Meet Mariam Ktiri - The First Arab Female and Second Female to Complete the World's 7 Summits in One Year (2019)!

I invite you all to virtually meet the lovely and talented Mariam Ktiri. Get your cup of coffee and join us:

A Quick Bio/Snapshot on Mariam in Her Own Words:

I grew up in the beautiful city of Casablanca. I was not really a calm child, which drove especially my mother mad…I loved climbing trees, riding my bike like crazy, making wood fire…As soon as the weather started to become warm, I setup a tent in our house garden and that became my home for most of the time…So I was pretty much outdoor oriented already as a kid.

After High School, I moved to Germany to study Business Administration and International Relations. I settled there after graduation. Now I work as a Consultant managing projects and coaching Top Managers.

First off, Mariam, CONGRATULATIONS!!! on this wonderful record. And we would love to ask you some questions to get to see the world through your eyes, the eyes of a record breaker and an overachiever.


MK: First of all thank you for your kind words. I am honored to be part of your captivating blog and be listed among your special guests. It’s a great channel to share my experience with you and with others. I hope, it’s inspiring for everyone not only in mountaineering but in every other aspect of life. My story is a story of determination.


  

·What motivated you to embark on this journey of climbing?

MK: While living in Munich, I discovered Hiking in my mid-twenties. I was content to hike through the beautiful Bavarian villages. But then soon I started looking for new challenges and moved to climbing. I took several classes with very experienced guides in Rock and Alpine climbing, crevasse rescue, Ice climbing…etc. So the mountains became part of my life.

·What inspired this unique and fearless idea of all 7 world key summits in one year?

MK: The 7 summits in general are a main goal for many climbers, who has ambitious to move to High Altitude Climbing.

For the 7 summits in general I was inspired by follow climbers who summited peaks like Kilimanjaro.

Normally it takes several years to finish the challenge.  But I decided to push it to the limit, train my physical but especially my mental strength and discover new capacities in myself.

Still I have to say, that this was not a decision overnight because of many factors: Physical condition, preparation, Time…Not to mention all the risks related to this challenge…..like high altitude, risk of injuries…etc. and of course the Financials. So it took many years to get all prerequisites before starting this journey.

·What did you think of in the challenging / hard moments to get that extra push to go on? In other words, Did you at any point during training or during the climb feel like giving up? How did you overcome that or what helped you continue?

MK: (It’s a very good question).

The summit pictures we share, show happy climbers with BIG smiles standing on the top of Summits. Those few summit minutes, yes minutes are the reward of days and even months of a very hard work (when thinking of Everest) and those are barely reflected in shots.

So Yes, there were hard and difficult moments, but I never thought of giving up. Because in those kind of challenges, you represent your small and your big family which is your country. So Those two were my biggest motivation to overcome those moments.

·What helped you get there ( i.e.: faith, resilience, preparation, motivational teammates … )

MK: It’s a mix of different variables.

The first and most important one is the preparation:

-   With this I mean physical and mental preparation. It’s crucial to be in a very good shape. The environment in high altitude is harsh. The body needs to get used to work hard and the mental has to be able to deal with that and to stay focused on the goal.

-   Getting the right gear and clothing and getting accustomed with it before. It’s very important to have the right equipment for every environment and every weather. I witnessed, individuals failing in expeditions because they didn’t have the right gear.

Secondly faith. It plays a very important rule here. Not everything is material.

And for sure the motivation. This is very crucial as well. I had fortunately big support from family, the guides and my team mates all over the trips.

·What advice do you have for the youth in general (and Arab/ Berber females in particular) who appreciate the dare devil mindset and are also contemplating taking these summits by the horns - Where should they start what should they do?

MK: First of all, I would like to tell them, that’s a great step and that they have my support!

The 7 summits challenge is a project and should be considered as such. They need to work on fulfilling the pre-requisites mentioned earlier. They need to create a realistic plan. Reaching every milestone gives a push and is a big motivator for the next one.

Still it’s very important to accept failure and that the mountains have the last word. The weather is not predictable 100%. It might be the main obstacle in an expedition.

·In your opinion, (knowing what you know now), what are the absolute Dos and Don’ts of climbing?

 

MK:

Do’s:

-   Be humble in the mountains

-   Be focused

-   Never give up the safety factor, others you might put your life and the lives of your teammates at risk.

-   Listen to the guides or leads. Those are experienced individuals and they act in the interest of the team.

