Penny Mallory

Former champion rally car driver, Penny Mallory, has lived an extraordinary life, topped with a history-making career. From a challenging upbringing and unstable home life to a homeless runaway and rebel, Penny drew on her mental toughness to prevail against the odds and achieved world firsts in the rally driving industry. An inspiring woman, Penny’s story resonates with others and as a speaker, she shares how she achieved the resilience to succeed, empowering individuals, particularly women, to do the same.

Working her way up the ranks of rally driving, Penny reached the pinnacle of her career when she became the National Ladies Champion Rally Driver in 1993, the culmination of a lifetime of determination. Penny also made history as the first woman to drive a Ford Focus World Rally Car, an achievement that saw her achieve a global platform after breaking the ceiling of potential for women in the sport. Having made such an impression on the industry, Penny has gone on to be a high profile figure, presenting Channel 4’s Driven, ITV’s Used Car Showroom and the coverage of the World Rally Championship. She was previously a precision stunt driver, a testament to her prestigious position in motorsports.

Currently, Penny is a dedicated mental resilience expert, empowering individuals and teams through workshops, keynote speeches, and coaching. Drawing on the two themes of world-class thinking and mental toughness, Penny is renowned for transforming the potential of audiences based on her personal experiences. Others are inspired by Penny’s stories of strength through adversity and how she never let a lack of gender representation stand in her way of achieving her goals, a key takeaway for her guests. Previously, Penny has spoken for the likes of Microsoft, Coca-Cola and Deloitte to name a few.

Since stepping back from professional racing, Penny has continued to challenge herself, pushing beyond the limits of what she believes is achievable. From running marathons to fighting in boxing matches and scaling some of the world’s highest peaks, Penny has proven what she is made of. She has also published two books on the life lessons she’s learned and what they can teach others.