Ten years ago, The Mover magazine spoke to Andrew Elliman, Head of European Business Development AGS Group at a pivotal moment in his life - as he prepared for, and later reflected on, a charity climb of Mount Everest that captured the imagination of the removals industry and beyond.  

The expedition was not only a remarkable physical achievement, but also a powerful statement about resilience, purpose and giving back. 

On 25 April 2015, Andrew was on his way up to Advance Base Camp 6500m when Everest was hit by the worst earthquake it had ever seen and the team was stuck in the middle of it. The rumbling noises of the mountain and the cracking of ice, will stay with him forever.  

A decade on, much has changed. Andrew has continued his commitment to charitable causes, recently releasing Everest to the Channel: A Life Tested by Extremes, a deeply personal account of his Everest and the English Channel experience. Meanwhile, AGS has undergone significant growth and transformation, navigating economic uncertainty, technological change and an evolving global marketplace. 

In this article, the first of two that we are publishing, Andrew reflects on the journey since Everest and his attempt to swim the English Channel in 2021 - exploring how the climb and swim shaped his outlook, and how working in the industry has evolved over the past 10 years. 

In our next issue, Andrew considers what lies ahead for both his career and the removals industry as a whole. 

M&S Magazine: Ten years on from your charity climb of Mount Everest, what still stands out most vividly when you look back on that experience? 

Andrew Elliman: Without doubt, what stands out most vividly is the earthquake itself and the sheer violence of it. Even now, I can picture the day with absolute clarity, the deafening roar of the avalanches, the ground shifting beneath my feet, and the sharp cracks of the ice splitting all around us. It was a moment of complete chaos and raw power, and the memory is still so immediate that it feels like it happened yesterday. 

M&S Magazine: How did the climb change you personally, and did it alter your perspective on leadership or resilience in business? 

Andrew Elliman: It most definitely changed me. I went out there focused on reaching the summit, like anyone who takes on Mount Everest would be. But what stayed with me most was something Doug Scott, the first Briton to summit Everest in 1975 and founder of Community Action Nepal, said to me. He told me, “Although you didn’t reach the summit that day, you summited in a more spectacular way through how you’ve helped the charity and other people.” 

That has stayed with me ever since. It completely reframed how I see success. Sometimes the summit isn’t the literal peak you set out to climb, it’s the impact you make along the way. 

The same applies to leadership and resilience in business. Every leader and every organisation is striving to reach their own “summit.” But the route rarely unfolds exactly as planned. There are setbacks, unexpected events, and moments that test you to your core. What defines you isn’t whether the journey looks perfect on paper, but how you respond, how you support others, and the legacy you create in the process. 

That experience shaped how I lead today, helping individuals and teams recognise that resilience, adaptability, and purpose often matter more than the original goal itself. 

M&S Magazine: At the time, you spoke about Everest as more than a physical challenge. Looking back now, do you feel it became a defining moment in your career?  

Andrew Elliman: Absolutely. When I look at my career, there’s a very clear line, before Everest and after Everest. Preparing for and attempting Mount Everest wasn’t just a physical undertaking; it became a defining chapter in my professional life as well. 

In many ways, my career trajectory mirrored the climb itself. There were long periods of preparation, moments of acceleration, setbacks, and breakthroughs. But after Everest, things truly took off. The experience gave me a different level of credibility, perspective, and confidence. It was almost like continuing to climb, only this time through my career path, leading me to where I am today. 

It also gave me a platform within the industry. People connected not just with the achievement, but with the story, the resilience, and the purpose behind it. That allowed me to grow in a way that felt authentic and to approach leadership and business differently from most, with a mindset shaped by extreme challenge, adaptability, and a much deeper understanding of what it really means to push beyond perceived limits. 

M&S Magazine: Since Everest, how has your involvement with charitable causes evolved have your motivations or priorities changed over the years? 

Andrew Elliman: Since Everest, my involvement with charitable causes has continued to grow and evolve. What began with supporting projects in Nepal, particularly through Community Action Nepal, has expanded over the years to include a range of charities and individual causes, both overseas and here in the UK. 

Some initiatives are international, others are local, and sometimes they’re simply about helping an individual or family who needs support. The scale doesn’t matter to me, the intention does. 

I don’t do it for recognition. In my mind, it’s simply the right thing to do. Everest reinforced for me how fragile life can be and how quickly circumstances can change. Since then, my motivation has been rooted in making a meaningful difference with the time we have. If I can use my experience, network, or platform to positively impact others, then that, to me, is what truly matters. 

M&S Magazine: What have been the most meaningful charity initiatives you’ve been involved in since the climb, and why did they resonate with you? 

Andrew Elliman: There have been many charities I’ve been involved with over the past 10–15 years, and each has meant something different to me for very personal reasons. 

Community Action Nepal will always be close to my heart. That connection was forged through Everest, and the work they do to support remote Himalayan communities continues to resonate deeply with me. It represents where this journey of charitable commitment truly began. 

Equally significant to me is Keech Hospice Care, who cared for my mother in her final days. That experience brought home the extraordinary importance of compassionate end-of-life care, not just for patients, but for families too. Supporting them is incredibly personal, and it always will be. 

Last year, I also undertook a 250-mile walk to raise funds for a young man who urgently needed specialist treatment available only in Germany. It was something I felt compelled to do, seeing a need and wanting to act. My dog Heidi joined me for every one of those 250 miles, and sadly the young man passed away later that year at the age of 19. That walk, and the time I shared  with my dog completing all 250 miles together, made it even more meaningful. 

For me, the initiatives that resonate most are the ones where there is a real human story,  where you can see directly how your effort might change someone’s outcome. Those are the causes that stay with you. 

