Sally Gunnell shares tales of a golden career with Belfast audience  

Olympic athlete Sally Gunnell OBE entertained guests at the Ulster Hockey Club 1896 Gala Lunch on Friday (20^thSeptember) in Titanic Belfast, as she shared remarkable tales from her glittering athletics career and her personal and professional life since retirement from sport.

Speaking in conversation with broadcaster Denise Watson, the world record breaking athlete delighted guests with memories of the 1992 Olympics, the challenges she faced throughout her career and her ongoing goal of ‘sustaining excellence’ at every stage of life.

The audience, made up of representatives from local business and sport including special guests such as Lady Mary Peters, also enjoyed a panel discussion between Lynsey Mallon, Managing Partner of law firm and event sponsor Arthur Cox, former international hockey champion Eugene Magee and Angela Platt, Director of Women’s Football with the IFA.

The panel explored areas of common ground such as embracing confidence, how to lead, the importance of inspiring young talent and the role of accessibility in both business and sport.

Speaking about the event, Chief Executive of Ulster Hockey Marc Scott said: “Having the incredible Sally Gunnell to our 2024 Gala Lunch as keynote speaker was an absolute honour. Sally’s rise to the top in the early 1990s was truly iconic and unforgettable. Her determination, talent and personality made her a much-loved figure. To hear firsthand how she achieved greatness and continues to apply a mindset of being the best you can be, was inspirational for everyone in the room.

“We were also privileged to have an extremely successful, distinguished panel of speakers in Lynsey Mallon, Eugene Magee and Angela Platt, each of whom provided fascinating insights into their own career journeys and provoked an interesting discussion amongst our audience,” Marc Scott said.

Club 1896 was formed by Ulster Hockey a year ago to bring together business and sports organisations to create valuable connections, inspire new partnerships and drive growth whilst also helping the profile and development of hockey in Northern Ireland.  The forum meets four times a year for networking events that feature Q&As with well known figures from business and sport.

“This year’s Gala Lunch was a resounding success,” Marc Scott continues. “We are extremely encouraged by the positivity from all involved. The growing momentum behind our Club 1896 forum indicates that there is definite support for bringing the commercial and sporting worlds closer together for the greater good.”

Lynsey Mallon, Managing Partner of event sponsor Arthur Cox Northern Ireland, said:

“Arthur Cox is proud to support Ulster Hockey’s Club 1896 Gala Lunch as its theme of ‘inspiring greatness’ resonates strongly with the Arthur Cox brand.

“As Managing Partner of Northern Ireland’s leading corporate law firm, I recognise that in delivering excellent client service our high performing teams draw upon many of the same skills that elite athletes use to achieve greatness in their respective fields. Therefore, there are many parallels between the worlds of sport and business, and lots of experience to be shared.

“Events such as the Club 1896 Gala Lunch highlight the importance of great leadership, integrity, collaboration and resilience in achieving excellence across all fields, and allow for the development of meaningful connections between business and the wider community.”