Beating The Odds

John Amaechi

John was the first Brit to play at the top level of US basketball, once declining a $17m transfer fee to stay with the team that supported him. He’s now a respected cognitive psychologist, performance expert, activist and founder of a community sport initiative. John brings his research and his personal and sporting experiences to bear on management challenges such as improving resilience, reducing stress and turning managers into coaches. His personal and professional backgrounds have also seen him become a leading voice on issues around race and diversity, tackling challenges from institutional bias to role models and aspiration.

Marc Woods

As a keen teenage swimmer Marc was distraught to be diagnosed with cancer. He lost his lower leg, but within months he was swimming faster than before. He went on to win four golds over five Paralympics. Marc has now published Beyond The Call, exploring how fairness, trust, empowerment and self-sacrifice all combine to produce extra, ‘discretionary’ effort. In speeches he shows what happens by focusing on those things that are under your control.