Peak Performance speakers

Flashback to his early presenting days and some of you may remember Ade Adepitan from the CBBC series X-Change and the BBC ‘dancing wheelchairs’ idents. An instantly recognisable face, Ade has travelled the world for his work including the BBC’s internationally known Travel Show exploring the history and cultures behind the globe’s most enticing countries.

Adrian Furnham was educated at the London School of Economics where he obtained a distinction in an MSc Econ., and at Oxford University where he completed a doctorate (D.Phil) in 1981. He has subsequently earned a D.Sc (1991) and D.Litt (1995) degree. Previously a lecturer in Psychology at Pembroke College, Oxford, he was Professor of Psychology at University College London since 1992-2018. He has lectured and given keynote speeches globally in many of the World's largest organisations.

A native of south-west France, the young Alain Ducasse went on to work under some of the most-respected chefs of his time – Michel Guérard, Gaston Lenôtre, Roger Vergé and Alain Chapel – before taking over at Louis XV in Monaco in 1987. Within less than four years, he had earned three Michelin stars. Today, he holds 19 Michelin stars across 23 restaurants in 8 countries.

Alain is famous in hundreds of countries for managing to climb 141 of the world's tallest buildings with his bare hands. Alain is a legendary free-climber, referred to as the hymn Spiderman. He has thousands of YouTube hits that have amassed millions of hits each. Alain has achieved global success in free-climbing despite a career ending injury at 19, leaving him 66% disabled. Alain also, shockingly, suffers from vertigo, yet he preserves on with his passion.

Alan is an international business consultant and non-exec board director working with blue-chip organisations across the spectrum of industry: in Financial Services, FMCG, Hospitality, Industrial, IT, Motor, Retail, Telcos, Tourism, Travel and others. With 30+ years of front line board level experience – he has lots of no-nonsense expertise with lots to say.

lan Shearer is one of the most feared and respected strikers of the modern era and a wonderful ambassador for the game. His debut was an indication of the wealth of talent Alan has when he scored a hat trick for Southampton against Arsenal on 9th April 1988 (4-2 victory) and went on to became the only player in English football history to score 30 or more goals in three consecutive seasons. On 6th August 1996, after Alan’s successful Euro 96, where he finished the tournament’s top goal scorer, Alan joined his beloved Newcastle for a world record fee of £15.6 million, fulfilling his childhood dream to play for his local side.

Alastair’s expeditions are a call to arms that nothing is achieved without being bold enough to begin it and that the first step need only be a tiny one to set us on the way to realising that we are all capable of more than we imagine.

All it took was a cup of coffee to change Alex’s life forever and set in motion the indomitable will and desire that lead him to realise an astonishing adventure that Sir Ranulph Fiennes OBE has described as “seriously hard”. An experienced speaker, whether for a keynote address, conference, school or community events, Alex’s presentations have brought humor, insight and adventure to audiences around the world.

Amanda Stretton is the UK’s leading female motorsport and motor industry presenter. She is renowned for her knowledge of contemporary and historical racing series and her understanding of the international car industry.

Amir Khan is one of the most talented sportsmen of his generation. Catapulted into the limelight from the 2004 Silver medal Olympic podium, Amir has become Britain's highest-profile boxer racking up an impressive professional fight record; having become the World Light Welterweight Champion in July 2009 after his life changing fight against Andreas Kotelnik.

Andrew Kirkpatrick’s speciality is big wall climbing and winter expeditions, which involves pitting himself against a vertical climbs of over 1000 meters often in temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees. Andy has scaled Yosemite's El Capitan - one of the hardest walls in America - over twenty four times, including three solo ascents and a one day ascent (18h), as well as climbing it with a paraplegic climber, his thirteen year old daughter and a blind friend. One of these ascents was a 12 day solo of the Reticent Wall, viewed at the time as perhaps the hardest climb of its type in the world, and the subject of his award winning book Psychovertical.

Andy is a Royal Air Force fighter pilot and as the holder of the World Land Speed Record, is "The Fastest Man on Earth.", Driving Richard Noble's Thrust SSC in 1997, Andy set the world's first and only supersonic land speed record at an astonishing 763 mph. He went on to drive the JCB DIESELMAX car in 2006. He and the team overcame some difficult and equally challenging problems to smash the diesel record, setting the new mark at a remarkable 350 mph. Andy is now the chosen driver for the new BLOODHOUND SuperSonic Car, which aims to exceed the incredible target of 1000 mph.

Anna was introduced to rowing when she studied at the University of Cambridge. Moving up to the full international squad, Anna's rise to winning ways had begun. With the world famous partnership with Katherine Grainger, the two were unbeaten in their first season rowing together and they went on to claim two World Championship golds before entering and championing the London 2012 games. Setting a new Olympic record on the way the pair convincingly won their Olympic final to take gold and provide one of the most memorable moments of the games.

Sir Anthony 'AP' McCoy OBE, MBE is a Northern Irish Champion horse racing jockey legend. AP McCoy OBE retired from racing in April 2015 having dominated his sport for over 2 decades, making him not only the world's greatest ever jump jockey, but also one of the UK's most talented sportsmen. In April 2015, AP was crowned Champion Jockey for the 20th consecutive year, and ended his truly phenomenal career on 4348 wins (which includes the 2010 Grand National, the prestigious Cheltenham Gold Cup, Champion Hurdle, Queen Mother Champion Chase & King George VI Chase). This incredible man and BBC Sports Personality of the Year spent his career setting records we will not see broken in our lifetimes. We have had champions, we have had legends, but we will never have another AP McCoy. AP's achievements were acknowledged by the Queen with a Knighthood in the 2016 New Years Honours.

Austin Healey is a former rugby player and has represented the England national rugby union team.

