Chris Holmes – Keynote Speaker

Chris Holmes is a highly effective advocate for the potential of technology and the benefits of diversity and inclusion. He is a member of the House of Lords where he sits on the influential Science and Technology Select Committee and advises the Government on diversity and inclusion.

Chris Holmes is a prominent champion of the fintech industry in Parliament and is an expert in technology trends, emerging technologies, AI, blockchain, DLT, crypto and associated regulation. Before entering the House of Lords at the age of just 42, Chris had already achieved a lot. At the age of 14 and completely unexpectedly Chris went blind overnight.

Just a few years later his extraordinary courage and determination led to him becoming Britain’s most successful swimmer winning a total of 9 gold, 5 silvers and 1 bronze medal at the Paralympics. He also gained a string of World and European titles, broke 35 world records and was awarded an MBE for services to British sport at the age of 20. Chris was member of the Great Britain swimming team for seventeen years and captain for five.

After retiring from competitive swimming Chris Holmes worked as a journalist before qualifying and working as a commercial lawyer specialising in employment and pensions. In 2009 Chris was appointed Director of Paralympic Integration for London 2012. In this role, Chris Holmes drew on political skills, strategic know-how and his incredible determination to deliver the most successful Paralympics ever. It worked. London 2012 was the first games to have all sponsors signed to both Olympics and Paralympics, the first games to sell out all the stadia for every session and, incredibly, the first games to achieve worldwide television audiences in the hundreds of millions.

A masterful storyteller Chris communicates his incredible life story and ongoing sense of purpose with humour, humility and grace.