Kate Richardson-Walsh

As the most-capped female player in British history, Kate's illustrious sporting career has inspired many. Originally making her international debut in 1999, she went on to captain Team GB for 13 of her 17 years on the field. In addition to her GB honors, Kate captained England since 2003, leading them to win the 2015 European Championships and securing bronze and two silvers in three Commonwealth Games. Kate's career continued to excel as she was a key figure in leading Great Britain to their first gold medal in women's hockey at the 2016 Rio Olympics, making history by becoming one-half of the first same-sex married couple to win an Olympic medal playing in the same team, alongside her wife and teammate Helen Richardson.

On an individual level, Kate's honors include being named Team GB Hockey's Athlete of the Year, being shortlisted for the FIH World Player of the Year, and winning the Hockey Writers’ Player of the Year award twice. To top it all, Kate was nominated for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award in 2016 and was awarded an OBE in 2017.

Since retiring from international hockey following the 2016 Olympics, Kate has continued to play domestic hockey for a range of teams, including Bloemendaal in North Holland.

Drawing inspiration from her sporting career, Kate is a sought-after inspirational speaker in both the corporate and educational sectors. She regularly visits schools to encourage grassroots development of the game and delivers speeches at corporate events, providing businesses at all levels with insights into the sporting world and assisting in developing leadership and communication techniques in the workplace.