That was the message from business strategist and “global adventurer” Deri Llewellyn-Davies.

He urged businesses to “face the fear” and believe that they can do anything, after revealing that he had faced his own challenges in climbing five of the highest mountains in the world, running the infamous Marathon des Sables (six marathons in six days across the Sahara), and attempting to climb Mount Everest.

He said that in today’s economic climate “when things happen so fast”, businesses need to ensure they are agile. But he stressed the most important element of a business was to ensure that it had the strongest employees.

“There’s only one strategy that matters and that’s talent,” he said.

Referring to his attempt to scale Everest, he pointed out: “If you’re going up Everest, you want the best Sherpa in the world. It’s the same for your business. So why are you scrimping on minimum wages and scrimping on talent?

“It’s useful to have the best talent for when things go wrong.

I define talent as value-driven people that are loyal and part of the fabric that will knuckle down and be part of the team.”

Elsewhere, Llewellyn-Davies dismissed fears about global socio-economic and political concerns, adding: “This can be the most exciting time in human history right now, but only if you’re brave.”