Mike Forde
As the former Director of Football Operations at Chelsea FC, Mike Forde is one of the UK’s leading Sports Executives, having worked at senior level in the English Premier League (EPL) for the past 15 years.
He is widely recognized as a leading figure in the EPL and European Soccer for driving innovation and cutting edge methods across this High Performance world. The English Premier is by far the most followed sport in the world, with over 900 million followers. A typical live match between two top EPL teams will be watched by about 120 million people worldwide.
Between August 2007 and June 2013 he was Director of Football Operations and Executive Club Director for Chelsea Football Club in the EPL. In this role he dealt with all areas of performance and team operations relating to the 1st team, including player recruitment; medical; sport science; psychology and performance analysis. In this period Chelsea won the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, the Premier League title and three FA Cups – the most successful era in the clubs history. He was responsible for overseeing over $500 million in player transfers into the team including multiple FIFA World Cup, European Championship and UEFA Champions League winners. He also worked very closely on a daily basis with some of the sport’s greatest- ever coaches including Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Luiz Scolari, Guus Hiddink, Andre Villas-Boas and Rafael Benitez.
Between November 1999 and July 2007 he was Performance Director for Bolton Wanderers Football Club, a team operating under much more restricted finances than many of the more well-known clubs in the league. He helped lead them to four consecutive top six EPL finishes (a record for the club stretching back over 100 years). Bolton were widely recognised as one of the most effective clubs in achieving maximum performance from relatively limited resources.
He has a BSc in Sport Science from Liverpool John Moores University and an MSc in Psychology and Sport from San Diego State University / Leeds Metropolitan University.
Mike also serves as a Non-Executive Director with the Lawn Tennis Association / Wimbledon and has advised on High Performance Cultures and Talent Management across a variety of global sports including International Rugby Union; International Cricket and F1. He is currently a strategic advisor to the San Antonio Spurs NBA basketball team in the US, and to the McLaren Formula One Applied Technologies division. Mike also sits on the Board as a non-executive Director on two major Private Equity Funds specializing in the Sport, Leisure and Entertainment sector.
Mike is a sought after expert in Sports Business and Performance, drawing on his elite experience to impart and develop wide-ranging learning, integration and best practice in High Performance and its practical implications and transfer to the world of business. He currently delivers over 35 keynote speeches per year across the globe on High Performance and Talent Management themes to some of the leading corporations in the world.
TOPICS:-
Creating a High Performance Environment; Leadership and Teambuilding
Strategies and Mindsets for becoming a High Achiever
The Role of Talent in Creating a Powerful Organisation
Are you interested in this speaker? Then send us an email!