GBBC & GDF Global Leaders Series with Lord Holmes of Richmond MBE, House of Lords

Join us for the next GBBC & GDF Global Leaders Series featuring Lord Holmes of Richmond MBE in the United Kingdom House of Lords.

Lord Holmes Bio

After retiring from competitive swimming Lord Holmes worked as a journalist before qualifying and working as a commercial lawyer specialising in employment and pensions. He also took non-Executive Director roles at the Disability Rights Commission and UK Sport and was an Ambassador for the successful London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic bid.

In 2009 Lord Holmes was appointed Director of Paralympic Integration for London 2012. In this role, Lord Holmes drew on political skills, strategic know-how and his incredible determination to deliver the most successful Paralympics ever. It worked. London 2012 was the first games to have all sponsors signed to both Olympics and Paralympics, the first games to sell out all the stadia for every session and, incredibly, the first games to achieve worldwide television audiences in the hundreds of millions.

In recognition of Lord Holmes’ talents and contribution to the country he was invited by the Prime Minister to enter the House of Lords. Lord Holmes relishes this political role and his experiences navigating the ancient corridors of power with his guide dog, Nancy, offer numerous entertaining anecdotes.

Lord Holmes’ legal background stood him in good stead as non-Executive Director at the Equality and Human Rights Commission (2013-2017) where he headed up the Disability Committee and was responsible for important diversity and inclusion programmes, ranging from sport to broadcasting and precedent setting legal action concerned with the Equality Act 2010 and establishing principles around accessibility and inclusion.

Lord Holmes is supporter and patron of several charities including Duke of Edinburgh Awards, the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, Help for Heroes and Guide Dogs.