Ben Kay is a retired English international rugby union player who played Second row forward for Leicester Tigers and England.

Bradley Wiggins established himself as one of the world’s finest track endurance riders by collecting six Olympic medals across three Games, including individual pursuit gold at Athens 2004 and individual pursuit gold and team pursuit gold at Beijing 2008.

Brendan Hall's keynote presentation, 'Life and leadership on the world's most demanding yacht race' is a gripping narrative of an ocean yacht race on the edge, and a young skipper's determined journey to victory. At the age of 27, Brendan was selected to lead one of the ten teams competing in the 2009-10 Clipper Round the World race. He had no input on the selection of his 44 crew, but was tasked with turning them into a cohesive, competitive unit, able to take on the ultimate sailing challenge, a gruelling ten-month race around the globe. He knew that the key to success would be creating and sustaining a culture of high performance, autonomy, motivation and support- A race winning formula.

Brian O'Driscoll was the captain of the Ireland Rugby team from 2004 -2012 and captained Leinster Rugby from 2005 until the end of 2008 season. He captained the British and Irish Lions for their 2005 tour of New Zealand. Registered at University College Dublin RFC, he played at outside centre for the Irish provincial team Leinster.

Brian is famed for winning the 4x400m relay with only one shoe. He is a two time European gold medalist, and goes down in the hearts of British fans as the epitome of perseverance and determination. Brian is now a coach and mentor.

Carole Spiers is not just a performer, but Chair of the International Stress Management Association (UK). She is also a Fellow and Past President of the London Chapter of the Professional Speaking Association.

Following a successful on pitch rugby career Catherine has now made the bold move to transfer from the sports pitch to the business pitch as she has made her move to set up and run her own company Inspiring Women. Inspiring Women is a platform to encourage female speakers, mentors and ambassadors from the sports and adventure world to provide insight and share valuable lessons learnt with the business world. Alongside this Catherine has made sure that she is continually challenging herself and has taken part in a filmed mountaineering challenge in the Swiss Alps, has completed 2 marathons and entered a third and is taking on the task of coaching women’s rugby premiership side Aylesford ladies for the 2015/16 season. Catherine is also patron of the charity Tag Rugby Trust where she has volunteered her time in Uganda, Ghana, Zambia, Mexico and India.

Chemmy is Britain’s number one female alpine skier. She started skiing as a toddler aged 18 months and began competing seriously at the age of 8. From this committed early start to her career, Chemmy has progressed in every discipline and has worked her way up to be ranked 8th in the world. She was the first British woman to qualify for the World Cup Finals, the first British skier to win a run in a World Cup race and the first British skier to win the British Land National Ski Championships six times in a row. Chemmy has competed in three consecutive Olympic Games, in Salt Lake City, Turin and then Vancouver, where at both Turin and Vancouver she finished an impressive 11th place. Despite a horrific accident in Lake Louise in 2010, Chemmy has embarked on a remarkable road to recovery to head for her fourth Olympics: Sochi 2014. As well as being ranked in the top 30 in the world for Super G, Giant Slalom and Combined, she is an excellent ambassador for British sport, encouraging younger athletes to pursue their dreams.

Chris Boardman won the 4km individual pursuit at the Barcelona Olympics and broke the world hour record three times. His was the nation's first gold in cycling for over 70 years. The iconic image of the Lotus machine and pointy helmet linked Chris forever with cutting edge technology. This was reinforced with Chris leading the research & development team for GB Cycling in the run up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where they became the most successful British sporting team of all time. He is now Greater Manchester’s Cycling and Walking Commissioner and intends to bring continental levels of bike use to the UK.

Chris Moon MBE is one of the most fortunate people to be alive you’re likely to meet and should be dead many times over. He’s a former British Officer who left the Army to work for a charity clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance.

Christian Horner OBE is the Team Principal of the Infiniti Red Bull Racing Formula One team, a position he has held since 2005. His motorsport career started as a race car driver, before he switched roles to become Team Principal of FIA F3000 and later GP2 Series team Arden International Motorsport in 1999.

Clive spent 25 years in a very successful corporate career, went from the oldest media - outdoor (CEO at CBS Outdoor) to newest media - social (Global MD at LinkedIn). Clive left the bosom of corporate life to start GeniusQ, which is a 21st century business focused method which makes CEO’s and senior executives more successful and fulfilled.

Colin Jackson CBE is ranked as being one of most successful British athletes of all time. His athletic prowess gained him World, Commonwealth, and European champion. His world record 110m time was unbroken for an astonishing 13 years, but still remains the World Championship record time. Colin still holds the 60m hurdle record time, which has now been unbeaten for nearly 20 years. Since retiring from athletics, Colin was a natural choice to become one of the key members of the BBC's sports production team and he continues to cover all of their Athletics output as a BBC pundit and presenter.

A legend in the climbing world, Conrad has crafted a legacy defined by taking on the most technically challenging terrain on earth, including “The Shark’s FIn”, as documented in the award-winning film “Meru.”

A born and bred Northumbrian, Conrad has enjoyed the outdoors since he was a boy. Conrad is the first and only Briton to have achieved the ‘Polar Grand Slam’ – completing the World’s recognised three hardest Polar journeys, crossing Greenland; the Antarctic plateau to reach the South Pole and the Arctic to the North Pole, all unsupported. Conrad became a Captain during his Short Service Commission in the Army and specialized in Arctic Warfare whilst training in Norway. In 2011 Conrad trained the BBC film crew and Blue Peter presenter Helen Skelton for her successful trip to the South Pole.

Originally trained as a product & industrial designer, Cris spent over a decade as a successful entrepreneur & CEO building an award-winning design group. He is now recognised globally as a thought leader on innovation strategy, leadership and culture.

