Tanni Grey-Thompson

One of the UKs most successful Paralympians in history, Tanni Grey-Thompson is an international sporting icon and inspiration to people everywhere. The former professional wheelchair racer attended five separate Paralympic Games throughout her career and was honoured with a Damehood from the Queen in recognition of her achievements. Having been born with spina bifida Tanni has not let the condition define her and now advocates for equal rights for all. A truly inspirational woman, Tanni is the ideal speaker to empower others through her incredible story.

Best recognised for her Paralympic success, Tanni made her debut at the 1988 Seoul Games and never looked back. Securing an unrivalled 16 Paralympic medals, including 11 Gold, Tanni competed across the full range of sprint distances in her wheelchair. Including 100, 200, 400 and 800-metre competitions, Tanni proved herself as a dominant racer and set thirty world records in the process. She appeared at her final Games in 2004 where she won two Golds with her daughter supporting from the sidelines. Outside of the Paralympics, Tanni also won six London marathons and held a collection of additional medals, including 13 from the World Championships.

Following her retirement in 2007, Tanni has remained a prominent public figure working in the media for the BBC and serving on a number of inclusivity boards like The National Disability Council. Having broken barriers throughout her career, Tanni now sits on the Board of the London Marathon, London Legacy Development Corporation and is President of SportsLeaders UK. In honour of her achievements, Tanni was made a Life Peer in 2010 and has since been active in UK politics, using her platform to speak on disability, sport and gender rights in Parliament.

With such an impressive career it’s no surprise Tanni has been the recipient of dozens of accolades and is highly sought after for speaking engagements to share her story. The twice named Sunday Times Sports Woman of the Year and Pride of Britain Special Award winner has spoken at events worldwide on such topics as female empowerment, inclusion and motivation.

Most recently, Tanni Grey-Thompson was inducted into the Top Female Speakers to Book for International Women’s Day, in recognition of her remarkable career journey.