Kate Richardson-Walsh

Kate Richardson-Walsh is the most capped female hockey player in her country's history and was captain of the GB and England women’s hockey teams for 13 years. An inspirational and charismatic leader, she has been widely credited with helping to build the exceptional team ethos and commitment that propelled the GB team to a dramatic gold medal victory at the Rio Olympic Games. In winning gold, Kate also made history in another way — becoming one half of the first same-sex married couple to win an Olympic medal while playing on the same team, with her wife Helen Richardson-Walsh. Having retired from international hockey after Rio, Kate turned her experience towards coaching, encouraging the grassroots development of the game and applying the leadership, teamwork and performance lessons of a career in elite sport. Kate is also an accomplished motivational speaker. During her 17 years of playing elite-level hockey, she experienced both soaring highs and crushing lows, playing in teams that operated at their peak and others that struggled with deep structural challenges. Taking these experiences into the corporate space, Kate shares the key processes and behaviours that have underpinned the successful teams she has been a part of. She shares how developing a collaborative team vision, agreeing on shared values and behaviours, and fostering a strong sense of individual self-awareness can empower people to contribute their best to a common goal. Kate also explores the importance of roles and responsibilities within a team, the impact of personal resilience, and how leaders can nurture cohesion and trust. She highlights the psychological tools her teams used to strengthen performance, and how embracing diversity — of thought, experience, and identity — became one of their greatest assets.