The Athens Olympic Games was the pinnacle of a long but frustrating international athletics career for Kelly Holmes. Her Double Olympic Gold triumph changed her life forever and fulfilled her second childhood dream of becoming an Olympic Champion. She became the first British female athlete to win both the 800m and 1500m. Since retiring from international athletics, Kelly has started a new chapter in her life in the business world; establishing her own company Double Gold and her charity the Dame Kelly Holmes Legacy Trust. She has also been active in raising the profile of school sport up the political agenda. Kelly became National School Sport Champion in 2006 for three years and pioneered the creation of National School Sport Week. She also led the creation of Girls Active set up with the Youth Sports Trust to capture the interest of disengaged female teenagers. She now has a number of ambassadorial positions for TeamGB, London 2012 sponsor BT, the Jaguar Academy of Sport alongside the honour of being President of Commonwealth Games England.

Dame Stella speaks about her life and career at a wide range of events for audiences worldwide: for major national and international corporate clients, business professionals, the public and private sectors, trades associations and schools. Her straightforward approach and friendly, candid manner are combined with an informed view and intelligent judgement.

Dan Pink is the author of several provocative, bestselling books about the changing world of work. His books have been translated into over 33 different languages, including being published in the unorthodox style of Japanese Manga. His writing spans a multitude of topics, from the art and science of sales to a modern behavioural economical view on motivation. Dan is a prolific speaker, working in both public and private events, including many talks on TED. Dan held his last real job in the White House, where he served from 1995 to 1997 as chief speechwriter to Vice President Al Gore. He also worked as an aide to U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich and in other positions in politics and government.

David Flatman was a prop for Bath and the England national rugby union team and the former head of communications at Bath rugby.

David Millar is former British National Road Champion and Time Trial Champion, the only British Rider to have worn all the Leaders Jerseys from the Tour de France and one of only six British riders to have worn the Yellow Jersey. He was also the first of only two British riders ever to have worn the Leader’s Jersey in all three Grand Tours. Millar was banned for two years in 2004 after admitting taking banned performance enhancing drugs. During his ban and on his return to cycling in 2006 he worked with WADA and UKAD on various anti-doping initiatives and has become a voice for anti-doping within the sport. His final chapter in cycling saw him win Silver in the World Championships, stages of all three Grand Tours and write a best selling Autobiography. David retired from cycling at the end of 2014 season but remains actively involved in the sport.

Derek is a retired British athlete who epitomises the Olympic spirit. During his career, he held the British record for the 400 metres sprint, and won gold medals in the 4x400 metres relay at the World Championships, European Championships and Commonwealth Games. Since retiring from athletics, Derek has played basketball for England and professionally for the Birmingham Bullets and has played competitive rugby union for Coventry RFC and Stow RFC. He is also a respected coach and advisor for international athletes.

Dumi Oburota is the Nigerian-British entrepreneur credited for engineering Patrick Okogwu AKA Tinie Tempah's rise to stardom. He is also attributed to being behind strong acts like WizKid and asides music, he boasts a clothing label under his "Disturbing London" company. Now he is on a mission to make Disturbing London "a stamp of coolness for millennial, urban culture".

Best selling author of an autobiography describing life in the Special Boat Service and 3 years as an undercover operative in the highly secretive 14th intelligence detachment where he was Mentioned In Despatches. Falconer was the youngest member of Britain’s modern Special Forces. Author of 9 novels, 8 of them on his fictional hero, John Stratton. Falconer is a Maritime Security Specialist and a Crisis Manager and Responder to high profile organisations, and has worked as a specialist security advisor to international news, the UK government and others, the FBI, major airlines, NGOs and charity organisations. His first novel is being filmed soon.

Former military sergeant who broke almost every bone in his body and lost both legs in 2009 when the armoured vehicle he was travelling in was struck by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. After spending five months in hospital he undertook several gruelling challenges including Lands End to John O'Groats, London Marathon, South Pole and Marathon de Sables. Named Overall Champion Amplifon Awards for Brave Britons 2021.

Ed Buckingham is a truly inspirational and a motivational man. Working for the Royal Mail for 28 years, an adventurer and author from his native origin of Cornwall. Coming from a background of hill and coastal walkers Ed has through sheer hard work and determination turned himself into a world class athlete. At the culmination of his quest, he emerges as a capable climber, fit and strong, competing in triathlons running full and ultra marathons, climbing mountains and delivering the post.

Ed first appeared on Sky Sports in 1999 as the resident bookie stats expert alongside Matthew Lorenzo and Kirsty Gallagher every Friday night on the Sports Centre.

Ed is a doctor in Nottingham with degrees in Medicine, Extreme Human Physiology and Medical Law. In 2009 he took a break from Medicine to join James Cracknell and Ben Fogle on the first ever race of its kind to the South Pole. Ed completed a two-day selection course beating over 650 applicants to win his place on the team. The expedition and selection process was filmed for a 5-part TV series for BBC2 called ‘On Thin Ice’.

Felix Baumgartner broke three World Records by base-jumping from a capsule in Space down to Earth: the first human to break the sound barrier without the assistance of a vehicle, the highest manned balloon flight, and the highest skydive. Outside of his penchant for daredevil acts, Felix was named to Vienna's Street of Champions and nominated for a World Sports Award and two categories in the NEA Extreme Sports Awards, Felix is also an advocate for the nonprofit Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation.

Fleur Sexton is an inspirational Businesswoman who is the founder of PET-Xi Training, a high-energy training specialist whose multi-award-winning training teams have, since 1995, worked to help over 150,000 people identify training goals and unlock their potential. Starting from humble beginnings, Fleur has built up a company from her bedroom into a multi award-winning company and is now dedicated to motivating women to find their voice and fulfill their potential.

