Dr Kate Hays is one of the UK's leading performance psychologists, helping leaders, executive teams and organisations perform at their best when the pressure is greatest. For more than 20 years, Kate has worked at the highest levels of elite sport, supporting Olympic champions, world champions and title-winning teams to deliver sustained success in the world's most demanding performance environments. Kate brings these insights into the corporate world, translating the psychology behind sustained high performance into practical strategies for business leaders navigating complexity, uncertainty and change. Her work helps organisations build cultures where people thrive, teams collaborate effectively, and performance is sustainable, not just exceptional in moments of crisis.
Previously Head of Performance Psychology at the UK Sports Institute, Kate led the national psychology strategy across the Rio and Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic cycles. During this time she grew one of the world's largest performance psychology teams and developed pioneering approaches to psychological adaptability, leadership and performance under pressure. As Team GB HQ Psychologist at the Tokyo Olympic Games, she supported athletes and staff through one of the most challenging environments in Olympic history, contributing to a Games in which Team GB achieved one of its most successful medal performances.
Kate is currently Head of Women's Performance Psychology at The FA, where she supports the England women's senior lionesses and shapes the psychological development of future England internationals. She has been part of the support team behind multiple championship-winning teams, including the UEFA Women's EURO victories and the FIFA Women's World Cup campaign. Kate is also the author of 'How To Win', which translates her ‘building blocks of success’ into practical strategies for leaders seeking to build high-performing, psychologically healthy organisations. Her philosophy is simple: sustainable success is built by creating environments where people can consistently perform under pressure while maintaining their wellbeing.
An experienced keynote speaker, facilitator and executive coach, Kate combines scientific rigour with engaging storytelling and practical application. Her sessions challenge conventional thinking about resilience, leadership and high performance, leaving audiences with evidence-based tools they can apply immediately within their organisations. Whether speaking to global leadership teams, facilitating executive off-sites or coaching senior leaders, Kate's work equips organisations to perform at their best when it matters most.
"Kate played an instrumental role in helping me achieve my dream in the pools, but armed me with all the techniques to be able to deal with pressure, expectation and taught me the importance of perspective. Anyone that has to deal with high pressure and high stake situations would be incredibly lucky to get an insight into Kate’s work."
- Tom Daley, Olympic Gold Medalist
Books
How to Win
Dr Kate Hays' official speaking topics are listed below:
- The Four Building Blocks of Success
- Cultivating Confidence for Performance
- Winning Strategies for Teams and Leaders
- Mental Resilience in Elite Sport and Business
- Building a Culture of Sustainable Success
- Performing Under Pressure
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
"Kate played an instrumental role in helping me achieve my dream in the pools, but armed me with all the techniques to be able to deal with pressure, expectation and taught me the importance of perspective. Anyone that has to deal with high pressure and high stake situations would be incredibly lucky to get an insight into Kate’s work." - Tom Daley
"Dr Kate Hays was a fantastic addition to our True North event in Manchester, and her keynote was a real highlight of the evening. Kate has a brilliant ability to take lessons from elite sport and make them genuinely relevant to the challenges business leaders face. Drawing on her experience working with the England Lionesses, Harlequins and Olympic and Paralympic athletes, she shared fascinating insights into the psychology of high performance, adaptability and what it takes to get teams delivering under pressure. Her delivery was engaging, natural and full of great stories, with practical takeaways that really resonated with our audience of senior business and transformation leaders. The feedback afterwards was overwhelmingly positive, and Kate was one of the most talked-about parts of the evening. She was also an absolute pleasure to work with. What we particularly appreciated was how generous Kate was with her time ahead of the event. She made a real effort to understand Sullivan & Stanley, what we wanted to achieve with True North and how her work connected with our thinking on transformation and human performance. She was genuinely curious about the synergies between our work, which made her contribution feel particularly relevant and thoughtful. We'd wholeheartedly recommend Kate to anyone looking for a speaker who can bring a fresh, credible and genuinely thought-provoking perspective on leadership, performance and organisational change." - Ricky, Head of Marketing, Sullivan & Stanley
- 2025 – Published ‘How to Win’
- 2021 – Head of Women’s Psychology, The FA
- 2020 – HQ Sport Psychologist for Tokyo Olympic Games, Team GB
- 2015 – Head of Performance Psychology, English Institute of Sport
- 2014 – Performance Lead, English Institute of Sport
- 2014 – Head of Performance Psychology, Sport981
- 2011 – Sports Psychologist, Harlequins
- 2003 – Sport Psychologist, British Diving, English Institute of Sport
How to hire Dr Kate Hays
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Dr Kate Hays 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.
