Helen Glover is a two time Olympic champion, triple World and European champion, and quintuple World Cup champion. As of June 2016, she and her partner Heather Stanning were the World, Olympic, World Cup and European record holders, plus the reigning Olympic, World and European champions in the women’s coxless pairs. She has also been a British champion in both women’s fours and quad sculls.

Helen grew up in Penzance, where her father runs the local ice cream shop. Despite junior international representation at running and hockey, she seemed destined to take up a career as a sports teacher. On a whim she signed up to the talent ID program ‘Sporting Giants’, and was earmarked by British rowing as a rare talent. Within months she began her world beating career with under 23 champion Heather Stanning. After world championship silver, they took their first gold and were never beaten again.

Following London 2012 Heather took a year with the army in Afghanistan, and Helen was forced to partner another rower, remaining unbeaten and taking another World title. The Olympiad was fraught with challenges including bike crashes, illness, injury and their trusted coach Robin being diagnosed with cancer. Helen battled through, becoming the number one ranked rower in the world.

Helen has not retired from rowing, and is leaving the door open for a possible return for the Paris Olympics. During her break from professional sport Helen has embarked on a variety of other ventures, with standout achievements including broadcasting for Radio Four’s ‘After Gold’, authoring ‘Great Lives’ also for Radio Four, presenting Japan’s secret Wilderness for BBC2, commentated on rowing for BBC Sports, and appearing on a variety of shows including Question of Sport, Strictly Come Dancing for Children in Need, Celebrity Pointless, the Celebrity BoatRace and the Apprentice.

Connie Henry

Connie is a former International Triple Jumper and 1998 Commonwealth Games Bronze medallist. Connie has broadcast experience with companies including BBC, ITV, Sky and the International Association of Athletics Federation, as well as becoming Director of the Track Academy.

Connie’s own experiences of dysfunctional family life and lack of childhood security thrust her into the sporting arena, joining the Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers at just 15 years old. Connie’s determination and commitment continued at St Mary’s University when studying Sports Science and History and her post-graduate teacher training course at Brunel University, while becoming one of the best athletes in the country.

In the autumn of 1997, she moved to Sydney to train with Keith Connor, Australian head coach and British Olympic triple jump medallist, and within 2 years Connie travelled to Kuala Lumpur to compete in the 1998 Commonwealth Games, taking home bronze.

The next phase for Connie saw her gain freelance broadcasting experience with several organisations including the BBC, Sky and the International Association of Athletics Federation. Her work included a memorable stint with boxing promoter Frank Warren, during which she found herself ringside at the heavyweight match between Wladimir Klitschko and Danny Williams in Las Vegas.

In 2007 Connie was approached by Willesden Sports Centre, asking her to lead new track and field activities there. Connie utilised her contacts from the athletics world to grow the temporary work at the centre into 10 years of the Track Academy, a charity which has changed the lives of hundreds of young people.

Alice Bufton-Thorneycroft

Alice is constantly researching and working with new inspirational speakers and experts, connecting them with our clients and ensuring a tailored approach for all HTL events. Alice enjoys idea generation and has a natural creative edge which means her solutions to business challenges often have a memorable twist.

In the past Alice has run her own business, Abingdon Management and Consulting, specialising in the area of wellbeing and performance. In particular Alice worked with Dr Frank Dick to deliver practical and sustainable solutions to address performance development issues. Alice was awarded with an ‘excellence’ citation from The American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) for the work both she and Frank Dick carried out within the corporate sector.

Alongside facilitation, Alice is an experienced conference host and interviewer having been asked to perform this role on more than one occasion for the Lloyds Banking Practice Pool Annual Conference, Network Rail, Poggenpohl’s Annual conference and Countrywide Surveyors Annual conference for over 450 people, which culminated in an interview on stage with the CEO of Countrywide Alison Platt and CFO Hamanshi Raja.

Alice has interviewed celebrities Matthew Dawson and Michel Roux JR for Just Retirement in front of 100 of their IFA community. She also interviewed Lord Coe as part of a private evening event held at Simmons and Simmons.

One of Alice’s attributes is her thorough preparation and research skills in order to create a successful interview. Asking the right questions to prompt deep thinking is an essential skill to the success of the interview from the audience’s perspective.

Providing the right balance of questions to meet the needs of the event, to bring out the best of the personality being interviewed and to capture and maintain the audiences’ attention are all skills that have been honed over the years during which Alice has been interviewing for different organisations.

In addition to interviews in front of ‘live’ audiences Alice also has experience of writing and asking interview questions for filming purposes. HTL’s Brilliant Minds Digital platform comprises of video briefing’s centering around a specific topic of relevance to business today and features a variety of pertinent experts offering their insights. Alice has spent many hours behind the camera interviewing experts.

Alice’s work focuses on improving engagement, coaching and presentation skills in conjunction with how to review more effectively for continuous improvement and confidence-building. Alice has worked in a 1:1 capacity with a number of senior leaders to help them improve their presentation and interpersonal skills.

