Chris Holmes MBE

Chris Holmes MBE

Within 3 months of losing his sight Chris was back in the pool training alongside his fully sighted club mates. Only a year later he was competing at the junior European Championships in Moscow where he, by his own admission, was thoroughly beaten.
Returning from Moscow Chris refocused his goals and leading from within built a team around him to attempt to achieve a unique feat 5 years later at the Barcelona Games.

To enquire about Chris Holmes MBE, please call us on +44 (0)20 7247 1193 or
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WATCH VIDEOS FEATURING CHRIS HOLMES MBE

Chris Holmes

Chris Holmes

Chris Holmes - Paralympic Swimming Champion

Chris Holmes MBE's Background

Chris Holmes is Britain's most successful Paralympic swimmer ever winning 9 gold medals, 6 at a single games.

Despite losing his sight overnight aged only 14, Chris gained straight A's at A- level and a place at Cambridge University to read politics. While still at University, Chris won 6 gold medals at the Barcelona Games in 1992, a feat never equalled by any Briton. He went on to compete in Atlanta in 1996 and Sydney in 2000 winning a further 3 gold medals.

Chris was awarded the MBE for services to British sport following the Barcelona games, aged only 20.

Over his sporting career Chris won 9 Paralympic gold medals, a string of World and European titles and broke 35 World Records.

Chris' story continually reinforces the importance of constant scrutiny and re-evaluation of oneself, personal and team goals and the need for decisive, often difficult, decisions to be taken and committed to.

Chris' story demonstrates that though the goals can be clearly committed to at the outset, the subsequent journey is seldom straight forward. It is how we choose to react to those forks in the road which makes all the difference.
Chris' presentation concludes with a challenge to his audience: to look inside themselves, to understand what is possible to achieve, how this will involve individual leadership, playing several parts in different teams and ultimately achieving their individual and shared potential.

Chris' use of humour is infectious, drawing his audience into the story, enabling them to think the unthinkable, face down their fears and grasp the opportunities.

 

Chris Holmes MBE's Areas of Expertise

Chris is now a commercial lawyer at a leading City practice. He is a member of the board at UK Sport where he is heavily involved in ensuring that the performance pathway for the athletes set to compete at the London Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012 is soundly in place.

Chris is a former Disability Rights Commissioner where he served on the board, audit and legal committees for 5 and a half years. He has a depth of knowledge of the DDA 1995 and how it operates in the workplace and service sectors.
Chris was also an ambassador to the successful London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games bid where he was closely involved in securing the top sporting prize for this Country.

Chris' story is about striving for excellence as individuals, as teams. Through his experiences in sport and business he is able to fundamentally understand what it takes to motivate, to commit to a path and to deliver be this in the pool, on the shop floor or in the board room.

Chris' career demonstrates the prerequisite to understand the need for continuous evaluation and cultural change, often against a majority committed to the status quo. He demonstrates not only that change is essential if an organisation is not to falloff the pace or fail to hit it's targets but it is the most positive force which any individual or organisation can embrace.

Chris has presented at corporate, public sector, sporting and social occasions in the UK and across Europe. He is also able to run goal setting, coaching and individual development workshops. He is also able to speak with authority about the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and its impact in the workplace and service sectors.

 

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKERS

What Clients Say About Chris Holmes MBE

"Chris' presentation was excellent, we couldn't have asked for anything more. His content couldn't have been more perfect. He drew together the key threads of our conference in a way that felt very personal and relevant to the audience."

VISA International,

"Chris was incredibly inspirational, many of my staff are still talking about his presentation today. He held the audience completely and really understood the business environment in which we operate."

Morgan Stanley,

"Chris ran a fantastic workshop for us. He really inspired our team and was able to understand our business objectives and effectively tie them into his message. Several people commented to me afterwards that they found the morning incredibly relevant and useful to what they are trying to achieve."

Lloyds TSB,

FEATURED SPEAKER

 Ben Collins

Ben Collins

Ben Collins (aka Top Gear's THE Ex WHITE STIG), Professional racing driver, TV Presenter, World Record Breaker and Hollywood Stunt Driver, is one of UK's most renowned and unusual sportsmen.

Ben's rise through the ranks of Motor Racing has been a unique journey and he made history by becoming the first Englishman to drive in NASCAR in 30 years.

 

FEATURED SPEAKER VIDEOS

Master of Illusion

Master of Illusion

Master of Illusion

TESTIMONIALS

The session went really well on Monday evening.

The speaker went down a storm - she was excellent and I have received nothing but positive feedback. The balance between humour and the serious messages was spot on and was very relevant and pertinent to our conference purpose/objectives.

Please accept our gratitude and thanks.

 

AMEC