Richard Hill MBE

Rugby World Cup winner Richard Hill is one of the world’s greatest back row players, a reputation he firmly cemented with inspirational performances throughout his international career. Known as the ‘Silent Assassin’ Richard had the unique ability to perform at a consistently high level for both his club Saracens and for his country, proving himself the ultimate professional.
Richard appeared in every England squad from the U-16 level onwards before making his senior debut in 1997 against Scotland. Within only a few months of his debut and having won only 4 full caps, he became a British Lion, a feat he was to repeat in 2001 and 2005. 

By the end of an illustrious professional career Richard had amassed 71 caps for his country. The pinnacle of his career came in 2003 with the defeat of Australia in the World Cup final. For many Hill was the heartbeat of the England team during the modern era, he was the only player never to be dropped during Clive Woodward’s reign and at his peak his name was the first to go down on a world XV team-sheet.

To both the England and Saracens teams Richard showed immense dedication and commitment throughout his career. Shunning lucrative offers elsewhere Hill chose to remain at Saracens for his entire professional career, showing a sense of honour unusual in these times. Post career Richard went on to work at Saracens in business development, community outreach and as Academy Coach and Mentor. He now sits at the heart of the England set up with a seat on the RFU Council, and acts as a consultant to the RFU helping to identify, mentor and develop young players both on and off the field.

As former England coach Brian Ashton said ‘Richard personifies everything that is good about a professional rugby player’.

THE SPEAKER

Following his retirement due to a continuing knee injury in May 2008, Richard has become a highly sought after for keynote and after dinner speeches and Q & A sessions. With his acute awareness of the direct link between sport and business he can share expertise and in-depth knowledge on the following areas:

•    Leadership – identifying, mentoring and developing new talent
•    Team dynamics and composition – strength in diversity
•    Motivation, determination and overcoming setbacks – overcoming injury and criticism, the importance of loving what you do
•    Going from good to great, change management, maintaining peak performance and working with the dynamics of your team – the story of the Rugby World Cup 2003 squad

Whatever the occasion, whoever the audience, Richard’s honest approach, humorous stories, first-hand experiences and advice is not just for the rugby fan. They are ideal for those who wish to learn about being the best, fulfilling potential and inspiring those around them.

I just wanted to let you know how grateful we were to have Richard at our event yesterday. He was a very entertaining speaker and kept everybody amused. It was great that he stayed to have lunch and chat with our guests.  Aviva

Richard Hill spoke to our Annual Review and held the attention of the room from beginning to end. He managed to combine inspiration with humility and gave us some great tips for successful teamwork. A true leader – why was he not captain of England?  The Pentland Group

Richard performed an Ambassador role for Robert Walters during The British & Irish Lions 2013 Tour. Leading up to, during and after Richard exceeded our remit with extreme professionalism, integrity, credibility and worked all events with enthusiasm and energy regardless of the length of the event and the number of clients or RW staff he interacted with. He is the ultimate team player who went above and beyond what we expected – he will give value to any group of people he works with. A credit to his profession and to any company. We are continuing to work with Richard.  Robert Walters Professional Recruitment

I wanted to drop you a note to say thank you for all your help in the build up to the Guinness Premiership Final. Our guests had a fantastic day and I all the feedback about Richard has been fantastically positive. He was a delight to have in hospitality. Synergy for Guinness

The Financial Times has worked with Richard Hill for the past season, throughout the Rugby World Cup and the Six Nations Championship. I have always found him to be accommodating, courteous and professional, sensitive to our needs and deadlines as well very personable, and have enjoyed all dealings with him.  Financial Times

In December last year Richard made a surprise guest appearance at the Growing Business Awards which we host each year at the Hilton Hotel on Park Lane. What a professional in every sense. It is easy to see why Richard is so popular. He was on time, nothing was too much trouble, despite the fact that we kept him waiting in reception to preserve the surprise element.  Caspian Publishing

I wanted to share with you all how positively Richard Hill was received at our Corporate Customer Forum. This event is a discussion forum on Health in the workplace with very senior stakeholders from some of our biggest customers. Attendees included RBS, Rolls Royce, Sky, Kier Group, Pearsons, PA Consulting, Laing O’Rourke and Associated British Ports. We’ve had a wave of positive feedback.  Aviva

Just a final note of thanks re Richard working on our show yesterday, all went well and he was a pleasure to work with, I very much hope he enjoyed his day with us. He has bags of credibility, a good rapport, he’s forthright and has the knowledge to back up his opinions.  ITV Sport and Al Jazeera