Dame Denise Lewis OBE

Dame Denise Lewis is an Olympic gold medalist, successful TV presenter and the President of Commonwealth Games England. Specialising in the heptathlon, she won gold at the Sydney Olympics where she made history as only the sixth British woman to win an Olympic gold medal in the history of track and field. 

Denise was brought up by a young single mother in Wolverhampton and talks openly about the sacrifices she had to make to maintain her training regime at the beginning of her athletic career. After winning gold at the Commonwealth Games gold, Denise swept to Olympic victory in Sydney - despite suffering from an injured Achilles tendon.

Speaking at conferences, Denise encourages delegates to see her gold medal not just as a symbol of winning, but also of collaboration. As well as the need for dedication, ambition and passion as keys to success, she stresses the crucial role of communities in allowing young people to reach their dreams. She also looks at the importance of discussing and promoting diversity, both in and out of sports, which she champions through her charity work. 

Since leaving athletics, Denise has built a successful TV career as a sports pundit for high profile athletics events as well as fronting shows such as BBC’s Secret Britain and Right on the Money and writing and presenting a number of documentaries. She has also rowed the length of Britain for ITV’s Don’t Rock the Boat and danced her way to the semi-final on Strictly Come Dancing.