University of Greenwich and Medway students are invited to join us in the atrium of Dreadnought Building, Greenwich campus, for a special keynote address and a lively evening of networking at the Student Conference evening reception.

Keynote speaker: Phil Packer MBE, HonDHSc, HonDUniv (BNU), FRSA

We are very pleased to welcome Phil Packer, MBE, as our keynote speaker for the Student Conference evening reception.

In 2008, Phil sustained catastrophic spinal injuries while on operational duty with Her Majesty’s Armed Forces. To understand the scope of his disabilities and to regain his self-esteem, Phil embarked on several arduous physical challenges for charity. After surgery and five months of hospitalisation, the first three challenges took place within six months: rowing the English Channel; walking the London Marathon in 2009 (in 14 days); and scaling El Capitan in Yosemite National Park (4,250 pull ups over four days) and raising more than £1.3 million.   
Phil completed the London Marathon again in 2010 (in 26 hours) for 26 charities, as well as the Three Peaks for Sport Relief in association with BBC Sport; climbing the highest peaks in England, Scotland and Wales in 72 hours, documented in ‘A Major Mountain to Climb’. Then, in 2012, he successfully completed 2,012 miles throughout every county in the UK. With his spinal injury, this was the equivalent of 310 marathons in 331 days. Phil was subsequently asked to be as Ambassador and Patron of numerous charities, including The Prince’s Trust, UK Scouting, the Douglas Bader Foundation, Cardiac Risk in the Young, and the Helen Rollason Cancer Charity. 
Many of Phil’s charity duties include spending time with young adults with mental and physical disabilities and, after supporting 26 charities in 2010, he still felt that there could be more collaboration in the charity sector. In 2011, Phil founded the British Inspiration Trust (BRIT). Since then, Phil has remained its Non-Paid CEO in the hope of encouraging people to volunteer support or professional services to the charity.  To understand the full scope of young adult and student mental health, Phil has also visited more than 750 universities, colleges, schools, charities, and communities throughout the UK, to date. 
During the past four years, Phil has planned and coordinated the annual BRIT Challenge; an inclusive feel-good fundraiser for every UK university and college to enter teams and encourage participation to improve young adult, student and staff mental health, fitness and wellbeing. To date, almost 250 university and college teams have taken part. This year, more than 100 universities and colleges have already registered to take part in the BRIT Challenge.
Phil has ambitious plans to destigmatise mental health and promote equality, diversity and disability inclusion. More than 200 Olympians, Paralympians, sports personalities, adventurers, and explorers have joined the BRIT Ambassador family to share their lived experience and inspire young adults, students and staff, to also take part in the annual BRIT Challenge. 
 Phil is determined to make the BRIT Challenge a legacy event for the Higher and Further Education Sectors, and Specialist Colleges. He has also implemented BRIT Regional Steering Groups, led by universities and colleges, in Scotland, Wales and eight regions of England, in order to grow a wellbeing network of students and staff from every university and college in the UK.
He has forged relationships with the British Olympic Association, the British Paralympic Association, Sport Wales, Sport Scotland, Scottish Student Sport and a wealth of education governing bodies including Universities UK, Guild HE, Independent HE, AMOSSHE, London Higher, the Association of Colleges, Colleges Wales, Colleges Scotland, NAMSS and Natspec; all of whom support BRIT and the delivery of the annual BRIT Challenge. 
Phil has been awarded a MBE (Mil), the prestigious BBC Sports Personality of the Year Helen Rollason Award and Pride of Britain Fundraiser of the Year.