senior executives or wider community audiences, he combines psychological insight, financial acumen and lived experience of disability to deliver actionable lessons on mindset, teamwork and overcoming adversity.
