World Rugby Hall of Fame Inductee & 2014 World Cup Winner, Leading Sports Broadcaster, Bestselling Author & RFU Diversity & Inclusion Leader.
Maggie Alphonsi’s Biography:
Maggie Alphonsi MBE is widely regarded as one of the most influential and successful figures in the history of English women’s rugby. Nicknamed “Maggie the Machine” for her phenomenal work-rate and formidable tackling from the flank, her 11-year international career (2003–2014) saw her earn 74 caps and score 28 tries. She was the driving force behind England’s seven consecutive Six Nations titles (six of which were Grand Slams) and played a crucial role in securing the 2014 Women’s Rugby World Cup—England’s first in 20 years.
Born in Lewisham, South London, Alphonsi overcame early adversity, including being born with a club foot, to excel in a traditionally male-dominated sport. She was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to rugby in 2012. Her sporting achievements were also recognised with the Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year award in 2010 and the prestigious Pat Marshall Award (Rugby Union Writers’ Club Player of the Year), making her the first woman to win the prize in its 50-year history. In 2016, she was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame.
Since retiring from playing, Alphonsi has successfully transitioned into a pioneering career in media, governance, and authorship. She made history in 2015 by becoming the first former female player to commentate on men’s international rugby for ITV Sport and is now a regular analyst for major broadcasters. As the first former England Women’s player elected to the RFU Council, she actively leads the Diversity & Inclusion Steering Group, shaping the future of the game. Her autobiography, ‘Winning the Fight’, further details her journey, having been shortlisted for the 2024 Autobiography of the Year.
Today, Maggie is a highly sought-after keynote speaker who transfers her expertise in elite sport directly to the corporate world. Organisations hire her for her powerful insights on High-Performance Teamwork, Resilience, and Inclusive Leadership. Drawing on her personal story of overcoming early challenges and thriving in a male-dominated industry, she equips audiences with actionable strategies for performing under pressure and driving excellence, change, and genuine diversity within their own teams.
Why Hire Maggie Alphonsi?
Maggie Alphonsi, MBE, offers unparalleled lessons on resilience and high-performance grounded in world-class sport. As a World Cup champion and World Rugby Hall of Famer, she equips teams with strategies for excelling under pressure. A pioneer in media and governance (RFU Diversity Leader), Maggie delivers powerful, actionable keynotes on Inclusive Leadership and overcoming adversity.
Maggie Alphonsi’s Career Highlights:
Below showcases Maggie Alphonsi’s inspirational career highlights throughout the world of Rugby:
- 2025 – Appointed Head of Legacy and Impact for the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 Initiative.
- 2024 – Autobiography, Winning the Fight, shortlisted for Sports Autobiography of the Year.
- 2023 – Published her highly acclaimed autobiography, Winning the Fight.
- 2016 – Inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame.
- 2016 – Elected as the first former England Women’s player to sit on the RFU Council.
- 2015 – Made history as the first former female player to commentate on men’s international rugby for ITV Sport.
- 2014 – Won the Women’s Rugby World Cup with England, marking the nation’s first title in 20 years.
- 2012 – Appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to rugby.
- 2011 – Became the first woman to win the prestigious Pat Marshall Award in its 50-year history.
- 2010 – Named Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year.
- 2006 – Became Instrumental in England’s success, winning seven consecutive Six Nations titles in a row.
- 2003 – Made her debut for the England Women’s National Team.
Videos
Maggie Alphonsi’s Official Keynote Speaking Videos & Showreel:
Testimonials
“Helen (Richardson-Walsh) and Maggie were fantastic and were a great duo – two great stories and very relevant… everyone loved them!” – James, Sales & Marketing Director, Saville Assessment
“Maggie Alphonsi’s session!! So inspirational and gave me so much energy” – Sky
“The feedback after she spoke has been really phenomenal, I’ve genuinely rarely heard such enthusiastic praise for a speaker at any of our events before! It was the perfect way to finish the event, and Maggie brought some real magic to the way she presented and the way she managed to involve the people in the room too.” – Tom, Director of Marketing, IAB UK
“Firstly, I just need to say WOW!!! Maggie was super fun, approachable and her story was great. Also, the way she interacted with the audience was great… blown away… feedback on the day was great too.” – Women in Protection Executive Committee
“Maggie was amazing! So many people felt so inspired and I think we should get her back in to a do a larger scale kick-off event at some point, really great content and delivery and got us all talking.” – Sarah, Fintech Account Manager, Amazon
“Maggie was fantastic! Engaging, entertaining, thought-provoking… everything I’d hoped for and more. The feedback I’m already seeing internally from SB leaders reflects this and is full of praise.” – Marc, Head of Legal, Simply Business
“I cannot emphasise how amazing she was, the session was incredible and everyone thought she was fantastic!” – Amy, Events Content Producer, B2B Marketing
“In total we had over 110+ employees join us for the event and the reception, engagement and outpouring of gratitude for hearing Maggie’s story but related this to the business environment, which meant that all attendees were able to relate and take home something from the session. We all left thoroughly inspired! Thank you for your support in setting the session up – it is massively appreciated and we look forward to working with you again in the future!” – Alex, GBS HR Business Account Manager, P&G
“Having heard lots about what a great addition to an event Maggie would be, she did not disappoint – from the moment she arrived, her warm smile and easy manner made her a fantastic guest – she was happy to be interviewed, delivering passionate viewpoints about her personal story in rugby then chatting effortlessly to staff – and then taking part in a very honest way in our panel discussion – finally, joining us for drinks and more chatting after, she was just brilliant and inspiring – as well as incredibly honest which is so refreshing. We really enjoyed having her and everyone commented that she was a fantastic addition to the event.” – Philippa, Clifford Chance LLP
