Join Overland Journal Podcast host Ashley Giordano as sits down with Arctic Trucks CEO Emil Grímsson to discuss the origin of Arctic Trucks Iceland and how he turned the “Top Gear Polar Special” into a career of polar exploration. Grímsson touches on his role during the Transglobal Car Expedition, the world’s first wheeled surface navigation through both geographic poles, and how lessons learned in previous expeditions landed him where he is today. The conversation continues with a discussion around the differences between the Arctic Trucks branches in Europe, the UK, and North America, and why the polar regions draw Emil back time and time again.
Overland Journal Podcast Episode 235
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Guest Bio
Emil Grímsson, CEO of Arctic Trucks Polar and Arctic Trucks International
Born in Reykjavik, Iceland, Emil grew up in Húsavík, Iceland, where his father was an electrician and his mother was a teacher. He started at an early age to work for his father as an electrician before moving to Reykjavík at 17 for college. He later took Cand Oecon (MSc in Economics) from the University of Iceland. After completing an MBA from San Diego State University, Emil became a marketing director for Toyota Iceland, where he was instrumental in starting the Arctic Trucks operation. In 2005, then the CEO of Toyota Iceland, he bought the Arctic Trucks operation and left Toyota. Diving deep into expedition planning and doing the BBC “Top Gear Polar Special” to the 1996 Magnetic North Pole, Emil found a “calling” for exploration. Along with working on the Arctic Trucks business, he has planned and/or played a key role in planning 27 big international expeditions and participated in 14 international expeditions.
Host Bio
Ashley Giordano
Ashley Giordano completed a 48,800-kilometer overland journey from Canada to Argentina with her husband, Richard, in their well-loved but antiquated Toyota pickup. On the zig-zag route south, she hiked craggy peaks in the Andes, discovered diverse cultures in 15 different countries, and filled her tummy with spicy ceviche, Baja fish tacos, and Argentinian Malbec. As Senior Editor at Overland Journal, you can usually find Ashley buried in a pile of travel books, poring over maps, or writing about the unsung women of overlanding history. @desktoglory_ash
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