Management agency GNP Ltd has signed former SAS hero Chris Ryan to join its increasingly rich and varied list of speakers.

Ryan, who was born in near Newcastle, was part of the crack eight-man team chosen for the Bravo Two Zero mission, dropped behind Iraqi enemy lines during the Gulf War.

Three of the team were killed in action, and four were captured. Only Ryan escaped, following an eight-day trek across the desert, often in full view of enemy patrols, always in danger. It was a harrowing but heroic escape, later recounted by Ryan himself in his book 'The One That Got Away', which became a best-seller in 1995.

Chris Ryan left the SAS after ten years, with a Military Medal for his heroism in Iraq. He has since become a highly-successful author, with a string of best-selling adventure novels based on his real-life experiences. They include: 'Stand By, Stand By', 'Zero Option', 'The Kremlin Device', 'Tenth Man Down' and 'The Hit List'.

GNP Managing Director David Williams said: “Chris is a great addition to our list, offering something very different to the conventional business speaker. When he stands up to tell his personal story of that incredible escape you can hear a pin drop, however many people are in the room. It’s a fascinating example of individual determination against the odds.”

Enquiries for Chris Ryan should be directed to GNP Tel: 01434 608820. A full listing of GNP’s management speakers, with profiles, is available on-line at www.gnp.co.uk.

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David Williams