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Wayne Barnes
Transform decision-making and leadership with Wayne Barnes, speaker, World Rugby Referee of the Year and criminal barrister. Wayne works with businesses to enhance integrity, compliance and performance excellence, delivering unparalleled insights from 90+ international matches and legal expertise.
Wayne Barnes is recognised worldwide as both World Rugby Referee of the Year and a leading criminal barrister. Over a 20-year career, he officiated a record 111 international test matches and the 2023 Rugby World Cup Final, earning respect for his authority, fairness, and ability to make decisions under intense pressure.
Alongside his sporting achievements, Wayne is a partner at global law firm Squire Patton Boggs, where he advises sports bodies and major organisations on compliance, governance, and tackling online abuse. His rare combination of elite sport and legal expertise gives teams and leaders fresh insight into leadership, resilience, and ethical decision-making.
Wayne’s engaging style, honed through his media work with BT Sport, ITV, and Channel 5, ensures complex lessons become clear, practical strategies that audiences can apply straight away.
Book Wayne Barnes to inspire your organisation with lessons in leadership, integrity, and high-stakes decision-making that drive real results.
Wayne brings a unique blend of high-level sports insight and legal expertise to every speaking engagement, offering unparalleled perspectives on leadership, teamwork, and integrity. His experiences as a World Rugby Referee of the Year and a criminal barrister allow him to deliver powerful, real-world examples of overcoming challenges and achieving excellence.
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frequently asked questions
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To book Wayne Barnes, email wayne.barnes@getapeptalk.com or call PepTalk on +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US), and one of our speaker agents will contact you within hours to confirm Wayne's availability and speaking fee. If you can, please include your budget upfront – it helps us fast-track your request. It’s also helpful to know the date, format (virtual or in-person), location, and about your audience.
Wayne Barnes draws on case studies from his 20-year career as an international rugby referee and criminal barrister to frame lessons in leadership and decision-making, translating high-stakes scenarios from both fields into practical strategies for organisational audiences.
Wayne Barnes speaks on leadership under pressure, ethical decision-making, and sports governance and compliance. He holds the record for the most international test matches refereed (111), including the 2023 Rugby World Cup Final, and is a partner at Squire Patton Boggs specialising in sports compliance.
No. PepTalk adds no booking fee, so you pay the speaker's fee and nothing beyond it. The service, from shortlist through to contracts and event-day logistics, is included. For repeat or multi-event bookings, PepTalk can agree preferential rates with your procurement team.
Share your event date, audience, format, objectives and budget, and PepTalk sends a hand-picked shortlist within 24 hours. Each suggestion comes with a profile, a fee and a recommendation on the strongest fit. Once you choose, PepTalk handles contracts, travel and logistics through to event day.
The typical fee range is the speaker's standard in-person fee in their home market, shown in their local currency. It moves with format, location, date and session length: virtual sessions and shorter slots usually cost less, while international travel and peak dates cost more. Send your brief to PepTalk and the team will confirm the exact fee in your currency.
Not all of them, and it makes no difference to your booking. PepTalk's network of 15,000+ speakers covers talent the team works with directly alongside speakers represented by agents and agencies worldwide. PepTalk approaches the speaker, negotiates the fee and handles contracting either way.
Three to six months ahead is comfortable for most events, and 12 months is better for large conferences, peak-season dates or one specific in-demand speaker. Shorter timelines are workable, and PepTalk regularly fills last-minute and replacement bookings within days. Availability is the constraint, so get in touch as soon as you have a date.
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