Chris is Britain’s most successful Paralympic swimmer with a tally of 9 golds, 5 silvers and 1 bronze. He was also LOCOG’s Director of Paralympic Integration, responsible for the organisation of the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. Chris joined the House of Lords as Lord Holmes of Richmond in 2013, focusing his time on education, employment and skills, media and sport, and digital opportunity. He has been a member of Select Committees on Digital Skills, Social Mobility and Financial Exclusion. Chris is also a Diversity Adviser to the Civil Service, Deputy Chair at Channel 4 and Advisor on Diversity & Inclusion to BPP University.
Following his retirement from competitive swimming, Chris worked as a journalist before qualifying as a commercial lawyer specialising in employment and pensions. He also took Non-Executive Director roles at the Disability Rights Commission and UK Sport and was an Ambassador for the successful London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic bid. In 2009 Chris was appointed Director of Paralympic Integration for London 2012. In this role, Chris drew on political skills, strategic know-how and his incredible determination to deliver the most successful Paralympics ever. The first games to have all sponsors signed to both the Olympics and Paralympics was the London 2012 Olympic Games, the first games to sell out the stadium for every session and, incredibly, the first games to achieve worldwide television audiences in the hundreds of millions.
The Prime Minister invited Chris to Parliament in 2013. Chris relishes this political role and is an active member of the House of Lords closely involved with a raft of important recent legislation, particularly focused on financial services, inclusion and technological opportunity. He published a well-received report on blockchain in 2017 - DLT for Public Good and is currently campaigning for an access to digital payments review. His experiences navigating the ancient corridors of power with guide dog Nancy offer numerous entertaining anecdotes.
Previously, Chris was a Non-Executive Director at at the Equality and Human Rights Commission (2013-2017) where he headed up the Disability Committee and was responsible for important diversity and inclusion programmes. His responsibilities ranged from sports to broadcasting and precedent-setting legal action concerned with the Equality Act 2010 and establishing principles around accessibility and inclusion.
In February 2023 we sat down virtually with Lord Chris Holmes and discussed what it takes to be a successful Paralympian. Watch our Exclusive Interview with Lord Chris Holmes.
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Reviews
Lord Chris Holmes received a 5 star rating across 7 events in 2023
Agent Recommendation
"Lord Chris Holmes' remarkable achievements as Britain's most successful Paralympic swimmer, Director of Paralympic Integration for London 2012, and influential member of the House of Lords make him a powerful voice on diversity, inclusion, and resilience. His captivating stories and insights motivate audiences to overcome challenges and achieve greatness."
How to hire Lord Chris Holmes
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Chris Holmes' official speaking topics are listed below:
The Paralympics:
Chris speaks powerfully about his incredible Paralympic achievements, both as Britain’s greatest Paralympic swimmer and Director at London 2012.
Chris is Britain’s most successful swimmer, winning a total of 9 gold, 5 silvers and 1 bronze medal, a string of World and European titles and 35 world records. He was a member of the GB Swim team for 17 years and Captain for 5.
As Director at London 2012, Chris drew on political skills, strategic know-how and his incredible determination to deliver another record-breaking list of firsts: the first games to have all sponsors signed to both the Olympics and Paralympics, the first games to sell out all the stadia for every session and the first games to achieve worldwide television audiences in the hundreds of millions.
Diversity & Inclusion:
Chris lost his sight at the age of 14 and says “one of the most challenging aspects was the fact that people immediately stopped seeing me”. The attitudes of those around him became everything. Practical challenges can be solved with practical solutions but access to practical solutions and the willingness of people to consider, or provide, these solutions can be the difference between access, inclusion and opportunity or an insurmountable barrier. Chris’s life experience shows any audience that no matter the obstacle, anything is possible and he communicates this powerful message with incredible warmth, humour and humility.
Chris has over 20 years of boardroom experience including terms at the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the Pensions Client Board, UK Sport, the Disability Rights Commission and, currently, Channel 4, where he is Deputy Chair. He has an outstanding ability to deliver commercial results whilst inspiring all members of the team from the board level throughout the organisation. His focus is on empowering people to do their best work in an inclusive, diverse environment, deploying data and insights to the full. New ideas are encouraged, doing things differently, ‘data upskilling’, experimenting, learning fast, and consistently delivering creative and commercial success.
Digital Technology for Public Good:
In and out of Parliament Chris’s policy focus is on digital technology: innovation, ethical deployment and effective regulation. Chris writes regularly on technology, financial services, fintech and regulation for several national publications. Chris also advises several technology and open banking firms.
Chris is responsible for the Artificial Intelligence (Regulation) Bill currently awaiting second reading in the House of Lords. He was a member of the House of Lords Select Committee on artificial intelligence (AI) and has brought this expertise into all aspects of his work including helping organisations address how artificial intelligence is being used in the boardroom and thinking deeply about effective governance, ethical implications and ensuring we are making the most of the incredible potential of this game-changing technology.
Chris has been at the forefront of thinking about DLT/blockchain applications since his influential 2017 report, ‘DLT for public good: leadership, collaboration and innovation.” He played a central role in getting the groundbreaking Electronic Trade Documents Act passed into law and argues this development – effectively removing a legal barrier to digitizing trade documents and permitting ‘reliable systems’ with certain criteria that can be satisfied by blockchain solutions – should unlock innovation and mass adoption of DLT.
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
Feedback from In-Person Events:
"Chris was engaging, charismatic, funny and had our audience hooked with his amazing and powerful personal story. But his real skill as a speaker was to weave into his own narrative the important themes in our business and to make his story engaging to the 30+ different cultures and nationalities in our audience." - Kimberley Clark
Feedback from Virtual Events:
"Everything went great during our call with Lord Chris Holmes. The team really enjoyed his vibrant personality and his storytelling" - Julia, Adikteev
- 2024 - Keynote Speaker at the Digital Asset Summit
- 2021 - Appointed to the House of Lords Science & Technology Select Committee
- 2016 - Non-Executive Director of the Channel 4 Board
- 2015 - Special Adviser on Diversity & Inclusion for the Civil Service
- 2013 - Created Life Peer, Baron Holmes of Richmond, Richmond in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
- 2013 - Non-Executive Director to the Equality & Human Rights Commission
- 2012 - Recipient of an Honorary Doctor of Laws from Bath University
- 2009 - Director of Paralympic Integration for the 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games
- 2005 - Member of the Board of UK Sport
- 2003 - Ambassador to the London 2012 Olympic Bid
- 2002 - Commissioner for the Disability Rights Commission, Legal & Audit Committee
- 2001 - Sat on the UK Sport Awards Panel
- 1999 - Member of the Implementation Board for the UK Sports Institute
- 1997 - Sports Personality of the Year Variety Club of GB
- 1996 - Recipient of the SAF Paul Zetter Award
- 1993 - Appointed MBE for Services to Swimming for Disabled People
- 1992 - Midlands Today Sports Personality of the Year & Bass Midlander of the Year
- Chancellor at BPP University
- Former Member of the House of Lords Committees on Digital Skills, Social Mobility, Financial Exclusion, Artificial Intelligence, Democracy & Digital Technologies
- 9 x Paralympic Gold medallist
- 5 x Paralympic Silver medallist
- 1 x Paralympic Bronze medallist
