Ollie Phillips: Sporting Legend
- Highlights:
- Rugby Icon: Ollie Phillips is a former England Rugby Sevens captain and one of the most successful players in the history of the sport. He was named World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year in 2009.
- World-Class Career: Representing England, Ollie played in 60 tournaments on the World Sevens Series circuit, earning 11 tournament victories and multiple podium finishes. His dynamic style and leadership made him a fan favorite and a revered name in rugby.
- Transition to Leadership: After retiring from professional rugby, Ollie transitioned into business and leadership development, applying his expertise in teamwork, resilience, and high-performance culture to inspire corporate audiences.
- Adventurer and Record-Holder: Beyond rugby, Ollie has led extreme expeditions, including a Guinness World Record for the highest game of rugby ever played on Mount Everest. These adventures highlight his passion for pushing boundaries and embracing challenges.
- Inspirational Speaker: Ollie captivates audiences with stories from his career and expeditions, offering insights on leadership, resilience, teamwork, and achieving peak performance under pressure.
- Travels from: London, UK
- **Fee range: $5,001 - $10,000
Keynote Topics
Topics Covered
- Team-building
- Leadership
- Culture & resilience
- Change management
Read Full Bio
England Sevens Captain and renowned rugby speaker Ollie Phillips is the most successful Sevens Captain in recent British history, with a career covering more than a decade Phillips is known for his position as a winger or fullback.
Ollie Phillips, who plays for both Stade Français and the England Sevens team, has competed in twenty World Series games and scored almost fifty tries for his country. He has worked as a rugby speaker for the England Sevens team since joining and more recently spent some time acting as a rugby speaker for Gloucester Rugby after spending six months with the club between January and July 2012.
As a rugby speaker and player Ollie Phillips is known for his leadership and ability to inspire, his tenure as Captain is one of the most successful to have ever been enjoyed by an England Sevens Captain. With Phillips at the helm the England team have participated in numerous World Sevens Series and Sevens World Cups and boast three Series victories and six Series finals.
Outside his work as an England player and rugby speaker Ollie Phillips has played for four different domestic clubs, including the infamous Harlequins and the Newcastle Falcons. As a domestic player, Ollie has enjoyed success with all four of his previous teams, participating in 3 Heineken Cups and a European Cup Final. Phillips was also voted 2011’s Best Overseas Player and has worked prolifically around the world as a rugby speaker and sports advocate.
Ollie Phillips | Sporting Legend
A PASSION FOR RUGBY
Energetic and multi-skilled, Ollie Phillips can work as a studio pundit, pitch-side presence and match co-commentator. A key part of Sky’s Sevens Series and Top 14 coverage, he’s also worked on World Cups in English and French.
- Most successful England 7s captain
- World Rugby 7s player of the year
- Harlequins, Newcastle Falcons, Stade Français, Gloucester
- Voted Best Overseas Player in France, 2011
- European Cup Finalist
- Leads international rugby outreach projects
- ADVENTURE WITH OPTIMIST!
Ollie’s adventures have been many and varied and continue in support of chosen charities including Street Child, Alzheimers Society, Wooden Spoon and Cancer Research UK:
- Sailed around the world in the Clipper Race
- Cycled across America with RAAM
- Rode a Rickshaw across India
- Ran the world’s toughest marathon in Sierra Leone
- Climbed Africa’s highest mountain in 2018
- Coming in 2019: Mount Everest
- Also in 2019: A world record attempt..
OLLIE PHILLIPS – FOUNDER, OPTIMIST PERFORMANCE
Like many former elite sportsmen and women, Ollie’s speaking is anchored in blood, sweat and tears. The crucial difference is that being a Director at PWC allows him to apply all of these life experiences to the business world.
- Ex-England Rugby captain
- World Sevens Player of the Year
- Second-in-command sailing around the world
- Cycled across America
- Led team up Kilimanjaro in 2018
- Leading team up Everest in 2019
- Guinness World Record-holder
- Director at PWC
- Motivational speaker, mentor & consultant
He balances all of this with a demanding 9-5 at PWC but will never stop taking on new challenges with Optimist Performance and giving others the chance to join him.
Ollie is a proven team-leader and specialises in four core areas:
- Team-building
- Leadership
- Culture & resilience
- Change management
By applying these to the workplace with practical case studies we challenge you across three distinct stages – Inspiration, Exploration, Implementation – to think differently, improving management and productivity in key areas, including:
- Helping leaders lead
- Growing innovation
- Developing teams
- Building relationships
- Resolving challenging or stressful situations
OPTIMISE YOUR PEOPLE
- Are you getting the best out of your people?
- They are your biggest asset and one of your biggest costs.
- We help businesses create their own culture of success.
When he’s at corporate events, Ollie is known to cover the following topics:
- Drive & Determination
- Rugby Speaker
- Rugby Union
- International Rugby
- Domestic Rugby
- Rugby 7’s
- Six Nations
- World Cup
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