Susannah Townsend is real. She smiles, and she tells the true version of her story, with nothing left out. Audiences don’t leave her talks with a highlight reel. They leave reminded of what it actually takes to be successful, and how to bring people with them on that journey, while being kind to themselves and others, and always finding a way through.
Susannah won Olympic gold with Team GB Hockey in Rio 2016, followed by bronze in Tokyo 2020, across a 12-year international career and 188 caps for England and Great Britain. She was awarded an MBE for services to hockey in 2017.
Her credibility runs deeper than one sport. As a Performance Advisor at UK Sport, she worked across boxing, fencing and wheelchair fencing, giving her a genuinely cross-sport view of what actually builds high performance. She now puts that into practice as a hockey coach and as Talent and Development Lead at Bristan Group, where she’s building a high-performance culture from the inside.
Her philosophy is simple. Don’t wait for someone to hand you permission or opportunity. Create it yourself.
On stage, she’s open and vulnerable about the low points and the self-doubt as honestly as she talks about the podium moments. That honesty, delivered with warmth rather than weight, is what makes her talks stick, and what makes audiences ask for her back.
If you want a speaker who tells the truth and leaves a room better than she found it, get in touch.
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
Feedback from In-Person Events:
"She was fantastic, thank you. Really landed well, especially with the small group session." - Matt, Assistant Head of Berkhamsted Sixth
"Susannah was fantastic. She spoke extremely well. Through powerful anecdotes and real-life experiences, she not only conveyed the importance of resilience, discipline and hard work, but also emphasised the significance of embracing one's unique voice and individuality." - Mr Kenneally, Assistant Headteacher, Trinity School
"Susannah was amazing - hugely relevant and very personable! Great energy - the team thoroughly enjoyed hearing about her journey, but also freely answering our questions. Rest assured - we'll be in touch for future events..." - Chris, CEO, WeShape
"Susannah is a brilliant speaker, she spoke from the heart and what she said resonated with a lot of things that we have to deal with ourselves in our work. She called out kindness and empathy, as well as active listening, being present and talking openly & honestly which align to our values. I think for a virtual speaker we had an expectation and it was definitely more engaging and inspiring than we were expecting. Really pleased we chose Susannah. From a logistical standpoint, it was a great experience!" - Julie, Highways England
"All I can say is Susannah was excellent! She gave a full and frank account of her journey into intentional hockey, including the low points which showed our girls that it’s not all plain sailing even at that level. She spoke very eloquently, without any visual aids, but never once hesitated or lost her train of thought. The audience were fully engaged with her and were totally fascinated to be hearing a genuine ‘behind the scenes’ account of what it’s like to work for and ultimately win an Olympic gold medal. She was brilliant and I would highly recommend her." - Alex, Bromley High School
"Susannah was incredible! The feedback on her was incredible, she was so warm and welcoming, and it felt like she fit into the carwow family! She stayed very flexible with our requests and we would 100% use her again in the future." - Zaina, Culture & Inclusion Manager, Carwow
"Susannah was just fab. We really can’t say enough good things about her and so we’d love for you to extend our thanks to her for coming along, being so open and vulnerable as well as engaging, entertaining and inspiring. We’re already thinking her delivery and messaging would be a great fit for our January conference so we’ve made a soft enquiry with her as to her availability, but we’d definitely love to pick this up with her and you in the coming weeks and months." - Claire, Bristan Group
- 2022 – Chief of Staff, Team England, Commonwealth Games
- 2022 – Head of Growth, Evolve
- 2021 – Ambassador and Special Projects Director, D&G Group UK
- 2020 – Co-Founder, All One Media
- 2016 – Olympic Gold Medallist at the Rio Olympic Games
- 2014 – Recipient of the Hockey Writers Club Women’s Player of the Year award
- 2012 – Olympic Bronze Medallist at the London Olympic Games
- Earned a total of 188 Caps representing England and Great Britain
How to hire Susannah Townsend
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Susannah Townsend for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do NOT accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
