Mark Tewksbury

Mark Tewksbury is a dignified Olympic gold medallist, Inspirational Speaker, Humanitarian, Activist, Author, and TV Host. Mark is best known for his athletic achievements, but also his inspirational walk of life away from the pool after exposing the homophobia he faced in athletics after coming out. Today Mark is an outspoken LGBT+ activist with his strength and motivation, he is an essential speaker with a voice to guide others.

Throughout his well-established career, Mark won 21 national titles, broke 7 world records, and competed at two Olympic games, winning 3 medals including gold in the 100-meter backstroke. He furthered his career by co-founding Olympic Advocates Together Honorably (OATH) after stepping down from his position as athlete representative with the International Olympic Committee. Founded in 1999, OATH was created to restore morality and inclusivity in the Olympic Committee. After making courageous declarations against misconduct, Mark later returned to the Olympic fold as Chef de Mission of Team Canada competing in the London 2012 Olympics and is now Vice-president of the Canadian Olympic Committee. He also co-founded Great Traits, a company focusing on training high-performance leadership traits to the corporate world.

Drawing on his vast experience Mark co-authored The Great Traits of Champions with business partner Debbie Muir, paving way for their leadership training programme, The Corporate Champions Programme. The Great Traits company was founded in 2016 to train high-performance leadership skills within business and sports. Previously, Mark has authored two books giving advice on reaching maximum potential and his experiences in the industry; Inside Out: Straight Talk from a Gay Jock, and Visions of Excellence: The Art of Achieving Your Dreams.

With a first-hand understanding of using sport as a device for inclusion, Mark has been commended for his leadership and influential voice. Featuring in the Canadian Museum for Human Rights 2015: Year in Sport exhibit, Mark is an honoured mogul in sports. He has also addressed concerns about homophobia and LGBT+ issues at the United Nations, as well as speaking at the very first World Anti-Doping Agency Athlete’s Forum. As an LGBT+ activist and motivational speaker, Mark is known to raise awareness of LGBT+ issues and inspire an audience, discussing strength, leadership, inclusion, and motivation.