Roger Black is a 3x Olympic medallist, renown for representing Great Britain in the 400m sprint and 4 x 400m relay. Over the course of his successful career, Roger won fifteen medals including European, Commonwealth and World Championship gold medals. Now an executive coach and co-founder of BackleyBlack Ltd, Roger uses his experience from his time in elite athletics to drive peak performance in both the workplace and in people’s personal lives. A popular and powerful public speaker, Roger is now available to hire to inspire and energise at your next event.
After joining an athletics club at university, Roger dropped out from his degree course in medicine to pursue what would become a highly successful career in athletics. His first notable performance came when he was only nineteen at the 1985 European Junior Championships, where he won the 400m in a staggering time of 45.43. At his first European Championships in 1986, Roger broke Derek Redmond's British Record setting a new British record of 44.37. Throughout his career, Roger secured a total of nine gold medal, five silver and one bronze from events at the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games, and the European and World Championships. The 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games marked the pinnacle of Roger’s career as he managed to secure second place behind the legendary Michael Johnson in the 400m final.
Since retiring from athletics, Roger forged a television career and appeared regularly on BBC programmes “Tomorrow’s World” and “Grandstand”. He also appeared on BBC’s prized “Strictly Come Dancing” and made it to the final of “Celebrity MasterChef”. In 2008, Roger co-founded BackleyBlack LLP with former Olympic Javelin thrower Steve Backley. The executive coaching company draws on the experience of the two former Olympians to deliver training workshops and motivational speeches to drive peak performance and translate Olympic success into practical business applications. Appointed MBE for his services to athletics, Roger was awarded an honorary degree by Southampton University.
Roger is now a dynamic, highly sought-after speaker and the perfect addition for any event looking to leave a lasting impressions on audiences. With a host of lessons garnered over a long and successful career in elite sport, Roger has unique insights into peak performance and overcoming adversity. Champions Speakers are honoured to be an official speaker representative of Roger Black, so if you’re looking for someone to inspire and motivate your audience, get in touch today to hire Roger Black for your next event!
Roger Black's official speaking topics are listed below:
- Change Management
- Overcoming Adversity
- Talent is Not Enough
- Need to Achieve vs. Fear of Failure
- Leadership
- Teamwork
- Ownership & Accountability
- Synergy - Surrounding Yourself with Talent
- Proactive vs. Reactive
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
"Roger was an excellent guest speaker and leads the way in style and content. He held the audience's complete attention with inspirational messages on achieving potential on both a business and personal level. There was something for everyone and his interaction with delegates was much appreciated." - Electrical Contractors Association
"The feedback has been fantastic. You managed to be both entertaining and highly relevant - no mean achievement given we had around 45 nationalities represented!" - Dell
"We have quarterly events and the majority of the feedback has been that Roger is the best speaker we have had!" - Accenture
- 2008 – Founded BackleyBlack LLP
- 2006 – Participated in BBC’s “Celebrity MasterChef"
- 2004 – Participated in BBC’s “Strictly Come Dancing”
- 1999 – Published his autobiography, “How Long’s the Course”
- 1997 – Won Gold at the World Championships in Athens
- 1996 – Won 2x Silver Medals at the Atlanta Olympic Games
- 1995 – Awarded an Honorary Degree from Southampton University
- 1994 – Won a Gold & Silver Medal at the European Championships in Helsinki
- 1992 – Appointed MBE for Services to Athletics
- 1992 – Won Bronze in the Barcelona Olympic Games
- 1991 – Won Silver at the World Championships in Tokyo
- 1990 – Won 2x Gold Medals at the European Championships in Split
- 1987 – Won Silver Medal at the 4x400 Relay at the European Championships
- 1986 – Won 2x Gold Medals at the European Championships in Stuttgart
- 1986 – Won 2x Gold Medals at the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh
- 1985 – Won the 400m at the European Athletics Junior Championships
How to hire Roger Black
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Roger Black for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at Roger.Black@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.