-   Be a team player. You can only reach the Summit as a team.

-   Take care of yourself, only than you act in your own interest and the interest of the team.

-   Respect the local customs and remember that you are just a guest, so behave as such.

Don’ts:

-   Show up late. There is nothing worst, than waiting in the cold for someone to get ready.

-   Have new untested gear or equipment. Try them at home if they are new, to get used to them.

-   Hide health or other issues from the guides or expedition leads.

-   spread bad mood just because you don’t feel good

·What have you learned during these experiences that preparation did not teach you?

MK: Patience….The weather in those big mountains is an important factor for success and which we can’t influence…I remember sitting for days in Everest Base Camp waiting for the right weather window. This was hard!

  

· How do you overcome adversity?

  MK: Focus on the goal, pray to God

· What do you like to do (hobbies) outside of climbing?

 MK: I love traveling

·Are there any remarkable stories that you can share with us from your climbs (good or bad)?

Funny story:

MK: As we came back from the Everest Climb, I agreed with my Sherpa and another group from the same company I was with, that we are leaving for Lhotse (the 4th highest mountain) later in the evening short after midnight. So I rested in my tent in Camp 4. At the agreed time, I was ready to go but there was no-one from the team. I wandered in the camp to look for them, in vain. I double checked my phone, my watch…it was after midnight. So I thought, they were gone without me :-( I took off my boots, went back to sleep. 2 hours later, my Sherpa came to ask, whether I was ready to go….In fact my watch and my mobile are synchronized and they both switched to China Time. Camp 4 is close to the border with China.….What a relief!

Mariam with Qatari climber Fahad Badar during their Lhotse climb. Fahad Badar (First Arab climber to double summit Everest & Lhotse in one Trip May 2019)

Scary story

MK: When climbing Aconcagua, I forgot my helmet hanging in a small hut in a place called “Independencia”, as we made a short break there on the Summit day. Later few meters before reaching the Summit, we made a short break. I was about taking off my backpack when I saw a huge rock falling, I went on my knees hiding my head between my arms. The rock shot towards me. I was so lucky, that it scratched only my backpack and continued rolling towards the steep slopes. It was such a huge rock, the size of a brick. My backpack was completely destroyed after that. Thank God, no one was injured, it could have been worst.

https://instagram.com/mariamktiriadventures?igshid=1i4o1jx0j2hgv

Human / humanitarian story:

MK: I remember when descending a steep and rocky section below the summit of Elbrus, we saw someone laying there with blood all around him. Obviously he slipped and felt on rocks breaking his leg. We were shocked because he just stood few minutes before close to us on the summit. We were all tired from the long summit climb and were looking forward to reach our camp. Still we stopped to help him. I remember everyone was trying to find something to help with like first aid set, Ibuprofen…etc. Those moments of solidarity between climbers are just amazing.

·What is the hardest thing you had to do in this adventure (Think all year, not just Everest)?

MK: The summit days were not easy because they were long days at altitude. I think the hardest thing was to balance between the daily life and the preparations ongoing. I was training very hard and didn’t have that much time to rest or see family and friends. I had to deal with that for months. I wished the day had more than 24 hours!

·Are you the same person now? What has changed after the climb?

MK: The last year has definitely an impact on my personality and the way I see things after. I now believe in the power of mind more than any time before. I am also more relaxed. I see issues or problems in a different way. They appear now relative when I remember, that I had to deal with real issues during this project.

·What would you say to those who want to do it, but are still hesitant?

MK: If they are hesitant, so this is because of different reasons. Those could be either financials or the mental and physical preparation, not knowing what to expect…etc. If there is a weakness here, so they should work on it and make sure, that all prerequisites are fulfilled. Then they will have no hesitation anymore and they will go for it.

·Having raised the bar so high, what would be or what is (if you already know) your next adventure or challenge?

MK: The next challenge will be to share my experience with other climbers. I would like to make sure, that others get my lessons learned. This will help them a lot mastering their climbs.

·There were lots of deaths etc this year did you feel at any point scared or extra worried due to that unfortunate outcome which occurred while you are still there. What message do you have for the victims and their families?

MK: To be honest with you, I was a kind of scared of being in higher camps at the beginning of the expedition. Above 8000m you are in the death zone and the air is very thin. Being dependent on  an oxygen bottle freaked me out. So I had to work on myself here. Also our guides input and briefing took away this fear. I felt comfortable climbing above 7500 m during the summit push, still I was conscious of the risks.