Sophie Morgan

Sophie was paralysed from the chest down in a car crash aged 18. Since then she has gone on to establish a diverse and successful portfolio career; spanning across various creative industries.

She is a Television Presenter and reporter, and has presented the brand new property series ‘Best Laid Plans’ (10 part series, Tern TV), current affairs program ‘Tricks of the Restaurant Trade’ (12 part series, Betty), Unreported World (Quicksilver Media) as well as Live Sports (Winter Paralympics 2018, Rio Paralympics, World Para Athletics).

Sophie is Director of the following companies:

• Empire Investors – a property investment & development company
• Sophie Morgan Creative – a company providing bespoke services to retailers to improve disability representation
• Votal – a new voting App launching in 2018

She is also works as an Artist and Portraitist, London, and runs a small boutique arts company called Love Lines.

In addition to this Sophie is an award-winning campaigner, Patron of Scope, Ambassador for Aira Wheels and Batec mobility and was voted in the top 100 most influential people with a disability two years running.

Mary Nightingale

Mary Nightingale is an English newsreader and television presenter, best known for her roles within ITV presenting the Evening News. During her time at ITV News Mary has been involved in some of the UK’s biggest stories.

After studying English at London University, Mary worked for a few years as a Eurobond dealer, joining the City just as it was revolutionised by the so-called ‘Big Bang’ in 1986. She left the Square Mile to join Sir Keith Mills’ team at Airmiles, helping to launch what was then a revolutionary sales promotion concept to the British Public.

In 1990 Mary had her first taste of television, when she was invited to screen test for a popular daily programme on TV Tokyo: World Business Satellite. She got the job, and spent the next 5 years reporting the main financial news from Europe – combining her writing skills with valuable city experience. She covered many high profile stories during that time, including the toppling of Margaret Thatcher, and the release of Nelson Mandela.

In 1991 Mary expanded her TV experience on the newly launched BBC World Service Television – presenting World Business Report – a twice daily live half hour programme.

She first broadcasted to a UK audience in January 1993, when Carlton succeeded Thames Television in the London region; initially presenting the late night bulletin on London Tonight, and then joining Alastair Stewart as main co-presenter in 1996.

During that time Mary also worked as a newsreader on BBC Radio Five Live, presented for Reuters Financial TV, reported for BBC Ski-Sunday, and fronted the ITV Rugby World Cup from South Africa – one of the first women to present such a high profile sports event.

Mary took a break from News in 1999, when she landed what was often called “the best job in television” – hosting the hugely popular ITV travel show “Wish you were Here…” . During her travels Mary crossed the Atlantic on the QE2 and Concorde, learnt to scuba dive, and herded cattle by horseback on a ranch in Arizona. She also saw more golden beaches and cruise ships than she can possibly remember!

But after 2 years globe-trotting she missed the buzz of the newsroom, and in 2000 was tempted back, joining ITV for the re-launch of the Evening News, initially with Dermot Murnaghan, then Mark Austin, and, for the past five years, with her original co-presenter and friend Alastair Stewart. The programme won three RTS Awards during that time.

Mary is now sole Anchor for the programme which continues to grow audience numbers and win awards. She has broken the news of the death of the Queen Mother, coverage which was later nominated for a BAFTA. She was one of the first to interview Kate and Gerry McCann after the disappearance of their daughter Madeleine in Portugal.

Professor Jo Delahunty QC

Professor Jo Delahunty QC is a highly sought-after specialist children silk entrusted with the most significant and demanding national cases. Jo has become a pioneering force within her profession. Cases in which she is instructed are regularly reported for their legal significance. She is noted for being “brilliant at distilling a case down to its key issues, great at strategic planning, supportive to instructing solicitors and very easy to talk to.”

Jo was appointed Gresham Professor of Law in the summer of 2016 and in that role she has a direct interface with the public and media in a way that singles her out as a practising Queens Counsel and part time judge.

Brought up by a single mum and educated in the state sector, Jo was the first person in her family to stay in education after the age of 16. Against the odds, Jo went to Oxford University to read law: one of only two girls from her school ever to do so. Unsuited to a 9-5 job Jo describes how she had never easily accepted instruction on what to do; she thrived on competition, was a deadline junkie, an independent worker and wanted to make a difference to the world. Becoming a barrister seemed to be the perfect profession.

Jo chose to practise Civil Law initially, but soon found her niche in Public Law child protection cases. Since being called to the Bar in 1986, Jo has come to practise at the High Court level and above. Alongside her practice in the Family Justice System, between 2013-15, Jo acted on behalf of 76 bereaved families in the Hillsborough Inquests and was instrumental in securing the verdict that the inadequate emergency medical response caused or contributed to loss of life.

An accomplished speaker, Jo speaks with passion and insight on what really happens inside and outside of court. Communication, the art of persuasion, how to win an argument, how to lead a team and how to marshal your resources to make an impact to win over adversaries are the tools of her trade: ‘her conversational style of advocacy puts witnesses at their ease yet conceals a rapier –like incisiveness.’ Often representing vulnerable people, Jo explains the importance of effective listening and authenticity and is frank in describing the different ‘voices’ she has acquired to bridge the gap between the public and professionals.

