Meet Alain Esseiva, adventurer, Managing Director and member of the Robb Report Singapore Thought Leaders community

Alain Esseiva has never been one to shy away from a challenge. The Swiss national is the founder of fiduciary services provider Alpadis Group and is Managing Director of its Singapore office. He has built his company to five offices in Asia as well as Switzerland and Dubai. When he’s not in the office, you can find him trekking across the Sahara Desert and Antarctica.

Though he is not a professional athlete, Esseiva is an avid ultramarathon runner. He has run 100km across Mongolia (where he was saved from a raging river by a Przewalski’s horse), 100km across Lijiang, 100km in the Kazakhstan Action Asia race, and before that ran The Last Desert; a 250km race across Antarctica that placed competitors through sub-zero temperatures and fierce winds to test their physical and mental capabilities.

The long-distance race saw Esseiva living out of his backpack for over a week, often without the company of other human beings. The average person may feel overwhelmed by the mental fortitude required to overcome the isolation, boredom and fatigue, but Esseiva had a different point of view. “Being alone for an extended period of time in a peaceful environment provides me the chance to think and learn more about myself. This helps me make better decisions and see things with a fresh perspective.” Esseiva ended up performing so well that he exceeded all initial expectations he had placed on himself prior to the race.

Completing a 250km ultramarathon in Antarctica is a feat that would be impressive in and of itself, but consider the fact that he has accomplished it more than once – two more gruelling 250km ultramarathons, one in the Sahara Desert and another in The Atacama Desert.

“When you have crossed 250km of desert with nothing but a rucksack, a corporate deadline does not seem so bad,” he remarks. Esseiva wants to be a person who can handle the harshest obstacles in both the corporate and natural worlds. He adds that running helps him stay grounded and humble, allowing him to consider things in different perspectives; which ultimately complements his leadership abilities.

Editor’s note: Get to know the full Thought Leaders community here.

Photography by Alpadis Group