Anna Hemmings, MBE is Great Britain's double Olympian and six times world kayak champion. In 2009 Anna retired from sport to pursue a career in sports broadcasting.

In 2003 Anna was told by medical experts she might never race again. In 2005 however, she signalled a miraculous return to fitness by regaining her status as the World’s leading marathon canoeist at the Marathon Racing World Championships in Perth, Australia. In 2006 she successfully defended her world title. In 2007 she went onto make it a hat-trick of three World titles in a row. This latest medal is her sixth gold since 1999 and her eleventh World and European Championship medal, confirming her status as Britain’s most successful ever female canoeist.

Anna’s achievements were recognised at the Sunday Times Sports Woman of the Year Awards, where she won the 2005 Champions Award and then again in 2007 when she was voted BBC London Sports Personality of the Year.

Anna Hemmings is from London, thought she would have to retire from the sport when diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in April 2003. Despite being told that there was no solution, Anna refused to give up and in September 2004, Anna learned about ‘reverse therapy’, an innovative and highly successful new treatment. By February 2005 Anna was finally able to resume training again. She then went on to win a clean sweep of National, European and World titles.

Anna participated in the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 where she competed in the 500m singles discipline. The following year Anna graduated from Royal Holloway College, University of London with a BSC Honours degree in Economics and Management (2:1). In 2007 the University recognised Anna’s achievements and awarded her with an Honorary Fellowship.

Anna was awarded an MBE by HRH Prince Charles in 2010 for services to sport.

Canoeing Achievements/Awards

• 6x World champion (1999, 2x 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007)
• 3x European champion (1997, 1999, 2005)
• Sydney 2000 Olympian (semi finalist)
• World Cup Winner 1997
• 2x World Championship silver medallist (1996 and 1998)
• World Cup silver medallist (1995)
• National Record holder K1 200m (41.31secs)
• 2005 Sunday Times Sports Personality of the Year, Winner of the
Champions Award
• Surrey Athlete of the Year 1996
• Elmbridge Sports Personality of the Year 1997,1999, 2001,2006, 2007
• Honorary Fellowship awarded by Royal Holloway University in 2007
• 2007 BBC London Sports Personality of the Year

Speaking

Anna Hemmings is highly accomplished motivational speaker, who is entertaining, direct and on target. She has a passionate belief that every individual has a talent and an ability to achieve beyond their imagination. She’s on a mission to inspire and equip people to think differently, to feel empowered, to take immediate action and to maximise results in any area of life.

Anna’s story of success in the face of adversity gives people hope, strength and the understanding that anything really is possible. The audience walks away with the realisation that there are no limits and if you are just prepared to push the boundaries you can achieve beyond your wildest dreams. Anna’s exciting journey is not only inspiring but it also highlights the success strategies that helped her rise to the top; and more importantly how these strategies can be applied to anyone in any situation. For example, master the art of thriving on pressure and develop an ability to perform at the highest level even when faced with stretching goals, tight deadlines and changing demands.

Anna has a great connectivity to business. Mary Kay Galvin, Assistant Director at Canon USA commented, “Excellent! Anna was able to take examples from the very competitive world of sport and use them as great tools that could be applied to both business and personal endeavours”

An air of believability surrounds Anna’s presentation because this is a speaker who has lived what she teaches. No other person can tell this passionate and compelling story of Anna’s true life experiences. Anna continues to compete at the highest level and so she is learning and experiencing more all the time - gathering new insights and fresh ideas to share with your people.

The same level of commitment that Anna puts into her sport is carried through into every presentation. She makes sure that she has a clear understanding of the audience, the company and their industry; ensuring that each speech is designed and made specific for the client.

Anna is one of Great Britain’s sporting elite and her story of commitment, tenacity and self-belief translates well into every arena because she has the ability to interact with a wide range of individuals from school children to CEO’s of major companies.

Testimonials

"Anna’s presentation was very engaging and highly motivational. The techniques that she presented can all be easily applied to our business environment. Anna’s story is absolutely compelling and she maintained a wonderful rapport with the audience." Centrica Energy

‘Our most successful canoeist ever’
The Independent on Sunday

‘Anna Hemmings is Britain’s Paula Radcliffe on water’
The Times

“Anna is a very positive, entertaining and intelligent speaker who can act as a real inspiration”
John Inverdale, BBC Sports Correspondent

“Anna is one of the most extraordinary people I have ever met. Who could fail to learn and be inspired by someone with such drive and commitment.”
Gary Lineker