British Army veteran turned award-winning athlete and entrepreneur, Darren Hardy’s career is truly inspirational. After his illustrious career in the forces came to an abrupt end, Hard learnt the power of mental resilience to recover, and succeed at the Warrior Games and develop his own entrepreneurial venture as an expert in post traumatic growth. Working extensively with individuals and corporate clients, Hardy’s services can be transformative for you and your business when you hire him for an inspirational keynote speech.
Upon joining the British Army in 2003, hardy could not have known the formidable career that would follow his recruitment. Working his way through the ranks, Hard’s leadership saw him noticed and selected ahead of his colleagues for promotion onto the prestigious Officer training course at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Graduating within the top third of his cohort, Hardy received the Queen’s Commission becoming a Captain at the incredibly early age of twenty nine, managing eight worldwide projects for eight hundred employees, a testament to his unparalleled leadership. After sustaining mental and physical injuries Hardy was discharged from the Forces, a huge blow for the accomplished Captain.
Undeterred by the abrupt end to his thriving career, Hardy chose to embark on a journey to strengthen his mental resilience in a bid to heal from the mental plight he suffered in Iraq. Paired with his experience as an Army Physical Training Instructor, Hardy trained and persevered, eventually selected to represent team UK at the 2018 Warrior Games. Winning two gold medals in 100m and 200m sprint, and setting records in each, Hardy proved his determination and resilience. Such qualities have led Hardy to further raise awareness and funds for charities supporting mental health and veterans, through a series of ultra challenges, including a seventy mile run and 24 hour Army fitness test.
Equally revered for his entrepreneurial ventures, Hardy proved that the most successful businesses solve a problem for the client through Fortitude Front, founded in 2019. Fortitude Front provides solutions on mental health issues that impact the workplace, and affect business performance through talks, seminars and coaching that empower others to accept their adversity. In 2019 Hardy joined Skanska as a Bid Project Manager on sustainable building developments, further diversifying his career. An inspirational athlete, motivator and accomplished Army vetran, Hardy offers a complete unique talk to audiences as a keynote speaker, addressing mental health and leadership through personal anecdotes.
How to hire Darren Hardy
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Darren Hardy 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 at corporate events, Darren is known to cover:
- British Army
- Peak Performance
- Challenges & Endurance
- Ultra Marathon
- Combating Mental Health
- The Warrior Games
Hear what others had to say about Darren at their events:
"Darren came to our 3 day Work Ready Conference at Windsor Girls and made an impactful contribution to the Q and A panel sharing his insight into the importance of resilience, keeping well mentally and overcoming adversity; turning this into an opportunity to make a difference. Darren not only inspired the students but also fellow panellists who immediately reached out for his services." - Yasmin Thorn Davis, Operations Manager
"Wow, what an amazing presentation and insight, the students were engaged from beginning to end listening to real life examples of mental health issues and how to ‘own it’ and work through anything that can get in your way. Open mouthed students in the audience – what an inspiration. Darren should speak to students at all schools, both Primary and Secondary to raise awareness and provide a ‘real’ person who doesn’t sugar coat issues that are happening in todays world and affect so many of us." - Caroline Witkowska
