This article is a personal note from Pol Vela, Aurum Speakers Bureau’s co-founder and CEO, on witnessing Nando Parrado’s keynote at Nordic Business Forum 2026.
I have spent years putting speakers on stages, and I thought I had seen every kind of audience reaction there is. Then, I stood backstage at the Nordic Business Forum (NBF) in Helsinki and watched 8,500 CEOs and senior leaders give a several-minute-long standing ovation to Nando Parrado, many of them in tears.
The forum’s own stage manager came off to the wings crying, and told us that in ten years she had never seen a standing ovation like it at the NBF. By most measures, this event is the most prestigious business one in Europe.
Today, I want to personally tell you about that specific evening, because it reminded me exactly why I do this work.
The moment the room changed
If you do not know his story, Nando Parrado was one of the survivors of the 1972 Andes disaster, when a plane carrying his rugby team crashed high in the mountains.
The Andes: breathtaking from a distance, merciless up close. Nando Parrado spent 72 days here, achieving the impossible by crossing them on foot to save the rest of survivors.
He survived 72 days in the freezing cordillera, lost his mother and sister, and ultimately climbed out across the Andes with almost no food, no equipment, and no map, to bring rescue to the others.
His memoir, Miracle in the Andes, and the Academy Award-nominated film, Society of the Snow, have brought that story to millions. We have even written about it in What Modern Leaders Can Learn from the Andes Survival Story. I am very familiar with the depth and context of this all; it is a historic event. But nothing prepares you for hearing it from Nando himself; let alone in a stage and audience of this magnitude.
What struck me in Helsinki was not only the story, extraordinary as it is, but what Nando does with it.
He is not a motivational speaker in the usual sense.
He does not hand an audience slogans.
He takes a room of accomplished, often skeptical, business leaders and, quietly and without theatrics, walks them through the most harrowing experience a person can endure. Out the other side, they can all arrive at something like profound appreciation and gratitude.
By the end, I would witness a hall full of executives who came to talk about strategy and growth being visibly moved.
Yet, I do not have to rely on my own impression. Let me tell you why in the following section.
What the audience said
The Nordic Business Forum measures every main-stage session on a strict one-to-six scale, and shares the results with brutal honesty.
Nando’s session scored a 5.69, which placed him firmly among the all-time best speakers in the forum’s history.
More than 90 percent of the audience gave him a top score of 5 or 6, and an astonishing 76.9 percent awarded him a perfect 6.
Nando Parrado on the Nordic Business Forum main stage. Moments like this one scored his session among the highest-rated in the event’s history.
The written comments said it better than any number could:
One attendee wrote that Nando was “a genius storyteller” who taught them “from his story and his ability to tell it.”
Another admitted having “[…] cried a couple of times during the speech.”
A third called the decision to place him on that stage “amazing inner wisdom.”
For a program that also featured Oprah Winfrey, that is remarkable company to lead.
This is only a few of the main reasons why Nando is part of our bureau’s main motivational speakers, even though he goes beyond just motivation to touch people’s lives incomparably. If you would like to learn more about the difference between a motivational speaker and other kinds of speakers, or you are trying to determine whether this or any moment is the right time to book a motivational speaker, our guide on When to Book a Motivational Speaker (and When Not To) can help.
Why a survival story belongs on a business stage
Some event organizers hesitate at a speaker like Nando, worried that a survival story is not a “business talk.” Helsinki settled that question for me completely. Here’s a bit of the event if you would like a taste for yourself, too:
Either way, his message landed with a room of leaders precisely because it is not dressed up as a business framework. His keynote centers on what sits underneath every business: how people find resolve when the plan has failed, how they take the next step when the summit is nowhere in sight, and what truly matters when everything else is stripped away.
That is why he fits so naturally among the most powerful speakers for a company-wide moment, and why, for an evening meant to inspire and honor people, there are few more unforgettable choices on our roster of speakers for an awards night or gala. A great resilience keynote does not teach people to run a business; it reminds them why they do.
What it meant to me
On top of everything above, I will dare be brutally honest about why I wanted to write this.
In this business, you spend most of your time on logistics, contracts, travel, green rooms, run-of-shows, and so much more! It is a never-ending work load that makes it very easy for anyone to lose sight of what sits at the true center of it all.
Backstage with Nando Parrado and his wife, moments after a keynote that deserves highlighting for years.
Then a night like Helsinki happens. Watching 8,500 people give a standing ovation, watching the forum’s own stage manager come off in tears, watching something we helped bring to life move a room that deeply… I must be honest that it all refilled my sense of appreciation for what I have been mastering for years.
This keynote took me straight back to why I started Aurum Speakers Bureau in the first place: a simple belief that the right voice, in the right room, at the right moment, can change how people think and feel, and send them home a little different from when they arrived.
Nando Parrado did that in Helsinki. He will likely do it wherever he speaks next. And if this note has done its job, you are probably picturing the room and audience that experienced what those 8,500 leaders felt. That picture is exactly where every great event begins, and it is the part of this work of which I will never tire.
If you would like to talk about bringing Nando, or any other speaker who can move your people the way he moved that room, to your next event, reach out to us at Aurum Speakers Bureau. I can personally guarantee a response within 24 hours, and few conversations give me more joy than this kind of talks. I mean that, and thus truly look forward to connecting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Nando Parrado?
Nando Parrado is a survivor of the 1972 Andes flight disaster, when a plane carrying his Uruguayan rugby team crashed in the mountains. After 72 days, he trekked out across the Andes to save the remaining survivors. His story is told in his bestselling memoir Miracle in the Andes and the Academy Award-nominated film Society of the Snow, and he is now one of the world’s most sought-after speakers on resilience, leadership, and perspective.
What makes Nando Parrado such a powerful keynote speaker?
Parrado combines one of the most extraordinary survival stories ever told with a rare gift for telling it. Rather than offering conventional business advice, he moves audiences to reflect on resilience, resolve, and what matters most, which is why his sessions consistently rank among the highest-rated at major events. At Nordic Business Forum 2026, he scored 5.69 on a strict six-point scale, among the best in the forum’s history, with nearly 77 percent of attendees awarding a perfect six.
How do I book Nando Parrado to speak at my event?
Nando Parrado can be booked through Aurum Speakers Bureau for keynotes, main-stage sessions, and high-profile corporate and celebratory events worldwide. Because demand for his sessions is high, early booking is advisable.
If you are looking for a keynote that an audience will still be talking about years later, I cannot recommend Nando Parrado highly enough. I have lived first-hand what he can do to any room.
Like we said, to bring his story and his extraordinary presence to your stage, contact Aurum Speakers Bureau and we will respond within 24 hours.