In a competitive and highly specialist silk field Jo has gained a reputation for formidable advocacy and tactical trial management alongside superb client care and court room forensic skills. These strategic skills are highly relevant for leaders across many sectors. Jo describes it as the art of “marshalling information and drowning out the white noise”. Her job as a QC demands that she is highly competitive, resilient in the face of the pressures of an enormous case load, ruthlessly efficient in time management but moving forwards in her career with a strong moral compass to serve society and the clients she represents.

More recently Jo has become known an outspoken voice for gender equality in the Law Profession and is passionate about mentoring and role modelling for all young students and barristers working their way through the ranks. She has spoken openly about the use and abuse of power in the legal profession: described as ‘fearless’ in her pursuit of fairness for those who don’t have a voice or are afraid to use it.

Jo has been interviewed by the First 100 years team for episode 9 of 10 as we approach the centenary of the Sex Discrimination Removal Act 1919. To listen to the podcast click here.

For more of an insight into Jo’s life outside of family law, into giving professional speaking advice to a wider audience, click here.

Chrissy Bray

Chrissy Bray is an accomplished comedic presenter with years of experience in television, radio, public and corporate functions. A talented improviser and versatile host, Chrissy is able to MC every style of occasion, from gala balls to intimate birthday parties and everything in between.

From hosting the 2010 World Cup Fan Fest at Darling Harbour, Sydney for over 20,000 people, to presenting live on Channel Ten, Chrissy Bray has a wealth of experience both in the corporate sector and in the entertainment industry.

Having been Australia’s only female warm up comedian in the cutthroat world of television, Chrissy honed her skills learning how to keep audiences enthralled with her sharp banter and natural charm.

Her vocal prowess and ability to engage audiences has seen Chrissy performing around the world alongside various DJs. From the Melbourne Cup and Formula One in Australia, to Love Box music festival in London to DISTRIKT at Burning Man festival in the USA, Chrissy’s passion for electronic music coupled with her magnetic stage presence has captured audience’s imaginations everywhere.

Now based in London, Chrissy manages her singing and presenting career in both the UK and Australia.

With several themes to suit any celebration, Chrissy’s curated experiences are highly adaptable and have been tried and tested with outstanding results in every scenario.

Chemmy Alcott

Chemmy Alcott is a former Olympian who represented Team GB throughout a 20 year sporting career reaching a high of 8th in the world. She became the first and only British ski racer to win a run in the World Cup.

Since retiring from alpine skiing after Sochi in 2014, she has spent her time challenging herself partaking in the World’s Toughest Ski Race in Greenland in March 2015, 100 mile road race Ride London and other sporting endeavours whilst being a regular presenter of BBC’s Ski Sunday TV Show and commentating on Eurosport.

In 2018, Chemmy became a well-loved BBC Winter Olympic Sport presenter. She was enthusiastic, empathetic and gave a unique insight into the games that only someone who has been through the experience as an athlete could give.

Chemmy created the initiative X-Elle, to develop young girl’s confidence in and through sport with United Learning and toured the UK visiting schools with an eventual reach of impacting the lives of 10,000 young girls.

She is also a prominent public speaker and host, touring the world relaying her inspirational story of overcoming adversity (49 broken bones including her neck when she was 11 and her leg which required over 1028 minutes of surgery) traveling all around the UK and to Dubai and Rwanda.

As a very proactive Ambassador for Right To Play each year she hosts The Big Red Ball which last year raised a massive £650,000 for areas of conflict resolution due in part to a documentary where Chemmy visited Rwanda to learn more about the power of sport. During her recent trip to Greenland, alongside the Arctic V, she helped raise £18,000 for Ski4Cancer and continues to be inspired by her charity work.

Zoe Lyons

Since emerging on to the stand-up scene in 2004, award-winning comedian Zoe Lyons has toured the world with her caustic shows.

Zoe graduated from the University of York in 1992 with a degree in Psychology. She took her first steps down the comedy path in 2003 after training as an actress at the Poor School in London. Zoe went on to win the Funny Women Competition in 2004 and her debut Edinburgh show was nominated for the if.comedy newcomer award. Since then, Zoe has toured the UK’s stand-up circuit, as well as playing regular gigs in London and Brighton.

In 2007, her debut solo show, “Fight or Flight”, was nominated for the best newcomer award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In 2008, her second solo show, “Mangled Mantra of the Messed up Modern Mind”, featured a joke which was awarded digital television channel Dave’s Joke of the Fringe. Zoe’s television credits include appearances on Mock the Week, Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, The Paul O’Grady Show, The Wright Stuff (as a regular guest panelist) and Dave’s One Night Stand. She also has regular radio appearances which include: The Jon Richard Show and 4 Stands Up.

Zoe featured in The Independent’s tenth annual “Pink List” for 2009, detailing the 101 most influential lesbian and gay people in Britain.

Speaker Theme: Women

Helen Glover MBE