The other thing, which I was worried about was having to climb over dead bodies. When climbing the last meters of Lhotse (8516m) for instance, there was a dead body just in the middle of route. He was sitting there like a climber resting. The rope was just in front of his legs, so there was no way to avoid him. I remember becoming very slow at the sight of his face with those perfect teeth. My Sherpa kept asking whether I am fine as he noticed that I was moving in baby steps.

There were also other bodies on the way up to Everest Camp 4….

  
Seeing them was one of the most difficult moments in those climbs. I was thinking, those were once passionate climbers, who followed their dreams and died fulfilling them. They left their beloved ones behind. I’ll tell them R.I.P. and what might be a comfort for their families is to know, that they died doing what they were passionate about.

·How long did it take you to prepare for this year?
MK: It took me 5 years of serious preparation. Still I have to say, that the preparations started much earlier. I have always been involved in sports and in lot of outdoor activities.


 

·How did you train for these climbs? Diet, work out, research, books, personal trainer? And was it helpful to you on the ground?

MK: The best training was to be in the mountains as much as I could for climbing, hiking, skiing…etc. In addition to that, I had a strict training plan in the gym. This included cardio and weightlifting. Also I did Yoga almost daily to relax and improve my mental skills. I had the support of a personal trainer, who was also my coach. An adequate diet is also very important to reach the target. Depending on the training cycle, it was either more carb or protein rich.

 ·Several people dread the prohibitive cost of the climbs, which can be intimidating, especially Everest. Is it really that expensive or are there now ways to get there at reasonable costs or even via creative funding tools like the go-fund-me, or work and save etc

MK: The costs of the 7 summits are very high, it’s a fact. There are options to go cheap but that might be at the cost of someone’s life. So I was chasing sponsors for many years to get the necessary funding. It was a challenge in itself.

·Is there one person that stood out ( out of all the people you met this past year in your adventures) that you would like to thank through this blog and why did she/he stand out?

MK: My family was my first supporter. I thank them for having been there for me and motivated me especially in the difficult moments.

Thank you very much Mariam, for your genuine kindness, humbleness, and for taking the time to respond to the questions fully and sincerely. I am truly hopeful that many individuals will be inspired by your story and get some additional color on what it takes to climb the seven summits with all their rewards and challenges.

I thank my readers for taking the time to check out this post and if you fell in love with Mariam's positive energy and contagious determination, you can follow her on Instagram at 

@mariamktiriadventures

Interview with Debbie Rodgers - Global Risk Manager of Aramark

Dear valued readers, today I have the honor to share with you the second interview for this blog -- I am very pleased to introduce you all to a dear friend, an inspiring mentor, and a seasoned professional... Debbie Rodgers. I was honored to partake in the tribute video for the Insurance Society Gala dinner where Debbie was awarded the distinguished Leadership Award in November 2014 and the video link is as follows: http://bit.ly/1EVowWC 



“Photo courtesy of Michael Marcotte / Business Insurance”

  Debbie serves as the Global Risk Manager of Aramark. For those of you who might not be familiar with Aramark. It is a multinational that "offers innovative services in food, facilities management, and uniforms. It provides award-winning services to healthcare institutions, universities and school districts, stadiums and arenas, and businesses in 22 countries around the world. In 2013, FORTUNE magazine again recognized Aramark on its list of “World’s Most Admired Companies. Since 1998, Aramark has been consistently ranked as one of the top three most admired companies in its industry as evaluated by peers and analysts. Additionally, and also in 2013, Aramark was honored as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute " – Summary extracted from the company's official website and for additional details, please visit http://www.aramark.com/AboutAramark/

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I would like to share a Bio that was published in the Business Insurance Magazine in 2011

