Andrew Strauss

The Director of Cricket for England, Andrew Strauss (OBE) gained fame for leading his side to Ashes victory both home and away - one of only three former England Test Cricket captains to do so.

Now retired from his beloved sport, he is celebrated as one of the game's finest batsmen and has become a star on the speaking circuit, specialising in change, leadership and success.

Captaincy for Andrew was not about ‘putting an armband on’ - it was about strategy-planning and a determination to get England to the top spot.

In his keynote presentations, he reveals how he devised a plan for the national side to achieve world No.1 Test ranking – the objective was to accomplish this within five years but, working closely with Andy Flower, and under Andrew’s gritty and intelligent leadership, this was met in half the time!

Drawing on this example of how talented individuals were united together by a common goal, he talks about how to create a vision and build trust in order to turn around a team. In his light-hearted after dinner speeches, he might also reveal what happens behind the scenes at the Ashes.

During his career on the pitch, Andrew played in 100 Tests, captaining England in 50, and scored over 7000 Test runs with 21 Test centuries. In 2009, he was the leading international run scorer worldwide.

In addition, as player and captain of the One Day team, he made over 100 ODI appearances. Other achievements saw him nominated twice for ‘BBC Sports Personality of the Year’ and being granted the ‘Freedom of the City of London’.

As captain for nearly 4 years, Andrew was always in the public eye and in the media, having conducted countless press conferences and mainstream interviews. His reputation for handling such occasions with dignity and good nature was highly reported following his resignation, which was greeted with a standing ovation by the press and media.

Following his retirement, he took to commentary work with Sky and, in 2015, was approached to become Director of Cricket after a difficult period for the team and his successor Alastair Cook.

The consummate professional, Andrew made the best of his talent in order to become one of the very best international batsmen, despite his late arrival on the international scene (following time working in the City).

His leadership qualities and personable character mean that he is able to work with and entertain corporates, brands and customers alike; he delivers the intended message to the very highest standard.