M&S Magazine: How important is it for global organisations in our industry to embed social responsibility into its culture, rather than treating charity as a side project? 

Andrew Elliman: I think it’s incredibly important. When it becomes part of the DNA of a business, how decisions are made, how people are supported, and how communities are engaged, it carries far more meaning and impact. 

There are some excellent initiatives happening across the industry. for, Behind the scenes, AGS Global Solutions supports a wide range of charities and community initiatives both globally and locally. What I believe makes their approach truly credible is that they don’t actively advertise or promote everything they do. They simply do it because it’s the right thing to do, not for publicity or brand positioning. 

For me, that’s the real test of a company’s values. When social responsibility is embedded quietly and consistently, not just highlighted in campaigns, it shows genuine care. It demonstrates a culture that understands success isn’t measured solely by profit, but also by the positive impact it leaves behind. 

M&S Magazine: Have you seen a shift across the removals industry in how seriously companies approach charity, ESG and giving back? 

Andrew Elliman: There have definitely been some significant shifts across the removals industry in how seriously companies approach charity, ESG, and giving back, and it’s very welcome to see. There’s a growing recognition that responsibility to communities and the environment isn’t optional anymore; it’s part of running a modern, credible business. 

That said, meaningful ESG initiatives and charitable commitments can come with real cost, whether that’s investing in greener fleets, improving sustainability processes, or dedicating time and resources to community programmes. Not every removal company is at the same stage of that journey. 

For me, the key thing is progress. Whatever stage a company is at, any genuine step forward, however small, is a step in the right direction. It’s about momentum and intent. If the industry continues to move collectively toward greater accountability and community impact, that can only be a positive thing for everyone involved. 

M&S Magazine: What prompted you to finally put pen to paper and release Everest to the Channel: A Life Tested by Extremes now? 

Andrew Elliman: I’d always had the idea of writing the book. In fact, I first wrote the story about five or six years ago. But when I read it back, it didn’t feel right. The tone wasn’t authentic, and it didn’t truly reflect what the journey had meant to me , so I made the decision to scrap it and start again. 

About three years ago, I was given some simple but powerful advice: write the book for yourself, not for anyone else. That changed everything. Instead of trying to shape the story around what I thought people wanted to hear, I focused on being honest, reflective, and personal. When you write from that place, the story naturally becomes more relatable because it’s real. 

Ten years on from Mount Everest, I also have the benefit of perspective. Time allows you to process experiences differently - to understand not just what happened, but what it truly meant. That’s why releasing Everest to the Channel: A Life Tested by Extremes now felt right. It feels more relevant, more considered, and more authentic to who I am today. 

M&S Magazine: Was the process of writing the book as challenging in a different way as the climb itself? 

Andrew Elliman: You could certainly say that. I’d never written a book before, so stepping into that world, especially working with experienced editors who truly understand a reader’s perspective, was a challenge in itself. You quickly realise that writing isn’t just about telling a story; it’s about shaping it in a way that connects. 

Getting the story onto paper was challenging, yes, but interestingly, I approached it in a very similar way to climbing Mount Everest. Preparation, discipline, and consistency were key. Just as I trained for Everest and my English Channel swim, I conditioned myself mentally and physically for the task. 

I set a routine of getting up at 5am every morning to give myself one focused hour of writing before the working day began. That hour became non-negotiable. There were also many weekends sacrificed to stay on track and complete it in time. 

In many ways, the parallels were clear, you don’t conquer a mountain or write a book in one dramatic moment. You do it through steady, disciplined effort, one step or one page at a time. 

M&S Magazine: What do you hope readers, particularly those in business and the removals sector, take away from the book? 

Andrew Elliman: Honestly, I could talk about this all day. But the simplest way to describe it is this: the book isn’t just a story, it’s true to life. 

For readers in business, and particularly in the removals sector, it resonates because nothing is ever certain. Every day brings new challenges, and it’s in those moments that resilience, courage, and determination are tested. The book shows that success isn’t just about reaching a destination, it’s about how you navigate the obstacles, adapt under pressure, and lead from the front when it matters most. 

If readers take away even a fraction of that mindset, the idea that setbacks are part of the journey, and that persistence, focus, and purpose can carry you through, then I feel the book has done its job. 

M&S Magazine: Did revisiting the Everest experience while writing reveal any lessons you hadn’t fully appreciated at the time? 

Andrew Elliman: Revisiting the Everest experience while writing the book definitely brought back a flood of memories, some vivid, some long-buried. But it was also a really valuable exercise, because it allowed me to reflect on the journey in a way I hadn’t fully done before. 

There are many parts of the book that are very personal, and putting them into words made me appreciate aspects of the experience more deeply than I did at the time. Writing it down gave me perspective on the challenges, the choices I made, and the resilience it took, and now, that story can be shared so others can hear it, learn from it, and hopefully be inspired by it. 

The second part of the interview with Andrew Ellison will be published in the next issue of the Movers and Storers Magazine - in which he discusses changes in the removal business and how he sees the future of the industry.
 
Pushing the limits 
Andrew’s adventure memoir Everest to the Channel: A Life Tested to the Extremes blends high-stakes survival, personal reinvention, and hard-earned lessons in resilience. Set against some of the world’s most extreme environments, Everest, open ocean, and disaster zones, the book charts a journey from elite ambition to beginner vulnerability. At its heart, this is a story about redefining what is possible at midlife and challenging the belief that opportunity and transformation belong only to the young or the naturally gifted. ”A brutally honest adventure memoir about pushing limits and starting again when most people slow down.” 

Click here to order Everest to the Channel: A Life Tested by Extremes on Amazon.