Vanessa Audi Rhys O’Brien (born 2 December 1964) is a British and American mountaineer, explorer, aquanaut, author and former business executive.[1] On June 12, 2020, O’Brien became the first woman to reach Earth’s highest and lowest points, receiving a Guinness World Record.[2] She became the first American woman to climb K2 and the first British[3][4][5] woman to climb K2 (as a result of her dual nationality) on 28 July 2017, successfully leading a team of 12 members to the summit and back on her third attempt.[6][7][8] She is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) and a Member of The Scientific Exploration Society (SES).[9]