Not only is Gareth Thomas one of Wales’ most memorable international former rugby stars, but he has continued to make influential contributions as an LGBT advocate. From breaking records on the pitch for his country to breaking the stigma surrounding HIV positive, Gareth is an inspiration in every aspect of his personal and professional life. Highly sought after to share his story as an after-dinner speaker, Gareth discusses his extensive career highlights, being gay in a predominantly male sport and overcoming hurdles, whatever they may be. A truly valuable speaker for any occasion, Gareth will captivate your crowd with his humorous, honest, and humbling talk.
As the second-highest Wales try scorer, a record that still stands over a decade since his retirement, Gareth’s talents on the pitch are undeniable. A Rugby League and Rugby Union player, the versatile player is still ranked internationally as the 13th highest try scorer to this day, a testament to his dominance in the sport. Formerly the most capped Welsh player, with 100 caps for his country, Gareth had the honor of captaining Wales and the British & Irish Lions, in addition to being named captain for his clubs: Bridgend and Celtic Warriors. Securing a hat-trick of tries in the 1995 World Cup, winning the 2005 Grand Slam, and gaining his 100th cap in the 2007 World Cup are some of the prize moments of Gareth’s career.
Becoming the first openly gay professional rugby union player in 2009, Gareth was motivated to live unapologetically as himself and support other young players with representation in the industry. Since his announcement, Gareth has made influential contributions as an LGBT advocate, being named the Most Influential Gay Person in the UK 2010 by The Independent and Stonewall’s Hero of the Year for his work. The focus of the documentary ‘Gareth Thomas: HIV and Me’ Gareth further aimed to reduce the stigma around HIV positive status, and his honest account in the book ‘Proud’ won him Sports Book of the Year 2015. As a speaker, Gareth discusses the need to end homophobia and support diversity and inclusion in every industry.
A celebrity across sports, advocacy, and the media, Gareth has made several high-profile appearances in the likes of Celebrity Big Brother, Dancing on Ice, and The Jump. He continues his contributions to rugby as a regular commentator for ITV Sports, and now supports one of the widest fan bases of any sports star, making him the ideal addition to your next event.
How to hire Gareth Thomas
Contact the Champions Speakers agency to provisionally enquire about Gareth Thomas for your event today. Simply call a booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at agent@championsukplc.com 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 he's at corporate events, Gareth is known to cover the following topics:
- The stigma of homosexuality within the sports industry
- Diversity and inclusion
- Captaining a National Side
- Overcoming adversity
- Effective Leadership & Teamwork
- LGBT Representation in Professional Environments
- Playing Top-Level Sport
FEEDBACK FROM VIRTUAL EVENTS & WEBINARS:
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Gareth attended many virtual events, booked as the exciting guest speaker. Read the feedback he has received below.
"He was AMAZING!!! So emotional - we had a few tears from the team and audience. Loads of really amazing feedback." - Elle, Weareutopia
"Thank you for a very honest and open talk. It was fascinating, and very emotional hearing your experience.”
“Truly inspirational… thank you for sharing your story with such authenticity Gareth.”
“I can’t get the story about your parents’ reaction out of my mind – so personal and emotional – and very powerful to share with others. Thanks for discussing with us so openly.”
“Your outlook on only needing acceptance from the people that matter to you and reiterating how you can't please everyone all the time is such a powerful message and reminder for so many people. Thank you for reminding us all of this as it's so true. Been great to listen to you today and thank you for your time.”
“Thank you for your openness – incredibly inspiring, moving and powerful.”
“Thank you for sharing your story with us. It is so moving. The brave steps you took will have inspired so many others to be brave.”
“Thank you for being so honest, open and vulnerable – it is important for us to hear this.”
“You are such an inspiring man, god bless you.”
“Wow, inspiring, insightful and sad in a way that in this day and age you’ve had to go through what you’ve been though. Thanks for sharing your story.”
“You showed such strength, and your actions will inspire many for years to come.”
“WOW! What an amazing session. Thanks so much Gareth for being so warm, genuine and open about his struggle to be authentic. This was absolutely inspirational. I have no words!”
FEEDBACK FROM IN-PERSON EVENTS:
Gareth is regularly booked to engage audiences at in-person events, read his latest feedback below.
"The speech from Gareth went fantastically well and he responded to the questions brilliantly and there were plenty. He is such a lovely and warm person considering his life success and stardom. It was a real pleasure to be able to meet him. Thank you for all your assistance with arranging Gareth’s attendance, it made our conference really special and made all the stress in the preparation worth it." - Tracy Ceraldi, KeolisAmey Docklands Ltd
‘It really was an amazing event, you guys and the BRG are amazing, impressive and courageous. Both Kellie and Gareth were so open and honest, we are really priveledged to have had them visit the office and share. Thank you so much.’ - CMAS
'My own personal take away was Gareth describing 'how faster you can run, how higher you can jump' when the burden had been lifted after he came out.' - CMAS
“The event was a resounding success and Gareth Thomas was absolutely amazing. Professional, accommodating, attention to detail and incredible fun. It is by far the best event that I have hosted so far. Gareth did not disappoint in any way whatsoever. All my guests are still raving about the event and “Alfie” this morning.”- Loredana Williams – IWC
"We all very much appreciated his kindness and honesty in sharing his journey with us. Gareth was a huge hit and we have received nothing but positive feedback about the evening from clients and staff alike." - Stephenson Howard Law Firm
"Wow, wow, wow !! My favourite so far. Gareth was truly inspirational, made us laugh and cry. We have never had a speaker receive such a long round of applause before. Everyone was talking about it afterwards. Thank you very much for another great speaker, look forward to working with you again very soon." - UHY Hacker Young
“I thought I would just let you know that our event was a huge success! Gareth was a fantastic speaker and an all-round lovely guy. The feedback from my colleagues was all very positive, one even said that he was the best speaker we have ever had! Now the challenge is to find someone just as good for our November event!” - Cleo Phillips - PGIM Real Estate
"Gareth was amazing yesterday, such a lovely friendly guy, and his talk was extremely emotional and powerful. We have had some fantastic feedback. Please pass on my thanks to Gareth, it was great to have him here taking part in our Pride events for 2019." - Jennie, Shop Direct
"Thanks so much for the suggestion – he is doing amazingly with media." - Josh, Head of Regions, Broadcast Revolution
"He was amazing! He had everyone in tears. Wonderful feedback - I will forward on some of the comments from our webcast in the next few days so that you and he can see them." - Sian, Senior Manager, Novartis
"No it all went incredibly! We have had the most overwhelmingly great response!" - Rebecca, HR Advisor, Danone plc
- Former Wales & British & Irish Lions Captain
- 100x Caps for Wales
- Second Highest Wales Try Scorer in History
- 2005 - Captained Wales to the Grand Slam Victory
- 2009 - First Openly Gay Professional Rugby Union Player
- 2010 - Named Most Influential Gay Person in the UK by The Independent
- 2010 - Named Stonewall’s Hero of the Year
- 2015 - Awarded Sports Book of the Year for Proud
- 2020 - Appointed CBE in the Queen's 2020 Birthday Honours list for services to sport and health
