Lord Sebastian Coe KBE

Lord Sebastian Coe KBE is the UK’s most prolific world record setter and arguably the greatest runner to compete for his country.

Born in London in 1956, Coe began his athletics career age 12, at Sheffield’s Hallamshire Harriers squad, where his father was his running coach. In 1977 he made his first mark as a professional athlete, winning the 800m at the European Indoor Championship. After a string of world records, Coe won his first Olympic medal in 1980 at the Moscow games, taking gold in the 1,500m. His second gold came in 1984 at the Los Angeles Olympics. His famous rivalry with fellow runner Steve Ovett dominated athletics through much of those years, and he quickly became the UK’s best known and most cherished athlete – setting 12 middle-distance world records.

Coe retired from athletics in 1990 and moved into politics. In 1992, he was elected as Conservative Member of Parliament for Falmouth and Camborne, a seat he held for 5 years, when he became Private Secretary to William Hague, the Leader of the Opposition. In 2000 he was appointed a life peer, becoming Lord Coe of Ranmore.

With his sporting and political nous, Coe was asked to head London’s bid to host the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. He led London to victory over Paris, with many pointing to his rousing speech at the 2005 vote in Singapore as the decisive moment. Despite early public cynicism, Coe helped win over the media and London went on to host a phenomenally successful Olympic Games, with Coe at the helm.

Following the games, Coe was elected Chairman of the British Olympic Association – a post he held until 2016. He is also Executive Chairman of CSM Sport & Entertainment marketing agency. In 2015, he was elected President of the world governing body for athletics, the IAAF, having been a Vice President since 2007.

• Leadership
• Collaboration
• Crisis Management
• Building Resilience
• Change Management
• Challenging the status quo