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Former Olympian, motivational speaker and owner of The Olympic Mindset Programme, Derek Redmond is committed to bettering the people around him. He made headlines in 1992 at the Olympics when he crossed the finish line in the arms of his father, following a career-ending hamstring injury. This pinnacle moment inspired millions of people around the globe and taught Derek the power of his story. Now an advocate for racial equality, he is helping Black athletes to share their stories and educate people on how to be a Black ally.
Along with many other achievements, Derek broke the British Record for the 400 metres sprint, before reclaiming it in 1987. Only the year prior, he won Gold in the 4×400 metres relay, representing Team GB at the World Championships. Along with Roger Black, John Regis and Kriss Akabusi, Derek was key to Britain’s success at the 1991 World Championships when the team beat the formidable Americans.
Derek’s career was plagued with injury, causing him to pull out of the 1988 Olympic Games. In 1992, primed and ready to take the track by storm, Derek’s hamstring tore in the semi-finals. Despite this, with the help of his father, he hobbled to the finish line in a feat of bravery and courage. Derek proved that though he did not finish first, finishing at all proved the power of the human spirit. At events, he recalls the roar of the crowd and the praise that followed the pinnacle sporting moment.
Alongside fellow athlete John Regis, Derek fronted the #isthisyou social media campaign in 2020, following the global Black Lives Matter protests. Using his Twitter platform of over 13K followers, he shared the stories of countless Black athletes, highlighting their experiences of racist harassment and microaggressions. The goal of the campaign was not to frame the athletes as victims, but to encourage people to educate themselves, and to address perpetrators directly.
When Derek is booked for events, he reflects on his personal experience of racism, and the trauma it left him with. This opens his audience’s eyes to the role they play in perpetuating a racist system. For Black guests, Derek’s stories of success in the face of prejudice serve to empower and inspire. A truly transformative addition to every event he attends, his important message of perseverance in the face of adversity can be translated to several causes.
Derek Redmond is regularly booked to engage audiences at events, read their latest feedback below:
“we thought the event was brilliant. Very engaging, tech worked very smoothly and Derek’s stories really struck a chord with our staff. We had c. 200 attendees. Feedback from attendees so far has been glowing. Thank you for all your support in arranging! Looking forward to Asif’s event next week!”
“We worked with Derek for an online event this year, and he was absolutely fantastic. Extremely professional and really easy to work with. His talk, even though it had to be done online due to the pandemic, was very interesting and all the feedback we received from our guests was positive. Very happy to recommend him for any event.”
“Selecting Derek Redmond as the keynote speaker and host for our annual awards ceremony was an inspired choice. As well as recounting his own story of how a team of four changed the rulebook to pull off a famous victory against undefeated American opposition, he also challenged our staff to believe they could each do better, taking our business to greater heights. He is a man who clearly goes the extra mile as a norm. He had researched our company well so he could relate his own experiences to some of the challenges we face. And he handled the presentation of awards to our staff with charm and humour. If you have a company event and want to raise the bar, Derek can help you achieve a memorable and inspiring event.”
“Derek was an absolute delight! So professional, helpful and entertaining- honestly, I could not believe how pleasant he was to work with. Sometimes it feels as if the speaker is just there to do the slot and not a second more but that was definitely not the case with Derek. He was a wonderful guest, speaker and host. Highly, highly recommend”
“Derek went down very well. He was enthusiastic and his passion infectious. People really connected with his story and I had a couple of people message me afterwards to thank us for setting it up”
“You were TREMENDOUS! We have had so many people saying how inspired they were by you and what you said. Also how much they appreciated you sharing your personal experience and wisdom. The feedback has been overwhelming and all positive. We had 350 people on the call at different points, which is a great turnout for Arup. Thank you very, very much for taking the time to participate in the panel discussion. I am thrilled to have met you virtually. You made a hugely important and valuable contribution to making the event a success. We really appreciate it. Thanks on behalf of everyone at Arup who attended”
“Derek was amazing! Everyone loved the presentation and he had the highest attendance rating for all of the wellness weeks! Thank you all for your help with this”
The BAME Speakers Agency has been one of the UK’s leading bureaus for Black, Asian and minority ethnic speakers since 2020. We supply speakers for corporate and public events across the world, and cater to both in-person occasions and online webinars.
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