About Ollie
Keynote Speaker | Resilience, Change & Inclusion
Ollie Thorn is a keynote speaker and advisor on resilience, change and inclusion. After a motorbike accident left him paralysed from the chest down, he rebuilt his life through international para sport, humanitarian work and senior roles in business.
Most recently, he became the first person to handcycle to Everest Base Camp under his own power, a journey featured in the BBC documentary Everest: Pushing the Limits. His talks blend honest storytelling with practical tools for adapting when the path changes.
40+ bones broken
1 month in a coma
4 worlds:
sport
charity
business
adventure.
2,500+
largest audience
1st to handcycle to Everest Base Camp
A glimpse into Ollie's Story
Just weeks into training to become an Army officer, Ollie was in a serious motorbike accident when a car pulled out in front of him. He broke more than 40 bones, sustained a spinal cord injury and spent a month in a coma, followed by four months on bed rest in isolation.
Paralysed from the chest down, he began the long work of rebuilding, physically and psychologically. Then, from a hospital bed, he saw a video of someone sit-skiing. For the first time, he caught a glimpse of possibility.
A year later he was at the top of an indoor slope in Hemel Hempstead, strapped into a sit ski for the first time. He promptly fell down it. But he’d found what he was looking for. Ollie went on to race internationally, and racing became more than a sport: it became the way he rebuilt his identity.
Knowing how rare it was to have that kind of support, he turned his focus to helping others. He worked in the charity sector with people facing life-changing injuries, then moved into business. There he held senior roles in inclusion, talent and culture, and launched a global disability employee network.
Today, alongside speaking and advisory work, he keeps choosing challenges that first feel impossible. They are how he explores belief, preparation and adaptability, and they give him fresh stories to bring back to the stage.
Where Ollie’s perspective comes from
Rehabilition
After a month in a coma and four months on bed rest, Ollie spent the long road of rehab learning to live, move and see himself differently. That process of rebuilding is at the heart of every talk.
Sport
International sit-ski racer for GB. Handcycled London to Paris and completed a 70.3 Ironman.
Humanitarian work
Board member at Handicap International UK. Has trained spinal injury rehab staff in India and worked in refugee settlements in Uganda.
Business
Senior management at a FTSE 250 company, then head of client solutions at a talent and culture consultancy whose clients included a third of the FTSE 100.
Facilitation & advisory
Head facilitator of the Valuable 500’s Generation Valuable programme. Has facilitated global leadership programmes and advises organisations on inclusion and culture.
Adventures
Sport
International sit-ski racer for GB. Handcycled London to Paris and completed a 70.3 Ironman.
London to Paris
500km by handcycle in three days, raising money for charity.
Ironman 70.3
Completed just ten months after learning to swim.
Everest Base Camp
A world first, handcycling across Tibet under his own power.