Debbie Rodgers joined ARAMARK in 2003 to lead the insurance risk management function, which role subsequently expanded to include the safety & risk control and claims management functions for the global operations of the company. ARAMARK is a leader in professional services, providing award-winning food services, facilities management, and uniform and career apparel to health care institutions, universities and school districts, stadiums and arenas, and businesses around the world. The company had sales of $12.6 billion in 2010. ARAMARK has 254,000 employees serving clients in 22 countries. Before joining ARAMARK, Debbie was the Director, Risk Management for Saint-Gobain Corporation. Prior to her employment at Saint-Gobain, she spent four years teaching and later worked as a legal assistant. She received the ARM designation in 1995. She has a MBA from Villanova University and a B.S. in Education from the University of Delaware. In 2009, Risk & Insurance Magazine awarded ARAMARK and specifically the Global Risk Management team with the 2009 Theodore Roosevelt Workers' Compensation and Disability Management Award for the company's success in reducing the frequency and severity of work-related injury claims. More recently, Debbie was named the 2010 Risk Manager of the Year by Business Insurance. Debbie is active in many professional associations. She chairs the Board of the Insurance Society of Philadelphia and also participates on the Board of Governors for the Academy of Risk Management and Insurance at St. Joseph University. She is a member of the Philadelphia Area Risk Managers Association; the Willis Global Client Advisory Council; the ACE USA Client Advisory Board, the ACE Bermuda Advisory Board and the M200. She has served in multiple capacities for the Risk & Insurance Management Society including on the Board of Directors of RIMS (2002 – 2005); on RIMS Education Committee (which she chaired); as a member of RIMS Fellow Advisory Council; on the Spencer Foundation Risk Manager in Residence Committee (2005-2007) and as a mentor to Spencer Scholars. She is presently Vice Chair of the Student Advisory Council of RIMS and is a member of the Delaware Valley Risk and Insurance Management Society. Ms. Rodgers is a frequent speaker at industry events and also speaks regularly to university students studying risk management and insurance.

PROFESSIONAL AWARDS:

Debbie and her team have been privileged to receive a number of awards. In 2009, Risk& Insurance Magazine awarded Aramark with the Theodore Roosevelt Workers’ Compensation and Disability Management Award for the company’s success in reducing the frequency and severity of work-related injury claims. In 2010, Debbie was named “Risk Manager of the Year” by Business Insurance. The Southeastern Pennsylvania chapter of the American Red Cross recognized her with its “Beyond the Glass Ceiling” award in 2012. The Aramark risk management team received the 2013 Excellence in Workers’Compensation Risk Management award from National Underwriter.

THE INTERVIEW:



 Debbie and I the morning she received the "Beyond the Glass Ceiling" Award in 2012

Good morning Debbie. I would love to start with a quick overview of your background and professional journey to-date.

 I am a trained educator. I started my career as a teacher, initially in the elementary school, then in a middle school teaching mathematics. As a result of declining school enrollments and a lack of employment security, I changed careers completely to become a legal assistant. Initially I worked in a law firm, but later moved to a corporation – CertainTeed.

Recognizing that my teaching degree probably wouldn’t be a good stepping stone for future career growth, I enrolled in a MBA program. While in that program, I was approached by CertainTeed’s then risk manager to join his team. I was in an entry-level position, but it afforded me exposure to all areas of the department. This was a particularly exciting time because the company was acquired by a French company, Saint-Gobain, so there were many new opportunities. I progressed rapidly in my career at Saint-Gobain, ultimately

becoming Director of Risk Management. I held that role until I was recruited to join Aramark as the Vice President of

Risk Management in 2003.

 What does a Global Risk Manager really do? (Mostly for those readers who are not familiar with our industry)

That is not an easy question to answer, in part because risk management is defined differently at different companies. When I worked at CertainTeed / Saint-Gobain, the role was largely focused on insurance procurement and management. The team was also involved in managing claims. My role at Aramark began similarly, but grew to include safety & risk control, risk analytics, risk financing, claims management and, of course, insurance procurement / management. While there are many areas in which the safety & risk control team focuses, three of the big areas are occupational safety, food safety and environmental safety. Our team is involved in a host of other activities, including but not limited to contract review, new business opportunities, and risk evaluation and mitigation. If you ask another risk manager, you may get an entirely different response!

Did you always know that you will become a Risk Manager or did you, as we say, “fall into it” by coincidence?

I absolutely fell into it! I am eternally grateful to a former risk manager of CertainTeed who took a chance on me and introduced me to the field. I’ve never looked back since then.

What skills should a global risk manager have?

Whether someone is a global risk manager or one that is focused on domestic operations, there are core competencies that a person should possess. First and foremost, the risk manager must have intellectual curiosity to learn the business and ask the right questions. Leadership skills are also critical to be able to influence and move an organization on the right path. Other important competencies include, but are not limited to, team building, strong communication skills, the ability to motivate others to act, developing people, strategic thinking and decisiveness. Of course there are many other skills, including specific business skills (as finance, claims, safety, security, etc.) depending upon the specific role the risk manager holds in the organization. RIMS has an excellent competency model that could provide additional insights into personal and professional skills that are necessary.

