John McCalla-Leacy Keynote Speaker

Former Fashion & Knitwear Designer at United Colors of Benetton, Great Britain Whitewater Canoe Slalom Athlete & Olympic Coach, and Global ESG Leader & Vice Chair at KPMG—where he built a $1B+ business.
Featured on the UK Powerlist, Empower Role Model List, and named a Top 50 leader in UK Sustainable Finance.
Chair of the KPMG Foundation and Strategy Adviser to a Global Corporate operating across 100+ countries.

John McCalla-Leacy's Biography

John McCalla-Leacy’s extraordinary career defies convention. Moving seamlessly from elite sport to high fashion and global corporate leadership, he delivers unparalleled insights on high-performance leadership, creativity, resilience, and transformation in turbulent times.

Before rising to senior global leadership roles at KPMG, John was a GB canoe slalom elite coach and junior team elite athlete. He is also a former British Open and European Martial Arts Association Champion, experiences that shaped his approach to discipline, resilience, and performing under pressure. Earlier in his career, he worked as a knitwear and fashion designer, as well as a regional commercial manager for United Colors of Benetton, developing a strong foundation in creativity, consumer insight, and leadership.

He spent more than 25 years at KPMG advising organisations on disruption, transformation, and growth at scale, ultimately serving as the firm’s Global ESG Leader across 143 markets spanning Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East. During his time there, he built a global ESG and sustainability business that exceeded $1 billion in revenues in record time and created the pioneering ‘Blue Marble’ concept, a globally recognised sustainability narrative that generated millions of views.

Beyond ESG, John has led complex technology transformation programmes, global M&A separations and integrations and large-scale organisational change. A recognised thought leader, he has contributed to major global forums including: COP, Davos, and both London and New York Climate Week, and has been named among the UK’s Top 50 most influential people in Sustainable Finance.

As an elite coach, former international athlete, and business leader, John combines boardroom experience with a remarkable career journey to equip audiences with practical tools and fresh perspectives on leadership, innovation, resilience, and thriving in an increasingly complex world.

High-Performance Leadership

Cultivating elite team dynamics across sports, creative industries, and corporate boardrooms.

Resilience & Transformation

Leading through ambiguity and driving monumental change in turbulent times.

Purpose-Driven Growth

Leveraging sustainability, and authenticity to scale commercial success.

He is a globally experienced business leader whose unconventional journey across elite sport, fashion and corporate transformation offers a unique perspective on leadership and performance.
He translates lessons from high-pressure environments into practical insights on resilience, innovation, organisational change and leading through complexity.
He brings exceptional credibility through more than 25 years at KPMG, where he led global transformation and sustainability initiatives across 143 markets.
He is an engaging and thought-provoking speaker whose blend of boardroom leadership, athletic discipline and creative thinking resonates strongly with modern organisations.
His insights equip leaders and teams to navigate disruption, drive sustainable growth and build high-performance cultures in rapidly changing environments.