Floyd Woodrow, the MD of Chrysalis worldwide coaches elite international athletes and sporting teams, the worlds leading banks, financial services companies, governments, education institutions, police forces, emergency services and international corporations on all aspects of elite performance and leadership. Floyd's extraordinary experiences and skills give him a unique and diverse speaking ability.

Now CEO of Belstaff, Fran Millar was CEO of Team Ineos and former TEAM Sky's Head of Winning Behaviours and Director of Business Operations and later CEO, Fran headed up the business and people functions within the world’s most successful cycling team. Fran is a huge hit with audiences both in the UK and internationally. Her passion for her subject coupled with her natural delivery style is always well received. She is one of the most engaging speakers that we have ever worked with and which an entire audience can relate to.

Captain of the Victorious 1995 country-unifying Rugby World Cup Team - The Springboks, Francois Pienaar is a remarkable athlete, trained lawyer and an ambassador for multi-racial sports and civil rights. Captain of the Victorious 1995 country-unifying Rugby World Cup Team - The Springboks, Francois Pienaar is a remarkable athlete, trained lawyer and an ambassador for multi-racial sports and civil rights. He reached the highest peak in rugby union when he captained his country, South Africa, to World Cup victory in 1995. He was portrayed by Matt Damon in Clint Eastwood's blockbuster Invictus. In 2005, Francois was seconded by First National Bank as CEO for the 2011 Rugby World cup bid. Having been named Newsmaker of the Year, he is his country's most celebrated icon after Nelson Mandela. He was portrayed by Matt Damon in Clint Eastwood's blockbuster Invictus. In 2005, Francois was seconded by First National Bank as CEO for the 2011 Rugby World cup bid. Having been named Newsmaker of the Year, he is his country's most celebrated icon after Nelson Mandela.

Gareth is an engaging speaker on his experiences as both an international sports star and his personal story of coming out, as a member of the LGBT community and on living with HIV.

Gary Lineker OBE is one of the most popular TV sports presenters and former captains of the England football team. Gary has presented various BBC sports related programmes such as Match of the Day and is a regular on the comedy show, They Think it's all Over. Gary is also passionate about golf and in 2005, Gary was unveiled as the BBC's main presenter for major golfing events.

Gavin Duffy is best known for taking businesses from concept in the Den to success in retail or online in just a matter of months.

Sir Geoff Hurst is a former England international footballer. A striker, he remains the only man to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final as England recorded a 4–2 victory over West Germany at the old Wembley in 1966.

George Gregan is a retired Australian Rugby Union player who held the record number of international caps for any rugby union player.

Gethin Jones is best known for his children’s television career presenting popular shows such as Popty and Blue Peter.

Glenn Catley was the WBC World Super-middleweight Champion. By his own admission, never the best fighter technically, Glenn got to the very top of his sport with determination and confidence. As a qualified psychotherapist he now understands the value of belief in your own abilities and how to handle the pressure of expectation.

Having sailed the Atlantic alone twice, Hannah is one of Britain’s most inspirational women. Sailing solo for weeks at a time and coming 2nd in a transatlantic race, Hannah has faced icebergs, intense sleep deprivation, technical failures and the worst that the North Atlantic Ocean can muster. Hannah has led others through hostile conditions, inspiring fellow crew members in some of the world’s toughest oceans.

Helen Glover MBE was one of the most prominent sporting stars to emerge from the 2012 Olympic Games, typifying the ideal that hard work breeds success. Alongside her rowing partner, Heather Stanning, Helen wrote herself into the British history books by not only winning Team GB’s first Gold of the Games but claiming British Rowing’s first ever female Gold medal.

A superb speaker, Helen Sharman OBE enthuses her audience about Space, STEM and the wonders of science. She describes the meticulous training and preparation, learning Russian, the launch and landing, how weightlessness feels, her science experiments, the team spirit, and adjusting to life back on Earth. Awarded the OBE in 1993, Helen Sharman is a full-time scientist, a pioneer, a role model for young people (of all ages!) and an inspiration.

Ian McGeechan is a Scottish former Rugby Union player and coach. His nickname is "Geech".

Ian Robertson is a Scottish broadcaster, writer and former international rugby player. He is best known as a rugby union commentator for BBC Radio.

Ian Wright MBE has an electric personality that used to light up the matches in which he played and now brings radiance to his appearances as a TV and radio performer.

Over half a million people around the world have heard Jack Black speak or have participated in one of his programs. He is committed to providing unique and bespoke presentations, ensuring his audiences leave with easy to use yet powerful tools and techniques that directly improve their performance.

In January 1999, Jamie and a climbing partner were trapped for five nights on the storm bound icy summit of a French mountain. Despite surviving, both hands and feet were amputated. Since this he has learned to walk again, take up skiing, run marathons and iron man triathlons and remarkably returned to climb once more in the mountains that he loves so much.

Jamie Baulch enjoyed a career spanning 15 years at the top of world class athletics. Since retiring in 2005, he has starred in several reality TV shows and directed several business ventures including the Jamie Baulch Academy and a great contestant on Dancing on Ice!

Janice Meek is an unlikely adventurer who can proudly claim to be the only woman on the planet to have rowed across an ocean and walked to two poles. Janice now dedicates her life to public speaking, motivating others to achieve goals they never dreamed of, inspiring people regardless of their age, gender or size and fundraising for charity.

Jas is a former Red Arrows leader and fighter pilot. He joined the RAF aged 18 and after completing flying training he went on to be the youngest ever pilot to fly the Tornado ground attack aircraft on the front-line. Hawker has undertaken a number of non-flying appointments within the Ministry of Defence, advising senior military officers and civil servants on strategic and operational matters; specifically developing national contingency and crisis plans and advising on capability development. He has practical experience of operational level campaign planning having deployed to Afghanistan as a Senior Air Advisor.

