About OLLIE
Unlocking human performance | Endurance Athlete | Keynote Speaker | Disability Inclusion Specialist | Advisor
Ollie Thorn is a keynote speaker, advisor and world-first adaptive adventurer helping organisations rethink resilience, change, inclusion and human potential.
After a life-changing accident left him paralysed from the chest down, Ollie was forced to rebuild far more than his body. He had to rebuild his identity, confidence and sense of what the future could hold.
What followed was a journey through professional sport, humanitarian work, corporate leadership, disability inclusion and extreme endurance challenges — all shaped by one central question: how do we move forward when the path changes?
A natural storyteller with warmth, humour and honesty, Ollie shares practical lessons on building resilience, adapting to uncertainty, managing fear and finding confidence through action. His story is powerful, but his message is deeply relatable: you do not have to experience extreme adversity to develop the skills needed to face change.
A glimpse into his story...
Just months after beginning training to become an Officer in the British Army, Ollie was involved in a serious motorbike accident while on weekend leave. A car pulled out in front of him, causing a crash that would change the course of his life.
He broke more than 40 bones, sustained a spinal cord injury and spent the following month in a coma. This was followed by four further months on bed rest in isolation due to the severity of his injuries. Paralysed from the chest down and facing an uncertain future, Ollie began the long process of physical and psychological rehabilitation.
While on bed rest, Ollie saw a video of someone sit-skiing. In that moment, something shifted. It gave him a glimpse of possibility at a time when life felt defined by limitation.
A year later, still chasing that sense of freedom, he found himself at the top of an indoor ski slope in Hemel Hempstead, strapped into a sit ski for the first time. He promptly fell down the slope. But he also found something he had been searching for.
That first attempt became the start of a new chapter. Ollie went on to race downhill adaptive sit-skiing internationally, discovering that adventure, challenge and excitement were still possible. Racing became more than a sport. It became a way to rebuild identity.
Recognising how rare it was to have the support, opportunity and perspective to rebuild in this way, Ollie developed a new focus: to use his experience to help create a better world.
He moved from professional sport into the charity sector, working with people who had sustained life-changing injuries. He later moved into the corporate world, taking on global roles focused on inclusion, culture and performance. His work has included facilitating world-leading disability leadership programmes, building disability strategies, advising internal teams and helping organisations create cultures where people can perform at their best.
Alongside his speaking and advisory work, Ollie continues to pursue adventure and endurance challenges that initially feel impossible. From handcycling London to Paris to completing a 70.3 Ironman, and most recently handcycling across Tibet to Everest Base Camp, he uses challenge as a way to explore belief, preparation, adaptability and human potential.
Ollie was forced to embrace change, develop resilience and navigate uncertainty. But his work is built on the belief that these skills are not reserved for people who experience extreme adversity.
Through his keynotes and advisory work, Ollie helps individuals and teams understand how to adapt when the path changes, build confidence through action and create meaningful change in the face of uncertainty.
