Damian McGrath is a celebrated international rugby coach and author. He has experienced a particularly distinguished career that spans continents as well as teams. Throughout his career, Damian has coached rugby union and league teams, impacting the sport worldwide. As a speaker, Damian reflects on his career and brings a wealth of knowledge alongside actionable insights to inspire any audience fortunate enough to hear him speak. His stories of driving success and building high performance teams are truly motivational.
At the beginning of his career Damian tried his hand on the field as a professional rugby league player, before transitioning to coaching. His first team was Batley RLFC’s reserve team, but his early achievements were set in his role as a coach with the Leeds Rhinos. His key achievement as their coach was leading them to victory at the Challenge Cup Final in 1999. With a fast-moving career, Damian soon held roles in the Rugby Football Union, a notable experience being his assistance at the 2000 Rugby League World Cup. Damian’s credibility in the field was only furthered by his transition to rugby union, and his career continued to flourish from here.
In more recent years, Damian has experienced many accomplishments in his career as a coach. During his time as head coach of Canada’s national men’s sevens team, he led them to a historic win at the 2017 Singapore Sevens, Canada’s first tournament victory in the World Series. He also held the role of head coach of the Germany 7s, leading them to victory at the World Challenger Series in 2020. He most recently was the head coach of the Kenya 7s before ending his career as a coach. He has also recently authored a book about his journey called ‘Can You Be Fluent in Success.’ Now an ‘empowerment engineer,’ Damian specialises in looking after high-performance teams and cultures to empower individuals.
As a speaker, Damian is highly sought-after to provide his unique approach to leadership and empowerment. He holds many practical methods for ensuring that teams perform to the best of their ability and is eager to share these wherever possible. If you are looking for an inspirational individual with an incredible career behind them, look no further than Damian McGrath today!
How to hire Damian McGrath
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Damian McGrath 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.
Damian McGrath's official speaker topics are listed below:
- Empowerment
- Resilience
- Sustaining Success
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
Feedback from In-Person Events:
"Our session with Damian was a masterclass on leading teams in diverse cultures, a task full of complexities that can initially seem to hinder high performance. At the core of Damian's message was the idea that Cultural Intelligence is a key skill for leaders, and indeed, everyone within a high-performing team." - Steve, Head of Digital & Technology
“Day two, in contrast, was exceptionally inspiring, humbling, uplifting. Remarkable human beings. Damian McGrath's message about recognizing and valuing the less obvious cogs in the wheel of success, I know, has changed me for life. I'll be a better leader for this forever.” - Oldham Leadership Conference
"Damian’s depth of international coaching experience is evident in his engagements. Damian is an inspiring and knowledgeable professional who seamlessly applies principles from professional sports to team work in any sphere, whether that be corporate or otherwise. I had the pleasure of taking part in the BEST speaker program with him and have learned and applied his teaching already. You will be gripped from the first moment." - Rachel, CEO, Newline Asia Services Pte Ltd, Newline Malaysia Ltd.
"I enjoyed and developed from hearing Damian’s insights through professional sport, coaching and most of all his management of people from all cultures in professional rugby. These unique and special accounts are enriched with value and understanding that demonstrate his innate ability to connect and lead people in the good years and importantly through the bad to transform back to the good. Damian’s experience is paralleled by none and being witness to his accounts of a number of periods of professional international rugby coaching and leadership is very special. His incredible account of turning around a situation in Canada in Rugby. Something that is an exemplar in personal leadership in a time of adversity and cultural intuition that elicits wonder and awe to any listener. Find his book ‘Can you be Fluent in Success’. I have a signed copy as a gift for a young person I hold dear, beginning military service that will shape the way he approaches things. It’s one I highlight and carry with me. A super guide to culture, resilience, communication, faith (a leap at times) and so many other core skills to success and most importantly happy fulfilment in the art of delivery. I recommend this book to any age. There is so much to learn from it at any age but impartially a drag perspective on business coaching. So business leaders take note(s). A wealth of experience, an exceptionally humble, un assuming and amazing personality I recommend Damian for keynotes , workshops on the tried and tested R8 theoretical model that has proven to reverse fortunes, to a well-articulated and creative approach to driving to success. Always a pleasure to hear Damian speak. Huge appreciation for this master of coaching and life." - Jon, Former Special Forces Soldier, Technology for Human Health & Performance
"I can’t speak highly enough of Damian… but I will try! I recently attended one of his keynotes in London and the impact was fantastic - his experience from his incredible rugby and coaching career translated so well into the business world. Damian has led amazing teams on to do brilliant things, and his people first approach is something everyone needs to hear in business. Personally, I took some real key takeaways around how to get the most out of my team and create a happy & thriving culture at work. The way he brings theories and analogies to life through storytelling (and humour) makes his content really memorable, relatable & easy to digest. Anyone looking for a speaker to inspire… Damian is your man." - Emily, Business Owner & Entrepreneur
Feedback from Virtual Events:
"It was a privilege to collaborate with Damian McGrath on The Curious Mindset. Damian’s content and delivery engaged the virtual event and inspired everyone in attendance - just as one would expect from a live experience! If you're looking for someone to share their personal journey from professional rugby league to embarking on a successful coaching career and helping others reach beyond what they thought capable, look no further than Damian. Thank you for inspiring us all to aspire to be our best versions." - Bandish, The Curious Mindset
- 2023 – Launched Leading from Within, an empowerment programme for corporate and sports teams
- 2022 – Head Coach, Kenya Rugby Sevens at Commonwealth Games and Rugby World Cup Sevens
- 2020 – World Challenger Series Winners with Germany
- 2017 – Led Canada to first-ever World Series victory in Singapore
- 2016 – UR7's Coach of the Year, Head Coach for Samoa, winning Cup competition in Paris
- 2014 – Gold Medal, World University Championships with Great Britain
- 2013 – Division One Champions, Head of Rugby in North Wales, promoted to Welsh Championship
- 2011 – Skills and Defence Coach, elevated Spain’s ranking from 38th to 20th globally
- 2005 – World Cup semi-finalist, England Sevens, and silver at Junior Commonwealth Games
- 1999 – Challenge Cup Winner with Leeds Rhinos