Jason Lewis is an award-winning adventurer, author, and sustainability advocate specializing in human-powered expeditions. He is recognized by Guinness World Records as being the first person to circumnavigate the Earth without using motors or sails: walking, cycling, and inline skating five continents, and kayaking, swimming, rowing, and pedaling a boat across the rivers, seas, and oceans. Taking thirteen years to complete, the 46,505-mile journey was hailed “the last great first for circumnavigation” by the London Sunday Times.

One of the stars of the London 2012 Olympics, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill was not just the 'poster girl' for the games, she also demonstrated the determination, competitiveness and sporting behaviour with which the games is synonymous. When Jess stormed home in first place in the 800m, her final event, it secured the gold medal for her, and in doing so captured one of the most memorable golds of the Olympics and providing one of the highlights of the London games.

Jim Lawless is one of the world’s leading inspirational speakers. Over half a million people on five continents have been inspired by Jim’s presentations and countless thousands more by his book “Taming Tigers”.

Jim McNeill is a British polar explorer, presenter and keynote speaker, with over 30 years of experience travelling in the polar regions.

Jo and her husband Rob took on the monstrous task of ascending the Seven Summits, breaking records by being the fastest couple to ever ascend it, as well as Jo entering the Guinness Book of World Records for holding the fastest female ascent time, also being the second British woman to ever scale Everest's North Ridge.

The finest triple jumper of all time, Jonathan Edwards is the former Olympic, Commonwealth, European and World Champion - and the current world record holder. He was an ambassador for the London Olympics bid before becoming a key member of the Organising Committee.

When Jonathan was seven years old he read a book about the first escape artist Harry Houdini. From that moment Jonathan knew that he wanted to follow in the footsteps of such a great man and be an escape artist too. While performing his escapes Jonathan has been hanged, buried alive, locked in a box covered in 200,000 bees and burned at the stake to name just a few. Jonathan has also developed his ability to withstand pain. From being hit with a baseball bat to handling hot coals, pushing needles through his skin, and even walking on tacks in bare feet; Jonathan somehow seemingly has the ability to disconnect his bodies pain receptors.

Considered the man who won England their famous World Cup victory under the leadership of Sir Clive Woodward. Becoming one of the most famous rugby players alive when his drop goal in the dying seconds of the game won the tournament for England. One of the most decorated players in the game, becoming the highest international points scorer and a role model of professionalism and sportsmanship. The public success was only part of the story, however, and Jonny speaks frankly and inspiringly about the pressure of expectation and the mental health implications of leading a life defined by others.

Justin gives an extraordinary insight into the behaviours, processes and leadership issues which make for a world class team. With breathtaking cockpit footage, he shows how to reproduce performance year after year, in spite of manifold risks and a constantly changing team.

Kevin has worked as a doctor with NASA and now he currently flies as part of a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) crew in the UK. He is a frontline emergency physician whose expertise lies in understanding teamwork, risk management and decision making under extreme pressure.

As a CEO, chairman, founder and investor Kevin has enjoyed success in sectors including automotive, data, technology, manufacturing, brand marketing and professional services. He has repeatedly led teams to achieve extraordinary performance in companies ranging from 7 to 7,000 employees. One recognised as the best private equity investment of the year, another nominated as the World’s 7th most innovative company. Passionate about the development of leadership skills he is frequently sought to reinvigorate teams and companies.

Kevin is a Liverpool and footballing legend. With his crazy hair styles and fantastic football, Kevin is never without something to talk about in his after dinner speeches. An incredibly passionate and renowned communicator, Kevin Keegan is one of the most recognisable faces in British football. Kevin's illustrious playing career included time at Liverpool, Hamburg, Southampton and Newcastle as well as the national side, captaining England for six years until his international retirement after the 1982 World Cup.

Kriss began his international athletic career in 1983 as a member of the 4×400 metre relay squad and will probably always be remembered for helping Britain clinch the Gold and beat the Americans in the World Championships 4×400 metre relay in Tokyo in 1991. Kriss is currently the CEO of The Akabusi Company, a corporate communications and training company where his marvellous personality and reputation as a fantastic public speaker has made him a very popular and attractive advocate. He is also an accredited personal coach, having qualified at the Hudson Institute of Santa Barbara. He is one of only four qualified Hudson Institute coaches in the UK.

Lawrence Dallaglio is a retired English Rugby Union player and former captain of the English national team.

When thinking of Lord Alan Sugar it is difficult not to imagine the dreaded words ‘you’re fired’. However, it’s good to learn that although he doesn’t mince his words and definitely doesn’t suffer fools gladly, Lord Sugar is actually a considerate man and a philanthropist. He says what he means and can come across as abrupt at times, but his sense of humour is evident, as is his genuine desire to improve both the business and life experience of others.

Maggie Aderin-Pocock is an English space scientist. She is a research fellow in UCL Department of Science and Technology Studies. Since 2014, she has co-presented the long running astronomy TV programme The Sky at Night.

Maggie Alphonsi MBE is an English women's rugby player who plays as a flanker for Saracens W.R.F.C. and England. She is of African-Caribbean descent. She was Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year in 2010.

Marc competed internationally as a swimmer for 17 years, winning 12 Paralympic medals from 5 Games and a further 21 from either World or European Championships. In the past he has held world records for 200m, 400m, 1500m Freestyle and as well as being part of the team that held the world record for 4 x 100m Freestyle. Marc Woods was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 17 and had his left leg amputated below the knee. Not knowing whether he had 6 months or 60 years left to live, he was determined to make the most of whatever time he had.

