Decision Making
Under Pressure
A keynote by Abhilash Tomy on making consequential decisions when information is incomplete, time is limited and the outcome matters.
You Will Rarely Have All the Information You Want
Some of the most important decisions have to be made before all the facts are available. Waiting has a cost, acting has consequences, and pressure changes the way we process information.
During two solo, non-stop circumnavigations, Abhilash Tomy repeatedly had to make decisions without outside assistance, often thousands of kilometres from land. As a naval aviator, he was trained to prepare for emergencies before they occurred. These experiences form the basis of this keynote: how preparation changes decision-making, how to assess risk when information is incomplete, and how to preserve the mental capacity to think when circumstances begin to deteriorate.
What this Keynote Explores
1
Making Decisions with Incomplete Information
How to determine when you know enough to act, even when certainty is impossible.
2
Mental Rehearsal
How pilots prepare for emergencies before they happen, and how leaders can rehearse consequential situations before encountering them.
3
Managing Risk Under Pressure
How preparation, experience and situational awareness influence judgement when consequences become serious.
4
Preserving Cognitive Capacity
How fatigue, fear, isolation and escalating problems affect judgement, and why preserving the ability to think clearly matters.
Lessons from Real Situations
NAVAL AVIATION
As a maritime reconnaissance pilot in the Indian Navy, Abhilash learned that preparation for an emergency begins long before the emergency itself. Procedures were practised repeatedly on the ground and mentally rehearsed until actions under pressure became familiar. That discipline shaped his approach to preparation and decision-making far beyond aviation.
GOLDEN GLOBE RACE- 2018
In 2018, a violent Southern Ocean storm rolled and dismasted Abhilash's yacht, leaving him immobilised with a severe spinal injury thousands of kilometres from land. The experience provides an extraordinary case study in decision-making when options narrow, physical capacity disappears and survival depends on using whatever resources remain available.
GOLDEN GLOBE RACE- 2022
Four years after the accident, Abhilash returned to the Golden Globe Race. Over 236 days alone at sea, he continually assessed weather, equipment, fatigue, risk and strategy before finishing second. The voyage demonstrated how preparation, experience and judgement accumulate into better decisions over time.
Designed for Leaders who Operate in Uncertainty
This keynote is designed for leaders and organisations where decisions must be made amid uncertainty, operational complexity, time pressure and significant consequences. Abhilash connects experiences from naval aviation and solo ocean racing with the challenges leaders face when the available information is imperfect and the responsibility for acting rests with them.
Senior Leadership Teams · Executive Offsites · Financial Services · Energy · Technology · Aviation · Defence · Project Organisations · High-Risk Industries
Ideal for
Leadership conferences · Annual meetings · Executive retreats · Strategy offsites · Client events · Leadership development programmes
Bring Decision-Making Under Pressure to Your Audience
Abhilash Tomy adapts this keynote to the audience, industry and context, drawing on experiences from naval aviation, two solo non-stop circumnavigations and the Golden Globe Race to explore how people prepare, think and act when decisions carry real consequences.
FORMAT
45-60 minuts keynote
AUDIENCE
Corporate, leadership and executive audiences
AVAILABILITY
International