Sporting Speakers

Rio Ferdinand

One of the most decorated players in the modern era, Rio’s career took in over 600 appearances for club and country, including over 300 games for a Manchester United team that won six Premier League titles and the Premier League and Champions’ League double. He has since become a popular pundit, he has interests in business and his own charitable foundation, and was lauded for his frank discussion of his experience of bereavement and mental health.

Sir Matthew Pinsent

The four-time Olympic champion oarsman has now become a polished presenter. After dinner Matt lets guests get their hands on his medals. With ready wit he recalls the punishing training regime, their need to adapt to circumstances and the sheer exhilaration of beating world class crews.

Alex Scott

After captaining Arsenal and playing over 100 matches for England, Alex is now one of the best-known faces in sports broadcasting. She's broken down barriers to become the first woman to commentate on men’s international and club matches for the BBC and Sky respectively. She has also hosted a game show, coverage of Tokyo’s Olympics and The One Show.

Colin Jackson

Colin was ranked among the top ten hurdlers in the world for nearly two decades – retaining the 110m record for thirteen years. He has since picked up his spikes to train young athletes. Away from the race track he’s become a polished presenter, and one of the driving forces behind Sport Relief. Colin speaks about the winning formula, the mental visualisation techniques and the unwavering dedication needed to stay at the top of your game.

Eniola Aluko

The former Juventus, England and Chelsea striker was a natural goalscorer and a leading talent in the women’s game. She won Super League and Serie A titles as well as FA Cups, and played over 100 internationals. She served as Aston Villa Women's sporting director. Off the pitch she’s a lawyer, having qualified in the US and worked in the City. She's a regular pundit and commentator on both the men's and women's game, becoming the first woman pundit on Match of the Day. She hit the headlines with her stand against the discrimination, outdated behaviou...

Martin Bayfield

Martin has progressed from copper to Crimewatch presenter. In between he enjoyed a successful career as a rugby forward, earning 31 international caps. With natural comic timing, the 6’10” colossus compares his own sport to football, and reveals how he became a part of the Harry Potter phenomenon.

Baroness (Karren) Brady

Karren ran the business side of Birmingham City FC through promotion, relegation – and brain surgery. Karren’s mantra for leaders growing any enterprise can be summed up in 5 tips: work hard (be persistent); use every opportunity to network (spread your message); move on (failure is history); don’t get side-tracked, and do your sums.

Clarke Carlisle

Clarke made over 500 senior level appearances and led the football players’ union. He has also written a powerful memoir. Clarke is open about his struggles with alcohol, depression and gambling – the strains of a multi-billion pound industry in which both fans and club believe they own you. He’s similarly candid about racism and the Kick It Out campaign. Clarke talks about diversity and culture change in a game traditionally associated with macho behaviour.

Rt Hon Lord (Sebastian) Coe

On the track Seb’s talent and commitment earned eleven world records and two Olympic gold medals; he has since led the most successful Games in recent history. After serving as one of many Vice Presidents, Seb is tasked with turning around World Athletics and restoring the reputation of international athletics, in the gaze of the world’s media. In speeches he shares the lessons as an athlete and as a leader delivering a vision, managing crisis and bringing about change.

Bernie Collins

With over a decade’s experience at the forefront of Formula 1 Bernie was Head of Race Strategy for the Aston Martin Formula 1 team and is an accomplished strategy engineer. She has held senior strategy and performance engineering roles and played a central role in the teams she has worked for.

David Coulthard

Following Ayrton Senna’s death at Imola, David was promoted from test driver to the race team – where he sat alongside Damon Hill. With 13 Grand Prix wins and over 60 podium finishes during his career he became Britain’s highest point-scorer in the sport. Now a member of the Channel 4 commentary team, David talks first hand about how to succeed in a high performance and unremittingly high pressure environment. He also explains how F1 teams rely on the drivers, technicians, engineers and sponsors all working together, and the motivation and leadership skills required to succeed in this...