Mark Beaumont has become a household name through his documentaries about ultra endurance and adventure, Having smashed the circumnavigation cycling World Record twice in his career, he now holds this title having averaged 240 miles a day, becoming the first person to cycle ‘Around the World in 80 Days.’ His epic documentaries have taken views to over 100 countries, into the Arctic, the High Mountains and around the Commonwealth, also surviving capsize in the mid-Atlantic.

Since Mark burst onto the International swimming scene, at the age of 16, representing England at the 1986 Commonwealth Games, he has gone on to represent his country more times and been decorated more than any other male swimmer. Throughout his impressive three decade career he has won 47 international medals; competed in 5 Olympics, been 8 times Commonwealth champion, 10 times European champion and 8 times World record holder.

Mark Gallagher’s career in Formula One started in 1983, spending seven years working in the media before joining Eddie Jordan’s fledgling Grand Prix team in 1990, later joining the team’s management board. He became part of the newly created Red Bull Racing management team in 2004, and was invited to lead Cosworth’s return to Formula One as an engine supplier in 2010, overseeing its supply of one-third of the teams on the starting grid.

Nine times Grand Prix winner Mark Webber’s fairytale journey from Queanbeyan kid to world-class athlete is an enthralling and entertaining story full of inspiration and amusing anecdotes. Mark retired from Formula 1 in 2013, currently competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Porsche.

Martina Navratilova won the Wimbledon women's singles title a record nine times and has been described by many as "the greatest singles, doubles, and mixed doubles player who's ever lived". In all, Martina has won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, 31 Grand Slam women's doubles titles (an all-time record), and 10 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles.

Martine Wright lost both legs in the 7/7 terrorist attacks on the London underground. She has since rebuilt her life, skydived, learned to fly, and become a member of the British 2012 Paralympic volleyball team.

Marty’s keynotes and workshops are rammed full of scientific knowledge and takeaway tips and strategies, but they are delivered with countless hilarious stories that can keep even the most cynical audience on side.

Michael Finkel is the author of the New York Times bestseller “The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit,” about a highly intelligent man who lived alone in the forest of Maine for 27 years, as well as the book “True Story,” about Finkel’s bizarre and unhealthy friendship with a murderer, which was adapted into a 2015 major motion picture produced by Brad Pitt and starring James Franco and Jonah Hill.

Michael Lynagh is a former Australian Rugby Union player who played as a Fly-half.

Michael O’Neill is a Northern Irish football manager and former professional footballer. Michael currently manages the Northern Ireland international football team.

'The Game Changer' Mike Forde is former Director of Football Operations at Chelsea Football Club, responsible for all areas of Chelsea FC's performance and team operations. Mike is widely recognised as a World authority in the British Premier League and European soccer and elite US professional sport for driving innovation and cutting edge methods.

As Chief Business Officer for Google [X], the search giant’s very much-envied R&D division, Mo led some of the tech world’s most innovative projects at a time that was becoming the climax of a successful career in technology. Whilst on paper he was doing well, he often felt unfulfilled. He applied his engineering skills to the problem and after almost a decade developed a model which placed happiness in overall context of the experiences and expectations of life. His work became the international bestseller, Solve for Happy: Engineer Your Path to Joy.

Trend forecaster, academic, product developer, writer and broadcaster, Morgaine lives and breathes ideas and future trends. She asks the question 'why' so that she can deliver the 'what'. Identifying why people aspire to new things, she discovers what will be desirable and aspirational in the future. She endeavors to make food fun, informative and a social commentary on culture, class, behaviours and belief. She is the founder and director of Bellwether: Food Trends, a fashion/design/food/social trend (digital and print) compendium for global markets.

Hack has turned adversaries into allies throughout the world. Her pioneering work on engagement leadership and her unique framework Strategic Relational Engagement (SRE™) is based on decades of real-life success in bringing together diverse stakeholders to find common ground and achieve great goals. Named one of Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business Behavior, Hack works with executives of Fortune 500 companies, heads of state, and leaders of global organizations.

Following the success of the Call Centre TV show and his other media appearances Nev has become a highly sought after business, motivational and after dinner speaker. Whether its informed opinion for a key-note address or a burst of energy and a song to start a conference that you need, Nev is guaranteed to make an impact.

Nick's passion for running is clear, but his meaningful topics are the basis of some truly inspirational messages too. He covers areas such as understanding potential; embracing failure; perseverance and determination, and how to value the time we have on our planet. His personal stories bring these issues to life with enthusiasm and character. Nick may be a runner first and foremost, but his messages reach further. He’s not on a crusade to get everyone into lycra, but simply to spread the message that everyone, regardless of age, background, and commitments can excel at anything they put their minds to.

Nicola Adams OBE was the first woman to win an Olympic boxing title, she is the 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold medallist in the women's flyweight division.

Norma is an ultra-marathon runner, and a woman who is determined to make and break records, whilst being a single Mum. Norma started out her mission to fight blindness, but now realises that she is here to show her kids to live life with passion. In 2014 Norma is setting a Guinness World Record triathlon; swim 80 miles, biking 3700 miles, and running 865 miles from Cancun to Washington DC.

After working with high-profile bands and musicians around the world for twenty years, singer / songwriter Patti Russo is launching her solo career with a tour of the UK and an EP of her own music. Patti is best known as a duet partner for Meat Loaf, with whom she has toured the world for two decades. She has also worked with Cher, Queen, Bryan Ferry, Betty Harris and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, to name a few. Patti Russo is also no stranger to the theatre stage, having appeared as Esmeralda in the London production of Notre-Dame de Paris and as Killer Queen in the Las Vegas production of Queen and Ben Elton’s smash hit musical We Will Rock You.

Paula Radcliffe is the current women's world record holder in the marathon with her time of 2 hours 15 minutes and 25 seconds.

