Dame Katherine Grainger

"Katherine is an iconic figure in the world of rowing. Her continual success for more than a decade elevated Katherine into a class of her own. She exemplifies a rare combination of athletic ability and determination to succeed that can only be seen in great champions." - Sir Steve Redgrave

Katherine Grainger is renowned as the only female athlete to ever gain medals in five consecutive Olympic games. With four silver and one gold Olympic medals, along with a PhD acquired from one of the top twenty-five universities in the world, Katherine has a reputation like no other, making her an in-demand keynote and motivational speaker for corporate events. Katherine's winning streak started at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, where she won her first silver medal in the Women's Quadruple Sculls, the following Olympics in Athens saw her win silver in the coxless pairs. Katherine's third silver was achieved at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Katherine and Anna Watkins' phenomenal performance at the London Olympics 2012 resulted in a new Olympic record and a gold medal win. Katherine also holds eight other medals from the World Championships.

A hero in the sporting world, Katherine has also made many TV appearances from Superstars to A Question of Sport, Countdown and The Clare Balding Show. Katherine has also established herself within the media having co-presented on the Rowing World Cup for BBC and working as a pundit during the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. She has also been elected as a member of the British Olympic Association's Athlete Commission, a member of the Board of International Inspiration and the Chair of UK Sport. Her dedication to this role was evident from her efforts in overseeing and supporting Team GB during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, thus leading to them securing over 60 medals for the fourth consecutive Olympic Games. 

As one of Britain's most decorated female Olympians, Katherine has picked up a vast amount of achievements and acknowledgements throughout her career from being inducted into the Aberdeen Sports Council Sporting Hall of Fame in 2012 to being named twice as British Olympic Association GB Olympic Athlete of the Year in 2009 and 2012. In 2006 she was appointed MBE and in 2013 CBE, now having achieved the title of DBE. As a top athlete, she was also awarded Team GB 'Olympians' Olympian', a British Rowing Medal of Honour, the Eva Bailey Trophy and the Emirates Lonsdale Trophy.

Katherine excels when it comes to being a speaker and is no stranger to delivering talks for top clients such as England's women's football team, BT, Coca-Cola, The Financial Times, The Sunday Times, Thomsons Online Benefits and many more. With the ability to tailor her talks to suit each individual audience, Katherine is a highly sought-after speaker. A speaker that never disappoints, described by one of her previous clients as "one of the very best speakers I have ever heard speak...incredibly authentic", Katherine is known to talk around the topics of motivation, teamwork, winning, overcoming challenges and the importance of communication.

Having enjoyed a successful sporting career, Katherine Grainger has honed countless skills from teamwork and overcoming adversity to communication and motivation, all skills that have required her to be in the right mindset to achieve. As an expert on the mindset needed to become a successful athlete, Katherine was recently named as one of the Top 20 Trending Growth Mindset Speakers to Hire for Events!