Rugby star reflects on move from boot room to boardroom at major business event in Kenilworth

Former England rugby union star Leon Lloyd was a guest speaker at the latest Coventry and Warwickshire Champions event, which was held at the newly-built Kenilworth School and Sixth Form.

Lloyd, who went to Coundon Court School, described how he left the city at 16 to live with former England captain Martin Johnson as he embarked on a professional rugby career with Leicester Tigers.

He would go on to make 266 appearances for Leicester, including scoring twice in the Heineken Cup Final against Stade Francais in Paris to help his side lift the prestigious trophy in 2001.

Lloyd is now a director of Centrum Solutions that helps athletes and military veterans to transition into new careers and has also written a book ‘From Boot Room to Boardoom’ which tracks his own journey.

After Coventry City’s win against Wolves in the FA Cup quarter final, Lloyd joked to the 160-strong audience of businesses and stakeholders in the region: “I’ve always dreamt of scoring the winning goal in a cup final for Coventry City – maybe there is still time to get the call!”

Lloyd spoke of the importance of team-work throughout his career and highlighted two other Coventrians – Neil Back and Darren Garforth – as being unsung heroes in Leicester Tigers’ dominance of club rugby union in the early 2000s.

“You need a mix of people to make a great team,” he said. “They would do things on a rugby field that I couldn’t and, likewise, I brought something different to the team that all helped to create a winning formula.

“When I was a kid, it was all me, me, me! But, being part of that team, made me realise it was all about ‘we’ if you wanted to be successful.”

The event was opened by Nic Erskine, the executive director of CW Champions, and was facilitated by PLMR Advent’s Adam Dent.

Dent interviewed the RSC’s Sophie Davies and The Wigley Group’s Alex Considine – who both recently starred at the Champions’ NextGen event for young professionals – about their experiences carving out careers in the region.

The event was concluded with a presentation from Jon Hendry-Pickup, the managing director of Butlin’s, who lives in Leamington and is an alumnus of Warwick Business School.

Erskine said: “We were delighted to have such an amazing mix of speakers and that’s what makes the Champions events so special.

“We hear from those who are doing business in the region or those who have a connection to Coventry and Warwickshire and can bring their own personal insight to our audience.

“On top of that, we get to host our events in some amazing venues across the region and Kenilworth School was exactly that – what an incredible new place for young people to learn and become the region’s future success stories!”