Ann Jones

One of the world's best known tennis stars who enjoyed success both in lawn tennis and table tennis throughout a glittering career - Ann Jones enjoys an unparallelled legacy in the sport. Her importance in building the prestige of the women's game is monumental.

As a result of players like Jones, equality in tennis prevails over most other sports, with the prize money for Wimbledon now the same for men as it is for women. Working with Billie Jean King and co-stars, Jones was able to help kickstart the women's tour and push the prize money for Wimbledon closer to what the men enjoyed.

In a time where women's tennis benefitted from professionals such as King and Margaret Court, Jones didn't win as many majors as she perhaps could have, she still ended her career with 8 Grand Slams. Part of the reason, she admits is that the cost of travelling, particularly to the Australian Open was too high to be sustainable for Jones.

Jones succeeded as a singles and doubles player, and she won the French Open singles competition twice and doubles three times. She also won the mixed doubles at the Australian Open and at the height of her career was ranked second in the world.

After appearing in six Wimbledon semifinals and two Wimbledon finals, Jones would cap an impressive career in a dramatic Wimbledon victory over close friend, Billie Jean King in 1969 - the highlight of her playing career. This was to be a year after herself and King organised the first professional female touring group.

Since retiring from the game, Jones joined the BBC as a guest commentator, and was brought on board as chairwoman of the Women's International Tennis Council. She released her autobiography, A Game to Love in 1971.

In 1985 Jones was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame and in 2007 Jones became the first woman outside of the royal family to present the trophies at Wimbledon. She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2014 for her services to tennis.

A fascinating tennis speaker and inspirational figure capable of motivating all manner of audiences to push the boundaries of their success and ability to change the things they believe in changing - Ann Jones is a visionary and an ideal addition to any event schedule.