Matt Dawson

Possibly the best scrum half in the world, Matt’s performance in the World Cup-winning England rugby team, and especially his pass that led to the winning kick, earned enormous respect within the sport. A former England captain, Matt is a proven leader and a natural team player and he combines his playing experience with his more recent business lessons to consider the nature of teams, leadership and performance culture. He’s also an accomplished presenter of conferences and awards.

Luke Donald

As both a leader and a player, Luke has achieved at the highest level. A former World Number 1 and the first player to top both PGA and European Tour earnings lists, he was a part of four Ryder Cup winning teams before captaining back-to-back wins with the European team. One of the sport's most consistent performers, he considers high-performance leadership, strategic clarity and the mindset required to deliver excellence under pressure.

Baroness (Katherine) Grainger

One of Britain’s most successful Olympians, after collecting three Olympic silvers Katherine finally took gold alongside Anna Watkins at the London Games. She returned to her boat in time for the Rio Olympics and once again won silver. After then gaining her PhD (in homicide), she went on to support the next generation of sportspeople as Chair of UK Sport before taking over at the British Olympic Association as the organisation's first woman Chair.

Baroness (Tanni) Grey-Thompson

Britain’s best known Paralympian, Tanni amassed eleven gold medals in five consecutive Games. She also won six London Marathons and achieved a total of thirty four world records. Since retiring from competitive sport Tanni has taken an active role in the Lords, particularly on campaigns and legislation around disability. She believes that disabled people still face barriers that need to be removed, and calls for more genuine engagement rather than political rhetoric: “Public perceptions are changing.”

Nicolas Hamilton

Nicolas was told as a child he’d never walk due to his cerebral palsy and would spend his life reliant in a wheelchair. Not one to be told he can’t do things, with determination and gruelling training he not only walked unaided, but he started to realise his dream: to be a racing driver. Now a regular in the British Touring Car Championship, his story and ‘anything is possible’ attitude inspires everyone that hears it.

Christian Horner

After a successful career on the track Christian started his own racing team only to be approached shortly afterwards to run the new Red Bull set-up. As new entrants to one of the most technical and competitive sports in the world, within five years they’d won both drivers’ and constructors’ championships, and repeated the feat for each of the following three seasons. Christian reveals what it took to build and maintain success in the face of rivals with more money, resources, and political power in the sport, and explore how to manage the human and the technological el...

Sir Chris Hoy

Chris has amassed eleven World Championship titles and six Olympic golds. Since retiring from the track he's competed at Le Mans, launched his own bike range, published children's books, and spoken publicly about his cancer diagnosis and its terminal status. An inspiring figure on and off the track, Chris tells his story of highs and lows, resilience, rewards, determination and teamwork.

Michael Johnson

One of the greatest athletes of all time, Johnson’s medal haul includes 9 World Championship and 4 Olympic golds. He was the first man to win both 400m and 200m titles. Now a broadcaster, businessman and a columnist, Michael shares the techniques he used to stay focused and achieve long term goals. As in his book Gold Rush, he outlines the psychological and personal qualities needed to be a champion: “Ask yourself, if a competitor is doing better than expected – do I change my strategy?”

James Kerr

Business consultant and author James studied the New Zealand rugby team first hand, in training, the dressing room, before, during and after matches. The conclusions he draws about what has made them such a dominant force despite drawing talent from one of the smallest populations on Earth has important parallels in business. Whether it’s the value of character, understanding an organisation’s story, or avoiding complacency, James explains how a group can achieve and maintain real success.

Joe Marler

Broadcaster, author and mental health advocate, Joe Marler earned more than 75 caps for England and won two Premiership titles and the European Challenge Cup with Harlequins. Since retirement from the game, he co-hosts the podcast Things People Do, and created the BBC podcast Joe Marler Will See You Now, and was a finalist on The Celebrity Traitors. A CALM ambassador, Joe explores mental health, resilience and the realities of high-performance sport.

Nigel Owens

The World Cup Final referee is widely considered to be the best official in rugby union. He implements rules fairly but allows the game to flow; he imposes his authority – but he isn’t afraid to show a sense of humour on the pitch. He’s also the only openly gay official in what’s seen as an especially macho sport. In speeches Nigel talks about the hurdles he had to overcome, and the skills you require to make tough decisions with tough characters.