Clare is the First Lady of TV sport. The ex-champion jockey fronts Royal Ascot  and the BBC's Wimbledon coverage. After dinner Clare shares highs and lows, and takes guests behind the latest back page headlines. She is also adept at live Q&A with sporting heroes.


Biography

Clare Balding began her career as an amateur flat jockey, becoming Champion Lady Rider. The transition from competing to presenting began with her television debut at Royal Ascot and has gone on to cover some of the biggest events in sporting and national life.

She is now an established name in BBC sport, winning several awards for her broadcasting work covering everything from Wimbledon to rugby league. Whilst racing remains her first love, it was arguably her role presenting coverage of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics that propelled her to national treasure status. Clare took on the high-profile role of becoming the lead presenter of the BBC’s Wimbledon coverage, succeeding Sue Barker.

Continuing to cover as wide a range of sports as possible, Clare is a regular on the BT Sports channel as well as on Channel 4 and BBC Radio. She hosts her eponymous sports-themed chat show and co-hosts the annual BBC Sports Personality of the Year show. Away from sport Clare has fronted everything from Countryfile to Crufts to Radio 4’s Rambling. Other credits include appearances on Have I Got News For You, A Question of Sport and Countdown. She has also written regular columns for The Observer, Stylist and Sunday Telegraph, as well as the Racing Post.

After dinner Clare speaks with a wonderfully dry wit about life in the saddle, run-ins with royalty, the dog eats dog world of Crufts and the perils of live television.

© Copyright 2024 JLA. All rights reserved.

Videos

Clare Balding Facilitating a Conference

More Details

Agent Recommendation

Wearing her conference presenter hat Clare brings a lightness of touch that gets the best out of anyone, from guest stars to business types. She makes it so easy for them to convey their own struggles and achievements – and she’s a joy to have on your team.

JLA Agent Anke Schuster
Read More

Contact

We’re on hand to help you find the perfect speaker, presenter or performer for your events. Call or email our London office and use our agents' experience to expertly match you with the right person for your programme!


From time to time we send out emails announcing new speakers and free tickets to our showcase events including Speakers Breakfasts and the JLA Real Variety Show. Please tick the box below if you would like to receive these emails.

Don't miss anything!

We will never share the data you submit here with a third party. Information is stored in a database in order to service your enquiry, but is deleted once it is no longer required. You may request to have this data removed at any time.

JLA Presents


Event - 30/04/2024 - 9:00 am

Speakers Breakfast

Understanding AI Now

Speakers
Priya Lakhani, Anne-Marie Imafidon, and Neil Lawrence

Please join us in our JLab studio near Oxford Circus at 08:30am on Tuesday 30th April for our next speaker’s breakfast event. Following our sell-out event for IWD back in February, we will be joined by three fantastic speakers for an exploration of the uses, myths and concerns surrounding AI.

Location

JLA, 14 Berners Street, London

WATCH

Event - 06/02/2024 - 9:00 am

Speakers Breakfast

Looking Ahead to International Women’s Day

Speakers
Samira Ahmed, Eniola Aluko, Julia Gillard, and Alex Mahon

We were joined by four fantastic speakers to look ahead at International Women’s Day. With the theme of this year’s event being #InspireInclusion, we were lucky enough to hear from four women who have each blazed a trail in their respective fields: CEO of Channel 4, Alex Mahon; the former Australian Prime Minister and Chair of Kings’ Global Institute of Women’s Leadership, Julia Gillard; one of the leading voices in football, Eniola Aluko MBE; and broadcaster and journalist, Samira Ahmed.

Location

Bishopsgate Institute, London

WATCH