Northern Irish skier and Olympic speaker Kelly Gallagher is a visually impaired alpine ski racer who joined the British Disabled Ski Team in 2008. The first Northern Irish athlete to compete in the Winter Paralympics, Kelly also boasts title of the first ever British Paralympic Gold Medallist. A gifted skier Kelly moved to England to attend the University of Bath and took part in her first international skiing competition soon after graduation . Instantly proving herself an excellent athlete and rising Olympic speaker, Kelly Gallagher MBE took a gold medal at her first ever international race at the 2009 Winter Games in New Zealand.
Kelly took part in her first Paralympics in 2010 when, along with sighted guide Claire Robb, she took part in two skiing events and was part of a six strong British Disabled Skiers Team. Despite missing out on a medal – by a paltry 3.36 seconds – Kelly was the highest scoring skier in the British team. Kelly’s position in Team GB was funded by Disability Sport Northern Ireland and in her capacity as a sports speaker she frequently discusses the barriers faced by those with disabilities attempting to break into sport.
Helping to raise the profile of funding bodies such as Disability Sport Kelly Gallagher has become an icon for disabled athletes and is a particularly popular Olympic speaker in her home country. Following her Paralympic debut in 2010, Kelly sought a new sighted guide and eventually became paired with former athlete turned Coach Charlotte Evans who had retired following an injury. Together the two went on to compete in the 2011 IPC World Championships where Kelly Gallagher became the first ever British athlete to win a World Championship medal taking silver medal in the slalom and bronze in the giant slalom.
Though they had only been working together for five weeks Kelly and her 19 year old guide quickly became known as a force to be reckoned with and, shortly after her record breaking win at the World Championships, Gallagher and Evans went on to win a gold medal at the European Cup Finals. Kelly’s most impressive performance to date remains her appearance in the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia. Taking Britain’s first ever Winter Paralympic medal on 10th March, finishing first in the visually impaired Super-G competition. Later that year Gallagher was awarded an MBE for her work as a sports speaker and contribution to disability sports.
How to hire Kelly Gallagher
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Kelly Gallagher 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.
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
Feedback from Virtual Events:
"Thank you very much for being part of our Transformation Summit! Your session was actually a blast, the feedback we have been receiving is amazing, the connection you both have, and your story is actually is amazing. Thank you for your enthusiasm!! I am really happy that from the tech side it all turned out alright. I personally enjoyed the session very much, and I am sure our audience did as well. A big THANK YOU from our side. I wish you a very nice afternoon." - Allianz
"Kelly was fabulous. She was very inspiring and a delight to deal with. Her presentation went down very well with all the team so thank you for your help with this. She concentrated on what we briefed her on .. resilience, communication, be the best you can be. She certainly is!" - Helen, Office Manager & Executive Assistant, Thea Pharmaceuticals
Feedback from In-Person Events:
"I wanted to thank you for your great intervention on November 12th. Both of you did a fantastic job of not only sharing a very touching personal experience, but also strong lessons on leadership, team spirit and pull-through. I was amazed by your capacity to overcome adversity and to never lose sight of your goal. Thanks, both for your time effort and positive energy!" - Sanofi
Kelly was a resounding success !!! Her content matched very well the theme of the day and from general feedback, she did not disappoint, everyone was riveted to their seats. On a personal note when talking to her I thought she was one of the most refreshing, grounded, honest and personable people I have met in a long time, and it was a pleasure to have spent the short period of time talking to her that I did. - Anne, Police Service of Northern Ireland
