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Ben Hunt-Davis
Transform team performance with Ben Hunt-Davis, speaker, Olympic gold medallist and leadership expert. Ben works with organisations to drive high performance, goal clarity and behaviour change, delivering proven methodologies from his bestselling book and consultancy.
Ben Hunt-Davis is an Olympic gold medallist and the co-founder of the leadership consultancy Will It Make The Boat Go Faster?. Through his transition from elite sport to executive development, Ben has become a trusted figure in the world of leadership performance, known for helping organisations and individuals define ambitious goals and embed the habits needed to reach them.
Ben’s journey to Olympic success was not simple. For years, he and his team sat outside the medal positions, repeatedly falling short despite their efforts. In 1998, the British Men’s Eight took a new approach, driven by a single, focused question: “Will it make the boat go faster?” This mindset led to profound changes in the way they worked and made decisions, culminating in their gold medal win at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
Since retiring from professional sport, Ben has applied the principles behind that turnaround to the business world. He co-authored the bestselling book Will It Make The Boat Go Faster? to bring these techniques to a wider audience, and he continues this work through the consultancy of the same name. His work is grounded in real-life experience and focuses on clarity of purpose, behaviour change, and practical tools for measurable improvement.
Ben works with leaders and teams across industries to challenge assumptions, streamline focus, and build a culture of high performance. His approach helps clients translate vision into action, establish meaningful goals, and stay aligned with what really matters, making his insights relevant to organisations navigating complexity and change.
Topics, sessions and talks
Ben Hunt-Davis shares the transformative journey of the Great Britain Men’s Eights leading up to the Sydney Olympics, evolving from a seventh-place team to champions. He emphasizes the importance of Performance Principles: focusing on what matters, prioritizing performance for results, and effective teamwork. His engaging speech inspires attendees to tackle their own challenges by simplifying processes and enhancing performance. Participants will learn how a clear focus can drive success and foster a winning mindset.
Olympic gold medalist Ben Hunt-Davis transforms underperforming teams into champions through his proven "Will It Make The Boat Go Faster?" methodology that has already trained 200,000 professionals across 50 countries. Book Ben today to equip your team with Olympic-winning strategies that deliver extraordinary business results in challenging times.
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frequently asked questions
Something we've not covered here?
Ben Hunt-Davis structures his talks around the central question “Will it make the boat go faster?”, using it as a decision-making framework to walk audiences through the step-by-step transformation of the GB Men's Eight from seventh place to Olympic gold. He applies this narrative arc directly to organisational challenges, giving attendees a replicable filter for prioritising actions and aligning team behaviour with measurable outcomes.
Ben Hunt-Davis MBE speaks on high performance, goal clarity, behaviour change, teamwork under pressure, and leadership development. He won Olympic gold as part of the Great Britain Men's Eight at the Sydney 2000 Olympics and co-founded the leadership consultancy Will It Make The Boat Go Faster?, co-authoring the bestselling book of the same name.
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