Charlie Martin is a racing driver and LGBTQ+ activist, whose aspiration is to make history as the first transgender driver to compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the most legendary endurance race in the world. Since transitioning mid-way through her career, Charlie has overcome huge adversity and, today, takes her lived experience as a transwoman in a male-dominated sport to increase awareness and acceptance, while helping organisations to become more inclusive. As a speaker, Charlie blends storytelling with tested methodology to provide structured advice and guidance on how to improve allyship.
It was in 2006 that Charlie launched her career with her participation in the Hillclimb Leaders Championship, followed by the European Hill Climb Championship, the Trophee Tourisme Endurance, and Race of Remembrance. In 2019, she competed in the Michelin Le Mans Cup, her prototype racing debut, where her team finished in fourth place. As of 2020, Charlie had made history as the first ever transgender driver to compete in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, coming in at fourth place. Following that, she took part in the Britcar Championship.
Most recently, Charlie competed in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo support race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, finishing second in class – one step away from achieving her dream! She also works with charities such as Stonewall, being a Stonewall Sports Champion; is a BMW Friend of the Brand; sits on Motorsport UK’s committee for LGBTQ+ inclusion; and is an ambassador for Mermaids, Racing Pride, Athlete Ally, and the FIA’s Girls on Track UK programme. Furthermore, Charlie was included in British Vogue’s Vogue 25 in 2021, a celebration of inspirational women, in addition to featuring in the December 2023 issue alongside Vanessa Kingori and Edith Bowman.
Charlie’s road to becoming a professional racer has been one of uncertainty, without any family support and with competing in such a male-dominated sport. She is however living, breathing proof that with relentless determination and drive to succeed, it is possible to achieve your ambitions. Her story is one of courage, determination, and self-belief – and she is now sharing her inspiring message through an engaging narrative with achievable actions, helping Fortune 500 companies to engage authentically with their employees and create inclusive work environments. You won’t want to miss having Charlie Martin as a diversity speaker at your event, as she inspires a new, more accepting perspective in her audience.
How to hire Charlie Martin
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Charlie Martin 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.
When she's at corporate events, Charlie is known to cover the following topics:
- Motorsports
- LGBT+
- Diversity and inclusion
- Courage and bravery
- Battling stigma
Feedback for virtual events and webinars
During the Covid-19 pandemic and the temporary halt of live events, Charlie was booked for a range of virtual events and webinars. Read her latest feedback from virtual events below.
"We really appreciate the time she took out of her day to come to speak to our Axon employee base. We had an incredible showing for today's event, and we've received amazing feedback on how fantastic, enlightening and impactful her talk was. I personally am in awe of Charlie and find her so inspiring. Thanks so much for your partnership in putting this event together, and we look forward to future opportunities to partner as well!" - Lara, Director Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Axon
"I wanted to say thank you for the excellent talk. The feedback received has been extremely positive and has shone a positive light on trans awareness" - Daniel, EMEA Product Stewardship, 3M
Feedback from in-person events
Charlie is also booked as a speaker for a range of in-person events, read her latest feedback below.
"Charlie was brilliant. She is a really inspirational, engaging and authentic speaker and above all an inspiring human being. We would definitely recommend her for future clients/bookings. She was very thorough in her preparation, sought to understand our work culture and touched on the key messages we had in the brief. She was great in the Q&A round as well. The audience really enjoyed the talk and there were a lot of inspiring takeaways from the session. Furthermore, she left us with some very inspiring life lessons in terms of how we can approach challenges in life. " - Bonnie, Senior HR Manager, Travelex
"Just wanted to say a huge thanks to you for helping organise our event with Charlie yesterday. She was a total delight and her talk was really spot on. The reaction/ feedback internally has been really positive so please pass on my thanks to her again. Hopefully we can have her involved in our campaigns again" - Claire, Internal Communications, Genius Sports
"It’s about endurance and she has that in spades"- Sarah Holt, CNN
"In a male-dominated sport that lacks visible diversity, she is changing perceptions and championing inclusivity" "If there is anyone to inspire you to follow your dreams with passion and determination, it’s Charlie!"- Katherine Conway, AON
"I thought the session was fantastic and very inspirational, a great story of being your authentic self and not only overcoming challenges but flourishing"- Brian McNamara, GSK
"We’ve received some amazing and highly positive feedback, Engagement across the business was 96% for #ASOSFOL, which we wouldn’t have been able to achieve without you being part of it"- ASOS, Festival of Learning
"Charlie was an inspirational speaker – our students hung on to her every word. She was assured, eloquent and talked passionately about her journey. Charlie made a huge impression on our staff and students"- Irfan H Latif, DLD College
- 2024 – Competed in the support race (Lamborghini Super Trofeo) at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
- 2023 – Featured in the December issue of British Vogue magazine alongside Vanessa Kingori and Edith Bowman
- 2021 – Featured in British Vogue magazine’s Vogue 25, a celebration of inspiring women shaping the world in 2021 and beyond
- 2021 – Participated in the Britcar Championship
- 2020 – Made history as the first ever transgender driver to compete in the legendary Nürburgring 24-hour race
- 2019 – Became an ambassador for Stonewall UK’s Racing Pride
- 2019 – Participated in the Michelin Le Mans Cup
- 2017 – Took second place in Class B of the Race of Remembrance
- 2006 – Participated in the Hillclimb Leaders Championship
