Lord Sebastian Coe is the UK’s most prolific world record setter and arguably the greatest runner to compete for his country.
Coe began his athletics career age 12, at Sheffield’s Hallamshire Harriers squad.
In 1977 he made his first mark as a professional athlete, winning the 800m at the European Indoor Championship.
After a string of world records, Coe won his first Olympic medal at the 1980 Moscow games, taking Gold in the 1,500m.
His second gold came at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
As a result, he quickly became the UK’s best known athlete – setting 12 middle-distance world records.
Sebastian Coe retired from athletics in 1990 and moved into politics.
In 1992, he was elected as Conservative MP for Falmouth and Camborne, a seat he held for 5 years.
Subsequently, in 2000 he was appointed a life peer, becoming Lord Coe of Ranmore.
Due to his sporting and political nous, Coe was asked to head London’s bid to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
He led London to victory over Paris, with many pointing to his rousing speech at the 2005 vote in Singapore as the decisive moment.
Despite early public cynicism, Coe helped win over the media and London went on to host an amazing Olympic Games.
Following London 2012, Sebastian Coe was elected Chairman of the British Olympic Association – a post he held until 2016.
In 2015, Lord Coe was elected President of the IAAF.
Lord Coe – Keynote Speaker:
Packing his speeches with anecdotes from his time as an Olympic athlete, an MP, his chairmanship of London 2012, his turnaround of the British Olympic Association and his presidency of the IAAF through troubled times, Lord Coe demonstrates to audiences his political and strategic expertise in guiding large organisations on the global stage.
His themes include leadership, collaboration, crisis management, building resilience, handling change and challenging the status quo.
Lord Coe believes in creating a clear, strong vision for an organisation – a simple, transferable set of values which are adhered to at every moment and by every employee whatever their role.
This vision, he contends, is key in times of change and turbulence.
Throughout his career Lord Coe has found success by leading from the front to make vision a reality. He turned London 2012 into one of the UK’s most successful missions of all time.
Lord Coe brings energy, passion and innovation to all his work – qualities which captivate his audiences the world over.
Lord Coe’s example keynote speaking topics include:
• Change, Risk & Handling Uncertainty
• Teamwork and Collaboration & Breaking Down Silos
• Leadership & Resilience
• Innovation & Challenging the Status Quo
