One of Britain’s Most Successful Competitive Swimmers, Six-Time World Champion, Eight-Time World Record Holder & Founder of Mark Foster Swimming Academy
Mark Foster is one of Britain’s most successful competitive swimmers, enjoying a remarkable 23 year career that established him as one of the sport’s greatest sprint specialists. Competing predominantly in the 50-metre butterfly and freestyle events, Mark won 51 international medals, claimed World, European and Commonwealth titles, broke eight world records and represented Great Britain at five Olympic Games. In 2008, he was selected as Team GB’s flag bearer at the Beijing Olympic Games opening ceremony, one of the highest honours in British sport. Today, he is an acclaimed broadcaster, commentator, motivational speaker and health advocate, inspiring audiences with his experiences both in and out of the pool.
Mark’s swimming journey began at an early age, becoming the fastest swimmer in Britain by just fifteen years old. First selected for the British team in 1985, he enjoyed his breakthrough success by winning bronze in the 50-metre freestyle at the 1990 Commonwealth Games. Over the following two decades, he established himself as one of the world’s leading sprint swimmers, competing at five Olympic Games and five Commonwealth Games while consistently collecting medals across major international championships. Following his retirement from competitive swimming, Mark successfully transitioned into broadcasting, becoming a respected BBC commentator for major swimming events, including the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Alongside his media career, he co-founded the dance fitness programme FitSteps with Natalie Lowe and Ian Waite and established the Mark Foster Swimming Academy to develop future generations of swimmers.
Throughout his career, Mark accumulated 51 international medals and broke eight world records, cementing his reputation as one of Britain’s greatest swimmers. His appointment as Team GB’s flag bearer at the Beijing Olympics remains one of the defining moments of his career. He is also the author of ‘My Double Life: My Autobiography’, offering an honest account of his sporting success and personal journey. Beyond the pool, Mark has become a passionate advocate for healthier lifestyles, equality and inclusion, using his platform to support important causes and encourage positive wellbeing.
Mark’s influence extends well beyond elite sport. Following his appearance on Strictly Come Dancing, he embraced new opportunities across television, becoming a regular pundit, panellist and celebrity contestant on programmes including A Question of Sport, MasterChef, Mastermind, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and Pointless. He has also supported charities including WellChild, SportsAid, Movember, The Prostate Cancer Charity and BT Swimathon. Since publicly coming out in 2017, Mark has become a respected voice for the LGBTQ+ community, championing compassion, equality and inclusion while continuing to inspire audiences with his humour, resilience and commitment to living a balanced, healthy life.
Why Hire Mark Foster?
Mark Foster delivers engaging and motivational keynote speeches built on lessons from one of Britain’s most decorated swimming careers. Drawing on his experiences of competing at five Olympic Games, breaking world records and transitioning successfully into broadcasting and business, he shares valuable insights into resilience, high performance, leadership and embracing change. His openness about mental wellbeing, identity and inclusion adds further depth to his presentations. With his experience as an accomplished television presenter and Olympic commentator, Mark is an entertaining, authentic, and inspiring speaker for corporate events, conferences and sporting audiences.
- VIDEOS
- TESTIMONIALS
- SPEAKING TOPICS
- COSTS
“He was absolutely fantastic, our clients loved him! The queue for photos with him after his speech was never ending!” – Harriet, Thomsons
“Mark was fantastic. He spoke really well and engaged with all the children as well as the adults. He signed autographs and had lots of photos and was a lovely guy to chat to, please thank him so much from us.” – Judy, Chesham Prep School
“Mark was great – everyone agreed that it was the best and buzziest NSBA ever.” – Northern Star Business Awards
“Mark was absolutely fantastic at every stage of the process. The audience really connected with him and he made everyone feel at ease. I would love to get him back for future events! Thanks so much for all your help at Champions as well, the event was a complete success thanks to you and the team” – Dan, New Product Planning Lead – Ireland, Takeda
“Relaxed and professional, Mark helped to make the event a great success. One of our best awards ceremonies to date!” – The Energy Institute
“Mark was a superb speaker; open, frank, positive, constructive and enlightening, we all came away with a refreshed perspective on self-care, choosing your outlook and positive mindset – and how these approaches can help us through hard times.” – Alun, Health & Wellbeing Strategy Lead, UK Home Office
“Mark was a powerful speaker, he held the room and touched on so many relevant points for us, especially allyship. We’ve already had lots of positive feedback and would recommend him!” – Hannah-Minna, Compliance Manager, BMS
“Mark was a speaker at Leicester Tigers for a game that we played against London Welsh. With over 300 people in the room, Mark used different techniques to keep everyone engaged and interested in what he was saying. With mostly business men and sports fans in the room Mark was able to conduct himself in a manner that suited both parties and children. Mark’s experience in life after sport was extremely interesting and our 1st team players took this in as something they need to start thinking about as well. The interactivity that Mark had with our guests was exceptional and spent over an hour signing autographs and having photos and it was a pleasure to host him and have him as our guest speaker.” – Emily, Leicester Tigers
“Mark was a spokesperson for Gillette’s International Men’s day campaign where we wanted to raise awareness of men’s health but importantly male role models and the impact they can have. Mark spoke eloquently on his experiences growing up and what he sees as important for kids growing up. He really nailed the messaging and as a last minute brief to him he delivered above and beyond what we could have asked for.” – Mark, HK Strategies
“I’d like to thank Mark for his massive contribution to our event. He was a total hit with the audience and is scoring 10/10 in our post event survey! From my perspective, he encapsulated the brief perfectly and got all the messages I needed out to the team in a really compelling but down to earth way. His style was relaxed but he had everyone hooked from the start, right through to the end. The Q&A was a real highlight and I really appreciate him addressing the many questions from the floor in such an encouraging way. Inspirational! Mark was open, warm, friendly and extremely polite to everyone he met on the night and very accommodating to the many ‘selfie’ requests. Genuinely a lovely human being! Everyone was still talking about Mark the next day which shows the deep impact he had on the team and I’m sure this will encourage them to test themselves ‘beyond limits’ in the future.”- Nathalie, BT & EE
“Firstly, thank you kindly for recommending Mark Foster. He was fantastic, very personable and a brilliant speaker. He very openly shared his personal and professional stories, which were very inspiring and thoroughly engaged the audience. We’re received great feedback so far and I really appreciate you suggesting him” – Grace, American Express
“Please pass on a huge note of thanks to Mark Foster on behalf of Oracle Pride Employee Network. Mark spent over an hour with us this morning sharing some very private and heart felt honest life experiences that he has had over the years, many of which resonated with our audience.The feedback that I have received from the 50+ individuals that attended has been amazing, from “What a genuine man” to “I would love to go for a beer with him”. ” – Sara, Oracle
- The Olympics Games
- Diversity, Inclusion & Equality
- Dealing With Pressure
- Peak Performance
- Motivation & Inspiration
- Drive & Determination
- Overcoming Adversity
The cost of hiring Mark Foster depends on your event format, location, duration and any travel requirements. For an accurate and tailored quote, please contact a SpeakOut booking agent for expert guidance.
