Orianne Aymard

Dr. Orianne Aymard is a French author, mountaineer, and keynote speaker recognized for her expertise in resilience, leadership, and high-altitude mountaineering. After earning a Master of Science in social policy from the London School of Economics, Aymard pursued doctoral research focused on social policy in Tibet. Following a cerebral hemorrhage at age 25 in northern India, she shifted her academic focus and completed a Ph.D. in religious studies from Université du Québec à Montréal, in collaboration with Concordia University and Université Laval, with a thesis on the postmortem worship of saints in Hindu tradition. Her professional background includes work at the French Ministry for Foreign Affairs on human rights, violent extremism, and religion, as well as academic appointments as a Visiting Scholar at Columbia University and Research Associate at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative.

Aymard has served as a humanitarian delegate with the International Committee of the Red Cross, undertaking assignments in regions affected by armed conflict, particularly in Africa, and contributing to humanitarian efforts following the earthquake in Haiti. She volunteers with DareWomen, an organization dedicated to professional mentoring for women, where she supports women with disabilities through workshops focused on rebuilding confidence and fostering leadership skills. Her experience spans diplomacy, humanitarian work, and academia, informing her public speaking and writing.

At age 25, Aymard experienced a brain hemorrhage in North India, resulting in a prognosis that discouraged further high-altitude activities. Despite this, she pursued her goal of climbing Lhotse, the fourth highest peak in the world, ultimately reaching its summit. She later attempted Mount Everest, where she was injured in a serac fall in the Khumbu Icefall and evacuated, but subsequently returned to complete the ascent, reaching the summit and sustaining frostbite and a fracture during the descent. Aymard is among the few French women to have summited Mount Everest.

Aymard has chronicled her mountaineering experiences in the books "Sous l'œil de la Déesse" ("Under the Eye of the Goddess"), which details her ascent of Lhotse, and "Au cœur de l'Everest" ("In the Heart of Everest"), which recounts her Everest expedition. She is also the author of "When a Goddess Dies," published by Oxford University Press. Her story is featured in the documentary film "Everest, the Mother Goddess."

Aymard delivers keynote addresses on leadership, resilience, and crisis navigation, drawing on her experiences with a near-fatal brain hemorrhage and high-altitude mountaineering to illustrate principles of self-leadership and adaptive decision-making under pressure. She has presented to corporate and institutional audiences worldwide, including GE Healthcare, NTT Data, and KPMG, and delivers talks in English, French, and Spanish.