The name’s Schiena, Tony Schiena.
A spy turned adventurer is being dubbed the ‘real life James Bond’ thanks to his thirst for adrenaline pumping activities combined with a suave appearance when he lands back into civilization.
South African-born Tony Schiena – who splits his time between the U.S. and Europe – currently runs Mosaic, which is considered one of the world’s leading intelligence and security advisory firms.
Over the past three decades, he has established himself as one of the leaders in the crisis management sector and now he is using the skills learned through undercover missions to complete a string of personal challenges.
Most recently, Tony completed Everest and one of the world’s toughest footraces on the planet, the Marathon Des Sables, which is the equivalent to running six marathons in six days.
South African-born Tony Schiena currently runs Mosaic, which is considered one of the world’s leading intelligence and security advisory firms
Over the past three decades, he has established himself as one of the leaders in the crisis management sector
Speaking to DailyMail.com, Tony says his background as a spy helped him on the adventure side, as he is used to operating in a spectrum of extreme environments.
He explained: ‘From the very inception of my career I was thrust in a murky clandestine environment of smoke and mirrors.
‘It was all fast-tracked too because of the potential of a civil war and I was suddenly thrust into situations that I didn’t quite understand the gravity of potential consequences.
‘When climbing big mountains or running deep into a desert you are subjected to a changing environment and potentially dangerous environment.
‘With high-altitude mountaineering you’re subjected to extreme weather changes, potential avalanches, falling down deep crevices etc.
‘With the desert you’re facing sandstorms that can take you completely off-track where you can very easily be isolated and run out of water.’
Tony said his thirst for travel started as a child, and whenever he was at an airport with his family, he was ‘desperate to stay for as long as possible.’
He recalled: ‘I would be mesmerized by people and planes coming and going.
Most recently Tony completed the world’s toughest footraces on the planet, the Marathon Des Sables, which is the equivalent to running six marathons in six days
During his Everest expedition Tony got severe food poisoning but he went on to make it to the top
In Antarctica, Tony climbed Mount Vinson, the highest point on the continent at 16,050 feet
‘I’m from a small town on the outskirts of Johannesburg so wanting to “get out” was a priority.’
After fulfilling his dream of traveling the world, Tony is keen to share his knowledge with others.
He says one his top spots he has visited so far has been Antarctica, where he climbed Mount Vinson, the highest point on the continent at 16,050 feet.
Touching on the otherworldly landscape, the adventurer said: ‘Flying into Union Glacier and landing on ice was incredible.
‘Then, when you get off the plane, you realize there is no living thing where we are going, not even an insect. Just pure white ice and 24/7 light.’
Along with Antarctica, Tony believes that everyone should see a ‘war zone, conflict area or an impoverished country once in their lifetime to understand how fortunate we are.’
His approach to travel is also to mix up roughing it with a dose of luxury so you can appreciate things when they are good.
He muses: ‘I’ve always prided myself with one day sleeping under a tree and the next in a palace, flying in on a private jet and flying out on with a budget airline. It’s important to mix things up.’
When quizzed on his three essential travel items, Tony says his number one must have is a ‘source of power.’
His approach to travel is to mix up roughing it and luxury so you can appreciate it when things are good
‘I agree that some people may have an innate ability for intelligence or tactical operations but it’s not like that for everyone’
Looking ahead, Tony’s next challenge is learning how to fly and he will be ‘in safe hands with the ‘legendary Italian climber and pilot, Simone Moro’
The globetrotter explains: ‘I would pack differently depending on the purpose of my travel of course.
‘In general, outside the scope of work or an extreme adventure, I think power is very important, a power-bank whether solar-powered or not.’
His second favorite travel item is a ‘small pocket knife,’ as he says it can ‘be valuable for many reasons, especially if it is kept as covertly as possible on your person (in a potentially dangerous environment or in case you need to peel an apple).’
Finally, the former operative says that having ‘some local currency or dollars can be very helpful,’ especially if you’re traveling somewhere off the tourist map.
For those wanting to follow in Tony’s footsteps as a secret agent, he offers some words of advice: ‘I agree that some people may have an innate ability for intelligence or tactical operations but it’s not like that for everyone, for many its hours upon hours of laborious surveillance and waiting, not at all like James Bond.
‘I was studying towards eventually becoming a maritime attorney. Could I see myself drafting bills of lading in an office all day? No, so this was definitely the path that was meant to be on. It’s not for everyone but it’s definitely for some.
‘But like they say, “be careful what you wish for,” for many many years now I somewhat live on planes and crisscross the planet often averaging about 40 international flights per year, but I still cherish the ability to wake up in a different country or continent so seamlessly.’
Looking ahead, Tony will add another string to his bow by learning how to fly and he will be ‘in safe hands with the ‘legendary Italian climber and pilot, Simone Moro.’
