Kate Richardson-Walsh

In 2013 Kate married Helen Richardson, her team mate since 1999, adopting a double-barrelled name in the process. Having retired from international hockey following their Rio success, both Kate and Helen are now playing for Dutch side Bloemendaal in North Holland.

After having such a long career, going through the ups and downs of international hockey and the vast pressures of performing at Major Championships, Kate has turned towards using such experiences in coaching, motivational speaking and in ambassadorial roles. She frequently visits schools and clubs to encourage grassroots development of the game, whether that be through coaching or speaking at events. Kate also regularly presents at corporate events to provide businesses with valuable insight in the world of elite sport, helping them to develop leadership and communication in the workplace.

She currently serves as an ambassador for the Women’s Sport Trust, strongly supports disability hockey as an ambassador for Access Sport, and sits on the British and European Olympic Athlete’s Commissions.

As a female leader who reached the pinnacle of her career she also speaks passionately about equality of opportunity for women and the need for flexibility in what a leader should look and sound like. Her own early attempts at leadership she readily admits were underwhelming, until she realised that she needed to find her own style, which was not necessarily a kind that she had seen before. In her words ‘You need to see it to be it’. In other words, the more diversity we see in leadership, the more women will have the confidence to think it is something that they can do even if they don’t fit a stereotypical mould.

With thought provoking content combined with a natural sense of humour and down to earth persona, Kate receives glowing feedback and has quickly established herself as one of the most in demand speakers around.