Paula Reid is an inspirational speaker, adventurer, and best-selling author. Paula, with two months notice and no sailing experience, became a core crew member of the Global Challenge 2004-5: the ‘World’s Toughest Yacht Race’, Paula raced 35,000 miles the ‘wrong way’ around the world. Paula has completed 91 things on her list of things to do before she dies – including walking on hot coals, paddling down the Mekong, walking across the country, running the marathon and kayaking the length of the Thames. Paula combines extreme sailing stories and analogies with business expertise to create leadership and performance development that is unique, powerful and deep rooted. She influences and inspires at conferences, meetings and events as a keynote speaker and through interactive workshops. She has also been a shareholder and director of three businesses, and understands about Leadership, Strategy, Motivation & Mental Toughness from both an extreme adventure and a business-leader point of view.

World Class Explorer Pen, is an inspirational speaker, bestselling author of ‘Solo’, and pioneering founder of Geo Mission, the environmental sponsorship organisation, and The Polar Travel Company, the first specialist Polar guide service. Pen is an established and talented speaker, executive coach and business mentor, and has worked with Coutts Bank, Team GB, British Airways and Savills to name a few.

Penny Mallory is a former Rally Champion, and travelled the the World with the World Rally Championship. Penny delivers the keynote 'World Class Thinking, World Class Behaviour’ which is thought provoking and amusing delve into the psychology of success, and how the way we think can determine how much we achieve. Penny is also a sought after Performance Coach working with World Class teams and businesses across all sports and industries.

Often cited as the best referee of his generation by players and fans alike, Pierluigi Collina was respected for his no-nonsense approach to officiating. He is instantly recognizable as he contracted a severe form of alopecia, resulting in the permanent loss of all his hair, giving him his distinctive bald appearance and earning the nickname Kojak. Coincidentally, this happened around the same time that he began refereeing more high-profile matches in the Italian Series A League (about 1988).

Steve has an unparalleled reputation for giving people an edge – as well as the confidence to overcome defeat. His specialist interest is in the working of the human mind and how it can reach optimum performance applied to all walks of life. He works with Liverpool Football Club, England Football and Sky ProCycling, and has current and past involvements in many other Olympic and non-Olympic Sports, including British Cycling, England Rugby, World Championship Snooker and Premier league Football.

Great Britain's most successful ever swimmer, Becky Adlington, announced her retirement from international competition in February 2013, and immediately set out her vision for her legacy, which she sees as her greatest challenge in swimming. During a stellar career, Adlington won multiple Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth Games gold medals. She competed in four Olympic finals, winning two Gold and two Bronze medals in Beijing and London respectively. She remains the current world record holder in the 800m Freestyle, and undoubtedly the greatest swimmer that Great Britain has ever produced, not to mention one of the most successful female athletes in British Olympic history.

Following their successful pitch in the BBC’s Dragons Den, Richard decided to turn down the deal and move on to bigger missions. 6 years World travel focused on researching and interviewing World experts for Enrichd.org has grown into the book he is co-authoring with fellow celeb trainer in Hollywood. Just before pitching in the BBC’s Dragons' Den, Rich was on the operating table having a tumor removed from his left shoulder - oh and the BBC said ’no’ for a week before they did the shoot - overcoming adversity, motivation and making it happen is this mans' game!

Richard Noble achieved the World Land Speed record in 1983 of 633.468mph on Nevada's Black Rock Desert, with the vehicle Thrust2. Richard then lead the team that smashed that record 4 years later with ThrustSSC, achieving 763mph and breaking the sound barrier. Richard's current project is to create the world's first Mach 1.4 car, the BloodhoundSSC, aiming to exceed 1,000 mph on land. Richard's presentations are deeply thought provoking, are presented at a fast pace and feature amazing video inserts. The idea is to inspire the audience to realise that their true potential is likely to be way ahead of their current levels of personal ambition and to encourage original thought, action and to understand true teamwork.

Winner of the T42 200m Gold at the London 2012 Paralympics, Richard is the current world record holder for leg amputees in both the half and Olympic marathon distances. He is also the first ever leg amputee to complete the marathon in under 3 hours. Richard recently completed a mammoth challenge of 40 marathons in 40 days in Britain, seeing him run from John O'Groats to Land's End.

Over the last decade Rick O'Shea has established himself as integral part of BBC Wales’ Rugby Flagship Scrum V & also hosts the weekly rugby show on BBC Radio Wales.

Rita Clifton CBE has been called ‘Brand guru’ by the Financial Times and ‘The doyenne of branding’ by Campaign magazine. She is a writer, keynote speaker, conference chair & practitioner on all aspects of brands, branding and business leadership.

Robin Sharma is a respected global leadership expert and motivational speaker. He has a proven record of success in the field, and is a bestselling author of 11 books on the subject. During the last fifteen years, Robin has been sharing cutting-edge leadership insights, helping organisations grow leaders at all levels, and bringing their high potential employees to their next level of excellence. He is ranked as one of the top 5 leadership gurus in the world in an independent global survey of over 22,000 businesspeople by leadershipgurus.net.

Robin is an inspirational, successful businessman, best selling author and storyteller, and broadcaster with offices in the UK and USA. He is a leading success strategist and developed a reputation within media and circles as a peak performance 'guru'.

Roger Black is one of the country's most successful sportsmen having represented Great Britain for fourteen years at the highest level in the world of athletics. Roger won fifteen major Championship Medals including European, Commonwealth and World Championship Gold Medals. His greatest achievements were winning the Olympic 400 metres Silver Medal in 1996 and being part of the Gold Medal winning 4 x 400 metres relay team at the 1991 World Championships. Still one of the UK's most popular speakers, Roger inspires and motivates audiences throughout the UK and Europe – he understands the dynamics of becoming a champion, how to live a dream, set goals and fulfil ones potential. Roger's presentations are designed to motivate people to become more successful both as individuals and as members of a team. All world-class teams are comprised of world-class individuals. Roger shares strategies to develop the mindset of a champion by applying his "Five Fundamentals" for success.

