Sir Clive Woodward, the man who led England to Rugby World Cup glory and oversaw Team GB’s success at London 2012, will be the keynote speaker at a major business event in the region this autumn.
Woodward, who has enjoyed a career in business as well as sport, will be speaking at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Conference on Friday, November 6.
The event is taking place at the Rugby World Cup Fanzone in Rugby and will have a theme of growing business through technology. Adam Marshall, executive director of policy and external affairs at the British Chambers of Commerce, will host the event while further speakers will be announced in the coming weeks.
Louise Bennett, chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be able to announce Sir Clive Woodward as our keynote speaker at this year’s conference.
“His sporting success – with the England rugby team in 2003 and then later with Team GB – is very well documented and sets him apart from almost any other management figure in sport.
“But he has also had a very successful career in business too and is now Chairman and Founder of Captured, a technology business with links to sport.
“It will be absolutely fascinating to hear his insight into the similarities and differences between business and sport and, because it will only be a few days after the close of the Rugby World Cup, I am sure he will have plenty of views on the tournament which is being hosted here in England.
“As ever, our conference will bring together businesses from across the region as well as key civic figures such as our MPs and council leaders. This is certainly a date to be put in the diary immediately.”
Woodward played rugby during the amateur era so alongside representing England and the British & Irish Lions, he also had a successful career in business – starting with Xerox before going on to run his own sales and leasing company.
He became England’s first full-time head coach in 1997 and a hugely successful period under him culminated in winning the World Cup in Australia in 2003. He later led the British & Irish Lions on a tour of New Zealand before crossing over to football for a brief period at Southampton.
In 2006, Woodward became Team GB’s director of sport and worked with a range of partners in the build-up to London 2012 and the country’s most successful Olympics.