Sam Quek

Why organisations work with Sam Quek

• A first-hand account of how a team becomes the first British women’s hockey side to win Olympic gold, told from inside the defensive line that held the Netherlands in a penalty shootout final.
• Credibility on composure under pressure that comes from two careers, 125 international caps and a live broadcasting schedule across the BBC, Channel 5, and TNT Sports.
• A perspective on team culture shaped by a squad that won European gold, captained England with two broken ribs, and converted four years of preparation into a single result.
• Hosting and moderation experience suited to awards nights, conference panels, and high-profile event presentation, including the Eurovision 2023 opening ceremony.

Biography highlights

• Olympic gold medallist, Rio 2016, women’s hockey, Great Britain.
• MBE, 2017 New Year Honours, for services to hockey.
• 125 international caps for England and Great Britain; captained England at the 2014 Champions Trophy.
• First permanent female team captain on BBC One’s A Question of Sport, alongside Ugo Monye.
• Co-host of BBC One’s Morning Live with Gethin Jones; co-anchor of BBC’s Olympic Breakfast for Tokyo 2020.
• Author of Hope and a Hockey Stick (2018) and Roar: A Celebration of Great Sporting Women (Allen and Unwin, 2024).

Biography

The British women’s hockey team had never won an Olympic gold medal until August 2016. They beat the Netherlands, the reigning world and Olympic champions, on penalties after a 3-3 draw in Rio. Quek played in the defensive line that kept the score close enough for the shootout to matter.

Her playing career produced 125 international caps, a European Championship gold in 2015, and a stretch captaining England through the 2014 Champions Trophy with two broken ribs that she did not know she had until the tournament ended. The MBE followed in the 2017 New Year Honours.

The second career began almost immediately. By 2021 she was the first permanent female team captain on A Question of Sport. In 2022 she joined Morning Live as co-host. The broadcasting roster now spans NFL on Channel 5, hockey on TNT Sports, football on Channel 4 and LFC TV, and a stint on BBC Radio 5 Live’s 606. She co-anchored BBC’s Olympic Breakfast for Tokyo and co-hosted the Eurovision 2023 opening ceremony.

For corporate audiences, that combination provides something unusual. The Olympic experience is direct evidence of what high-performing teams do under terminal pressure. The broadcasting career adds the discipline of live performance, daily, without the option of a second take. Both feed the same material when she works with organisations on resilience, team culture, and composure when the stakes are visible.

Key speaking topics

• Resilience and performance under pressure
• Team culture in high-stakes environments
• Olympic preparation and the four-year cycle
• Women in elite sport and broadcasting
• Career transition from athlete to broadcaster
• Self-leadership and composure
• Event hosting and panel moderation

Ideal for

• Conference and awards hosting briefs requiring a recognised broadcaster.
• Sales kick-offs and all-hands events focused on team performance and resilience.
• Leadership programmes addressing composure and high-pressure decision-making.
• Diversity and women in leadership audiences seeking a senior sporting voice.

Audience outcomes

• A specific account of what a winning team does in the hours and minutes before a terminal moment.
• A working sense of how composure is built before it is needed.
• Language for talking about team culture grounded in elite sport rather than business abstraction.
• Energy and credibility from a speaker comfortable in front of large rooms and television cameras.