“Maggie was our guest speaker at our inaugural International Women’s Day event and it couldn’t have gone better. She was relatable to both the men & women in the room and her personal stories were both funny and inspiring. We were delighted with how the event went and we are very appreciative that she stayed behind to talk to our Associates.” – Louise, Lockton LLP
“I have to say the event was a re-sounding success. Maggie without a doubt was brilliant!! One heck of an inspirational speaker.”- Harjinder, HSBC
“Please may you pass on a huge thanks to Maggie for taking the time to talk with our team and share her wisdom. We have already received terrific feedback on how engaging and actionable her talk was. Maggie’s talk was extremely thought provoking and insightful in conveying what it means to be an accountable leader as well as energising the group.” – Mollie, Deepmind
I cannot emphasize enough how amazing she was, the session was incredible and everyone thought she was fantastic! – Amy, Event Content Producer, B2B Marketing
It was brilliant – Maggie was amazing! – Kim, The Very Group
“Maggie was fantastic last night; everyone thoroughly enjoyed her talk and have been saying how wonderful she was.” –Hayley, Regional Coordinator, Jones Day
“We all thoroughly enjoyed Maggie’s discussion today, it was so insightful. We had multiple watch parties across different GSK sites and peaked at over 100 attendees who listened in. The light-hearted notes Maggie brought into the talk made it incredibly entertaining. I’ve come away feeling inspired, with some key actions to improve my leadership abilities.” – Jana, GSK
“Maggie was truly inspirational. It was the most interactive tea break session we have ever had. I am so happy that I booked Maggie to speak to us during Black History Month. She is so relatable and relevant; I would not hesitate to recommend Maggie Alphonsi.” — Dee, Network Rail
“Maggie was a great speaker – very engaging and interesting, and we had fantastic feedback from the event. Maggie was very easy to work with as well, and polite and punctual which was brilliant. Overall, we are very happy with the services we were provided and would definitely recommend Champions and Maggie.” – Lauren, Brand & Communications Manager, CACI
“Please send my thanks to Maggie, the event was fantastic! We’ve had great feedback from the attendees who described Maggie as really insightful, personable and down-to-earth. Thank you so much for your help to organise this.” – SNYK
“Maggie was really strong on the topic and extremely articulate so we would love to work with her again at some point. Please thank her for her time” – Lisa, Inclusion, Wellbeing & Community Senior Manager, Flutter
“It was superb. Maggie was really strong on the topic and extremely articulate so would love to work with her again at some point.” – Paddy Power
“Maggie is an incredibly inspirational speaker. Her presentation was topical and acknowledged the important role that teachers, PE and sport plays in lives. She presented with high energy, emotion, empathy and humour and ignited the audience. She was awesome!” – Mike, National Association For Physical Education
“Maggie was a fantastic speaker, she was so easy to work with and made our lives very easy – she completely nailed the theme and was fully prepared and polished from start to finish. The attendees absolutely loved her – she created a welcoming and interactive atmosphere, and was undeniably a fantastically open, personable (and funny!) speaker. Her content was applicable to all and everyone took a message away from her talk – the compliments are still flooding in as we speak!” – Olivia, Reed Smith
“Just wanted to say how fantastic Maggie was on our live event. If you could pass on our huge thanks to her please, I’d be really grateful.” – Lisa, Internal Communications Manager, Polaris Community
“For Black History Month (UK/Netherlands), we had the honour of having Maggie Alphonsi for a speaker session. Maggie shared her powerful story of resilience, determination, and breaking barriers in her career to challenge perspectives and adversity. Maggie’s motivating story, as well as her ability to continuously engage the audience, allowed everyone to leave the session with something meaningful. By sharing her lived experience, Maggie embodied this year’s Black History Month theme ‘Reclaiming Narratives,’ reminding us that we can all be the change we want to see.” — Maame Dei, DEI Specialist, WildBrain
“We had an exceptionally smooth booking process with Laura and Mark from Champions. They assisted us in selecting a guest speaker for our internal event with remarkable ease, despite multiple questions and delays. Maggie Alphonsi was incredible and really engaged with employees. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with many stating she was the best speaker they had ever seen and that her message resonated well with individuals. Our leadership team considered her the standout of the event and expressed eagerness to hire her again. We were thoroughly impressed with how Champions organised the briefing calls and facilitated our connection with Maggie.” – Freya, Unilever
“Maggie was an amazing guest speaker whose captivating motivational speech resonated deeply with everyone. She helped transform the day into an unforgettable experience for all of us at Bunzl Safety & Workwear Solutions with her personal stories of determination and strength. Maggie’s warm presence and engaging style connected with the delegates on a personal level, leaving a lasting impact and inspiring us to strive for our best.” – Katie, Facilities Manager, BunzlSafety & WorkwearSolutions
Speaking Topics
Maggie Alphonsi’s Official Keynote Topics:
- High-Performance Teamwork
- Resilience & Overcoming Adversity
- Peak Performance Mindset
- Inclusive Leadership & Driving DEI
How Much Does Maggie Alphonsi Cost to Hire?
How Much Does it Cost to Hire Maggie Alphonsi?
The cost of hiring Maggie Alphonsi varies depending on the event format, location and duration of appearance. For an accurate and tailored quote for your event, please contact a London Keynote Speaker Agency booking agent for expert guidance.