Overnight, Ronan Harrington went from senior leadership positions at the British Foreign Office and Extinction Rebellion to being diagnosed with a debilitating lifetime chronic illness. He’s learned the hard way how to lead under pressure and stay strong in the face of adversity. Ronan now teaches on the KPMG Executive Leadership Programme and is a resilience specialist at Tough Cookie, advising leading organisations including Sky, Meta and Accenture on how to create healthy, high performing cultures.

Sally Gunnell OBE DL is the only woman ever to hold the Big Four concurrently (Olympic, World, Commonwealth and European titles), Sally remains a towering figure in British athletics. She has more than 15 years’ experience in addressing a wide variety of corporate audiences. She has covered global conferences of thousands and senior leadership teams of just 6. Her natural, easy-going style belies her relentless focus on achieving and sustaining excellence.

World Cup winner Sarah Hunter is a stalwart of English Rugby. Recognised for her Services to Rugby with a MBE in 2014, she has become a leading inspirational role model for the women’s and girls’ game.

Former Scotland and British and Irish Lions rugby player now commentating on rugby sevens and Sky Sports.

Sean Fitzpatrick is a former Rugby Union player who represented New Zealand and is widely regarded as one of the finest players ever to come from that country.

For the past decade Seth has shared his insights with thousands of business leaders around the world and has received accolades from many of the world's best brands.

Ben Ainslie is the most decorated Olympic sailor of all time, being a four-time Olympic gold medalist. He rose to prominence in the Atlanta Games after being beaten into silver by Brazilian Robert Scheidt. In Sydney he took his revenge, establishing a fourteen-point lead over his rival in the final race. Remarkably, he went on to win in Athens, Beijing and London.

Sir Chris Hoy has long been one of the world’s best known cyclists and in 2012 he found another place in the record books as Team GB’s most successful Olympian, with six gold medals and one silver, making him also the most successful cyclist in history. His passion for cycling started from a young age he truly followed his ambitions to achieve this success. In 2008 he was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year, and was appointed Knight Bachelor in the 2009 New Year Honours "for services to Sport". In 2012 the "Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome", built for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games was named in his honour.

Sir Clive Woodward saw a successful Rugby Union career playing for Leicester Tigers, England and the British and Irish Lions. Off the pitch, Clive experienced a flourishing career in coaching, at his peak leading the England International team to world cup victory in Sydney in 2003.

As Cycling Performance Director at Beijing, Dave Brailsford was widely credited as the driving force behind Team GB's phenomenal results. Dave himself was crowned BBC Sports Personality Coach of the Year and this supreme success was repeated at London 2012; the team stormed home with twelve medals, including eight golds. Dave speaks proficiently about the importance of focus, motivation and teamwork, and how leaders must deal with different people and their reactions to success and failure.

Sir Ranulph Fiennes is an adventurer whose dedication and passion have led him to reach both poles, circumnavigate the world’s Polar Axis and to reach the summit of Everest at the age of 65. He also made it into the record books by completing seven marathons on seven continents (including Antarctica) in seven days. To date, Sir Ranulph has, through his expeditions, raised over £14.2 million for UK charities. He has led 22 major expeditions to remote parts of the world including both Poles. He is also the author of 18 books including The Feather Men, a UK No 1 Best Seller and which in 2011 was released as a major motion picture called Killer Elite.

Sir Steve Redgrave is a Team GB rower, who successfully captured five consecutive gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000. Known as one of Britain's greatest sporting personalities, Steve has also won nine gold medals, two silvers and a bronze at the Rowing World Championships over a span of nine years. His record of 14 total Olympic and World Championship gold medals is unsurpassed by any other rower in history.

Former Paralympic long jumper and sprinter Stef has had a lifelong passion for sport. She is a five-time world record holder, but away from the track she also has a degree in biochemistry, was a finalist on Celebrity MasterChef, and made her modelling debut fronting Debenhams’ Diversity Campaign, which aimed to challenge the perceived norms of the fashion industry.

Steve Backley OBE only turned to the javelin after competing in cross-country and middle distance running. He then went on to become four times European champion and winner of three Commonwealth golds, and the only British athlete to win medals at three consecutive Olympic Games. He was ranked in the top ten for a decade, three times as world number one. Steve identifies the three main attributes which lead to success: self-belief, motivation and application. Winning is more than just natural talent. We all have the ability to tap into these natural sources to make the ultimate difference on the day.

Tim is a speaker who is passionate about the power of business. Whether it be creating wealth and employment or changing the world, Tim believes that business is the catalyst of modern change. As the founder of the highly successful Bright Ideas Trust enterprise charity, owner of his own small business and co-author of one of Amazon’s Top 10 business books for 2010, ‘What’s Your Bright Idea?’

Tim Peake was the first British European Space Agency astronaut to visit the International Space Station for Expedition 46/47, where his work captured the hearts and minds of millions. He has a background as a test pilot and a British Army Air Corps officer and he is also a STEM ambassador and best-selling author. Tim shares all the unique insights on leadership, fear and risk management, motivation and collaboration that his incredible career as a test pilot and astronaut has afforded him. He draws on his own out-of-this-world experiences to inspire audiences with his recipe for mission success and Peak(e) performance. Tim is a champion for science, innovation, exploration and adventure and delights audiences with his fascinating stories of life in space, breath-taking photographs and his unique perspective of planet earth.