Ben Hunt-Davis is renowned for his talents as a former Olympic competition rower, who claimed an Olympic Gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Having represented Team GB at countless other Olympic Games and international competitions, Ben soon forged a strong following and was deemed a role model in sports – appointed MBE in the 2001 New Year Honours. Having since retired from competition rowing, Ben is now a leading motivational speaker who translates his experiences as a professional sportsman into his work as a performance coach. Hired as a motivational speaker, Ben shares his inspirational story of winning an Olympic Gold medal.
Showing promising talent as a rower from a young age, it wasn’t long before Ben was representing his country in the most elite of sporting competitions. Ben had the opportunity to represent Team GB at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games and the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, before claiming Gold in the Men’s Eight at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Alongside his training for the Olympic Games, Ben also competed at World Championship events, having taken home Silver in the Men’s Eight at the 1999 World Championships. Having made the history books as the first team to win the Men’s VIIIs since 1912, Ben and his team became renowned for their Performance Principles – something that Ben continues to practice in his proficiency as a performance coach.
Following his retirement from rowing, Ben has pursued keynote speaking and performance coaching. Some of his prominent roles have also included being the Director of Point8 Coaching, the Chairman of the 2011 World Rowing Junior Championships, the Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Samsung World Rowing Cup Eton Dorney and Head of Athlete Engagement for the British Olympic Association. Alongside all these significant achievements, Ben is also renowned as the Co-Founder and Director of Will It Make The Boat Go Faster? Ltd, a highly commended performance consultancy that has allowed him to work with the likes of Barclays, NHS, Accenture, Royal Mail, Shell and Ernst & Young. He also further shared his expertise on performance management in his co-authored book Will It Make The Boat Go Faster?
With a credible track record as a keynote speaker and motivational performance coach to his name, Ben Hunt-Davis is the perfect speaker to hire when looking to inspire high performance. Having already delivered his iconic keynote speech to over 200,000 people in 50 countries, Ben’s story has impacted people globally, drawing parallels between everyday life and his experiences as a sportsman - making Champions Speakers very proud to be an official speaker representative for Ben Hunt-Davis. Helping corporate clients define goals and develop leaders, Ben sources clients with the tools necessary for improving performance and achieving results. If you are looking for a decorated former Olympian who will resonate with your audience and inspire peak performance, hire Ben Hunt-Davis today!
Hear Ben Hunt-Davis in an exclusive Q&A about the secrets to a gold medal performance.
Social Media
Books
Will it Make the Boat Go Faster?: Olympic Winning Strategies for Everyday Success
Reviews
Ben Hunt-Davis received a 4 star rating across 5 events in 2023
Agent Recommendation
"Ben Hunt-Davis, Olympic Gold rower and motivational speaker, transforms his sporting success into actionable strategies, inspiring excellence in corporate and personal ambitions with engaging, impactful storytelling."
How to hire Ben Hunt-Davis
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Ben Hunt-Davis 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.
Ben Hunt-Davis' official speaking topics are listed below:
- An Inspiring Story of Winning an Olympic Gold Medal - Ben tells the story of the last 24 months leading up to the Sydney Olympics and how the Great Britain Men’s Eights changed as a crew from being a regularly 7th placed boat to a winning one. The story is one of a group of individuals forged into a winning team by following a set of Performance Principles, habitually and consistently, in everything they did.
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
Feedback from In-Person Events:
"Our participants were impressed by Ben's story and will never forget him. It is an inspirational journey that we can apply to any kind of business or deal situation." - Florence, HR Director, Capgemini Group
"Having Ben at our Company Kick Off took our event to a different level. His personal experience demonstrated and perfectly supported our company mission to change the game, leaving staff motivated, inspired and focused on the changes ahead. His ability to relate to people from all levels and the challenges of a growing business was spot on. I would thoroughly recommend him to other business leaders looking to motivate and focus on their teams." - David, CEO, Acora
"I think the key thing is, if you've achieved what Ben's achieved, it's obviously a message in itself in terms of that highest level of performance, but also Ben's got a presence and a charisma about him that makes the message come home in a very solid way." - Talent Stream
"I was really impressed that Ben took the time before the session to understand our business and was, therefore, able to relate his experiences on his journey to a Gold medal in Sydney to the daily challenges we face in growing our business and keeping the team focused and motivated. Ben delivered this message flawlessly. He is a highly inspirational speaker and I would not hesitate to recommend him to anyone looking for a speaker to motivate their team." - Ian, Managing Director, Information Management Group Ltd
"Just a quick note to say a very big thank you for the fabulous talk you gave at the conference on Friday. Everyone I have spoken to thought your session was outstanding. Of particular note was the way in which you related your rowing experiences to our theme of the day, something that is often overlooked by many ‘inspirational’ speakers." - Partners’ Conference, Ernst & Young
- 2023 - Interviewed by CEO World Magazine & Business Leader
- 2012 - Co-Founder & Director of Will It Make The Boat Go Faster? Ltd
- 2012 - Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Samsung World Rowing Cup Eton Dorney
- 2012 - Member of the Gloriana crew who rowed with the Olympic Torch
- 2011 - Chairman of the 2011 World Rowing Junior Championships
- 2011 - Co-Author of "Will It Make the Boat Go Faster?: Olympic-Winning Strategies for Everyday Success"
- 2009 - Head of Athlete Engagement for the British Olympic Association
- 2004 - Director of Point8 Coaching
- 2001 - Appointed MBE
- 2000 - Gold medallist at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games
- 1999 - Silver medallist at the 1999 St Catharines World Championships
- 1996 - Competed at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games
- 1992 - Competed at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games
