Colin MacLachlan

Former SAS soldier and author, Colin MacLachlan is perhaps best known for his role in Channel 4’s SAS: Who Dares Wins as well as Channel 5’s Secrets of the SAS. He takes the lessons he has learned from some of the most dangerous situations imaginable to examine teamwork, leadership, communication, and resilience.

Colin spent a decade in the Royal Scots and was selected for 22 SAS on his first attempt. He has subsequently been involved in some of the most high-pressure and dangerous missions, including Operation Certain Death, which involved trekking through swamps in Sierra Leone to track the movements of a guerrilla gang holding British soldiers captive. He has also worked on high-profile hostage negotiation cases and rescue missions, as well as being a hostage himself in Basra, Iraq. Blindfolded, beaten, and forced to undergo a mock execution, Colin survived long enough to be rescued by British troops.

After completing a program with the US special forces SEALs Team 6 and Delta Force, Colin left the SAS. He moved to a private security consultancy where he managed the security for the Saudi Royal Family, various A-List celebrities, and US media networks. He then left the security industry for academia, completing two Masters degrees in History and Terrorism, and to pursue a career in broadcasting and writing.

Colin co-wrote SAS: Who Dares Wins: Leadership Secrets from the Special Forces and makes regular appearances on television and radio. He also founded the charity Who Dares Cares, supporting veterans with PTSD.

In his speeches, Colin talks about leadership, psychology, behaviour and change management. He discusses developing a resilient mindset in high-risk situations, as well as cultivating the right attitudes for high performance. He also considers how negotiation strategies can be applied to business, and looks at the intersection between communication, teamwork, and conflict resolution.