Ed Jackson

Key speaking topics

• Resilience and recovery after adversity
• High-performance mindset
• Leadership under pressure
• Overcoming life-changing injury
• Mental and physical rehabilitation journeys
• Purpose-driven goal setting
• Teamwork and accountability

Ideal for

• Senior leadership teams
• Sales and performance-driven organisations
• Corporate conferences and annual meetings
• Organisations navigating significant change or disruption

Audience outcomes

• Clear understanding of resilience in high-pressure environments
• Practical insights into rebuilding confidence after setbacks
• Perspective on leadership, responsibility and personal accountability
• Greater appreciation of long-term recovery and sustained effort
• Motivation grounded in lived experience

Why organisations work with Ed Jackson

• Combines elite sport experience with lived experience of severe injury and recovery
• Brings credibility across sport, charity leadership and broadcasting
• Connects resilience and mindset to performance in commercial environments
• Delivers a message grounded in real-world challenge and sustained rehabilitation

Biography

Ed Jackson brings a rare combination of elite sport, lived experience of catastrophic injury and charitable leadership to corporate audiences seeking perspective on resilience and performance under pressure.

A former professional rugby union No. 8, Ed competed for Bath, Doncaster Knights, London Welsh, Wasps and Newport Gwent Dragons. He captained England at U16 and U18 level and was part of the England U18 Four Nations-winning squad, developing his understanding of high-performance environments, teamwork and accountability from an early stage.

His professional career was cut short by a severe spinal cord injury sustained in a diving accident. Initially paralysed, he has since regained significant mobility through sustained rehabilitation, while continuing to live with the long-term effects of an incomplete spinal cord injury. His recovery journey has become central to his work with organisations navigating adversity and change.

Ed went on to undertake major mountain expeditions following his rehabilitation, including summiting Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and participating in further high-altitude challenges. These experiences reinforce his practical understanding of goal setting, risk management and sustained effort in demanding conditions.

He co-founded the Millimetres 2 Mountains Foundation with Lois Jackson, supporting people affected by trauma and life-changing circumstances through outdoor experiences and structured support. His work in the charitable sector demonstrates leadership beyond sport, focused on long-term impact and community building.

Ed is the author of Lucky, a Sunday Times bestseller, and has worked as a broadcaster with Channel 4 on rugby and Paralympics-related programming. He is also a co-founder of Vapoura Rum.

For senior leaders and commercial teams, Ed offers a grounded, credible perspective on resilience, responsibility and performance drawn from professional sport, severe adversity and enterprise.