They’re from two different sports and generations, but legendary England rugby coach Sir Clive Woodward and double amputee racing champion Billy Monger have one thing in common.
From transforming an amateur team to a formidable professional side, to returning to victory after a horrific accident, Advertising Week Europe 2020 delegates are set to be inspired by Woodward and Monger’s stories of fighting adversity to come out on top.
Known as “Billy Whizz”, there was no stopping Billy Monger when he made his competitive racing debut in 2009 aged just 10. By 2016, Monger had sped his way to the British F4 Championships.
But his life changed forever in 2017. Just two weeks before his 18th birthday, while competing at the iconic Donington Park, a 120 mile per hour collision left Monger with life-changing injuries, resulting in a double amputation.
The motorsport community rallied behind Monger, launching a fundraising campaign for his rehabilitation that raised more than £800,000, backed by Formula 1 drivers Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Felipe Massa. “Billy Whiz” stickers were even placed on cars during the British Touring Car Championship that year.
Eleven weeks later, Monger was back behind the wheel with help from Team BRIT, which helps disabled drivers to take part in motorsport through specially adapted vehicles. Monger and his family successfully appealed to the sport's governing body to change its regulations restricting disabled drivers. In a car modified by motor racing team Carlin, Monger made his return to racing in 2018, in the British F3 Championship, going onto finish third and walking onto the podium.
In 2019, Monger won the Pau Grand Prix in a specially adapted car. He had infamously dropped to last after switching to wet-weather tyres, but the strategy paid off as he surged past other drivers to claim the lead as the first disabled driver to race a single-seater car.
Monger was awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Helen Rollason Award in 2018 for outstanding achievement in the face of adversity and has since gone on to become a Channel 4 F1 commentator. Monger has also since been actively raising awareness for disabled sports people, charities and medical groups.
Sir Clive Woodward, meanwhile, overcame the challenges of balancing an amateur sporting career with an office sales job. Passion, talent and determination won out, and he made his England debut in 1980.
After a stellar playing career, which included 21 caps for England, he faced a period of transition. He established his own IT leasing company with his wife and took up various coaching positions.
When Jack Rowell retired as England coach in 1997, Woodward took on the role, with the task of boosting the team from amateur to professional. And boost he did: England became Six Nations champions in 2000 and 2001, defeated the All Blacks in New Zealand for the first time since 1973, and unforgettably, steered England to Rugby World Cup victory in 2003. From 2000 to 2003, Woodward's England claimed a record 41 wins from 46 matches.
Woodward’s performance on and off the field was rewarded with a knighthood in 2004 and an induction into the IRB Hall of Fame in 2011. In 2006, he joined the British Olympic Association as a director.
Woodward now balances his rugby commentary for ITV Sport with his charity work and new venture Hive Learning, which he founded in 2012 after identifying an opportunity to harness mobile technology to help teams deliver continuous high performance.
Hive Learning helps global sports organisations like the International Olympic Committee, The Football Association and Scottish Rugby Union connect their workforces via a digital hub to share knowledge and collaborate.
The enterprise social learning platform has also branched into the corporate world, through interactive Innovation, Leadership and Diversity and Inclusion programmes, allowing organisations to drive professional development and positive workforce behavior change at scale.
“Billy Monger’s story is one of sheer courage and resilience. Despite the horrible trauma of losing both his legs, he displays such positivity and tenacity to continue to win in the world of racing which is truly inspiring for all of us who face challenges in our careers,” says Elizabeth Petra, Executive Director, Advertising Week Europe.
“And who could forget Sir Clive Woodward taking the England rugby team to victory in the 2003 World Cup? He is a man who has injected business smarts into his sporting career, and now, through his work with Hive Learning, he is empowering companies to transform and innovate at the scale and pace needed in today’s corporate landscape.”
Don’t miss Billy Monger at Advertising Week Europe 2020 on Monday, March 16 in conversation with Kathleen Saxton and Sir Clive Woodward, presented by Havas, on Thursday, March 19. Check out the complete line-up here. Get your tickets here.
