HOWZAT

While McNaughton’s trip to Everest gave him a clear understanding of how good effective teamwork could be and how he wanted teams to liaise in the business, the 68-day voyage across the Atlantic, rowing 24 hours a day in two-hour shifts, taught the 34-year-old a lot about digging deep.

"We were always fighting with sleep deprivation, particularly at night,” says McNaughton, who works in the assurance services side of the business.

“At sea we were probably quite close to the edge where some serious problems could have happened. We were quite far from anybody else.

"I call it the drive to survive. It made me realise that when you begin to focus on something your body is so adaptable you can just get on and do it. You keep on going.”

Mental strength, strong team spirit and pragmatism were also key factors in making the trip a success.

When McNaughton and Hunter left Europe at the beginning of December last year, they thought the trip would take about 54 days.

It ended up taking two weeks longer, so they were low on rations by the time they arrived in Antigua. Having eaten their favourite dehydrated meals, they finally found themselves attacking the leftovers.

“There are things you just do not want to eat,” says McNaughton. “By the time we were getting to the end, we found that the stuff that did not appeal at the beginning, did then.

“We had these arctic prawns, which you reconstitute in water. By the end, I was happy to eat them.”

It was sheer willpower that saw McNaughton and Hunter through the challenge, from raising funds for the trip to actually crossing the ocean — a very transferable attribute.

“I like to think that if you want something to happen, by sharing it with other people and believing in it, things can result — and that is no different if it is a client project that is ambitious.”

McNaughton feels lucky that he chose to work for a company that inspires him to do his best in all areas of life.

“BDO Stoy Hayward has a culture that allows things like this to happen.

“It is really being part of the business, delivering more than they expect while you are there, and, from time to time, you create an ability to say I can take a little bit back.”

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