MARC WOODS’ BIO

Marc Woods Headshot

MARC WOODS
Founding Partner of Equiida
Paralympic Medialist
Author

A county  standard swimming as a teenager Marc had his left leg amputated because of cancer when he was 17. His dream became to simply be the best that he could be and just 18 months after he finished his chemotherapy, he was selected to represent Great Britain.

Marc competed internationally as a swimmer for 17 years; winning 12 Paralympic medals from 5 Games and a further 21 from either World or European Championships. In th

e past he has held world records for 200m, 400m, 1500m Freestyle and as well as being part of the team that held the world record for 4 x 100m Freestyle. At the London 2012 Paralympic Games worked for the BBC as a commentator and presenter, as well as performing in the opening ceremony.

Marc founded the Leadership Advisory business, Equiida, and now spends his time working with organisations around the world as an executive coach and speaker. He focusses this work around developing personal awareness, taking responsibility, leadership effectiveness, teamwork and inclusion.

Marc has written three books. Most notably Personal Best, a combination of his inspirational life story and personal development advice, and more recently Beyond the Call which, supported by research from New York University, looks at how to create conditions within an organisation that make discretionary effort more likely.

Additional Information

  • 9 Years as a board member of the Youth Sport Trust
  • 3 Years as a board member of the Trustee of Teenage Cancer Trust
  • Current Chair of the Chartered Institute for Management of Sport and Physical Activity
  • BBC and CH4 Sports Commentator
  • British Excellence in Sales Management Awards Speaker of the Year 2017
  • Honorary Doctorate from Middlesex University
  • Freeman of the City of London
  • Honorary Citizen of Pensacola – Florida
  • Patron of the Bone Cancer Research Trust
  • Patron of Climbing Out