What are some of the biggest challenges and the biggest rewards of your job?

One of the biggest challenges for me has been instituting organizational change. The larger the organization, the more challenging it is to make change. Our organization has multiple business operations across a large geographic base. It isn’t always easy getting all businesses on board. Getting a change through the entire organization is one of the biggest rewards.

Every successful person faces hurdles at some point in their career path, but many new comers just presume that successful professionals somehow were just lucky to have everything lined up for them. Could you provide some color with respect to adversity?

 I’d like to meet the person who has NOT faced adversity at some point in his/her career! It’s just part of the business world. What’s important is not the particular adversity you face, but what you learn from the situation and how you use the experience to grow professionally.

Do you have any professional and/or personal role models who have inspired you?

I’ve had 2 professional role models in my career and one very inspirational personal role model. From a professional perspective, the French risk manager of Saint-Gobain really influenced my career. Not only did he help me understand how to become an effective risk manager, he also encouraged (well, really, forced) me to speak French when I worked with him. I studied French as a minor in college, but never used it until I worked with him. The second professional role model was the Treasurer of Saint-Gobain Corporation. I credit him with helping me make the transition from being a legal assistant to a business person. He was a great sounding board and advisor as I worked through my professional role as well as my MBA studies.

From a personal standpoint, my mother was a really strong role model. Though I doubt she would ever have admitted it, she was a feminist before such a title existed. She believed I could achieve whatever I wanted and encouraged me to do so. Then she would say she didn’t know where I came from, to which I would respond – I’m just like you!

If you have one advice that you like to give to all the youth that is interested in risk management or just in business in general -- something that you feel you learned through years of experience, and that you might not have learned otherwise, what would it be?

It’s difficult to think of just one piece of advice, but I guess I would say whatever you choose to do in life, make sure it is something you love. You spend most of your life working, so enjoy what you do. If the career choice you make does not make you happy, consider making a change. I changed my career path twice before I found a career that was intellectually challenging AND made me happy.

A few years ago, you shared with me a pertinent book about self-analysis and finding individual strengths. I was thrilled to do the little exercise, which helped me tremendously in terms of learning how to work better with various personality types. That was one of the best things I learned from you... Can you talk a little bit about your experience with it, how you actually tried it with your team and the outcome of that experience?

The book you are referring to is entitled Strengths Finder by Tom Rath. It is a quick, simple-to-read book that includes a skills assessment. We gave copy of the book to everyone on the Global Risk Management team and asked them to take the assessment and share their results. We compiled the results and shared them with everyone. We used this exercise to help people to (1) understand their own strengths, as defined in the book, and (2) understand the strengths of others on the team so they would work more effectively together.

What are some of the things that you learned from traveling around the world through your job. Is it easy to adapt to new business cultures? And how do you manage being frequently on the road while also managing home-office responsibilities.

One of the great advantages of traveling internationally is you have an opportunity to see the world through a different lens. You really appreciate how culture, geography and history influence the way in which people react differently to a situation. It’s a very valuable life lesson.Travel can be challenging, especially when you do it often and for large stretches of time. Such travel really challenges one’s ability to keep up with the work on your desk and the myriad responsibilities at home. I’m fortunate to have an outstanding team of people working with me at Aramark. That helps enormously when I’m traveling. I’m equally fortunate to have a husband who understands the demands of the job and is willing to jump in to do whatever it takes to help when I’m traveling.

How about Debbie Rodgers outside of work? People might think that being successful means not having a life. Do you have any hobbies that you like to do when you are not evaluating insurance coverages and making risk management decisions?

 I really enjoy the outdoors. When time allows, I enjoy bicycling, water sports, tennis, skiing, etc. I live in an especially beautiful spot, so I also enjoy reading and relaxing in our garden when the weather allows. Sometimes you’ll even find me doing some gardening.

My husband and I also enjoy personal travel. We take several trips each year, often to new destinations though there are a few favorites to which we return with some regularity.

  

You are a great example of someone who has successfully balanced the personal and professional lives. How did you do it and what advice do you give to the newcomers who want to follow suit?

There is no secret formula here. If you like your job, you really must balance all the pieces of your life so that it works for you. That said it’s really important for me to find down time. Sometimes I just have to say no to an invitation recognizing that I need down time. I also find that exercise helps me to balance my life and re-energize the battery.





Thank you VERY much Debbie.







Photo taken during a trip to Wyoming