How Olympic legend Mark Tewksbury became a global leadership icon

Mark Tewksbury is a world-renowned leadership speaker whose remarkable journey from Olympic champion to global advocate has inspired audiences across business, education, and sport. 

Best known for winning gold for Canada in the 100m backstroke at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Mark has since become an influential voice on performance, inclusion, and ethical leadership - helping organisations understand what it takes to thrive under pressure and lead with integrity.

Beyond the podium, Mark has served as Chair of the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Athletes Commission, a mentor to emerging leaders, and a keynote speaker at the United Nations. His story, rooted in courage and authenticity, continues to resonate with teams striving to balance excellence with empathy.

In this exclusive interview with The LGBT Speakers Agency, Mark reflects on the power of representation, the lessons elite sport teaches about leadership, and how authenticity can transform both individuals and organisations.

Q1: As Canada’s first openly gay Olympian, how do you view the importance of representation for young LGBT+ athletes today?

Mark Tewksbury: “Well, I guess it's really important for people to see role models - people that represent them. But I have to tell you, coming out was not an easy thing. I never imagined I would share such personal stuff publicly.

“There just came a moment - gosh, in 1998 - so many, many years ago, long before people were talking about gay, lesbian, and bisexual or transgender issues in the public, long before television shows were out there, long before anybody in sport really came out. 

“I just decided sometimes the personal becomes political, and unfortunately, I am a role model. I couldn't keep this dance of ‘it's my private life, no one needs to know’ and ‘who knows and who doesn’t?’ So finally, I just decided to break those silos down.

“It's been really interesting - I’ve been a role model for many, many athletes. It was really important around the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games when Russia declared that anti-propaganda law, basically excluding the LGBT community or targeting them. 

“Coming to Sochi, there was a 17-year-old young luge athlete from Canada who was a closeted gay guy, and he was so terrified to go, thinking the Russians would be looking through his phone and computer and he could go to jail.

“He reached out to his sports psychologist, and I got to be his mentor through that process. That really brought home for me the first-hand, frontline importance of being there to support the next generation and what it means for young LGBT+ athletes to know that other people have been there before them.”

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Q2: Earlier in your career, a corporate client described you as ‘too openly gay.’ How did that moment influence your decision to live authentically and speak openly?

Mark Tewksbury: “Yeah, so this was many, many years ago before I came out. For a corporate client to say, ‘You’re too gay,’ I was like, wait a minute - I’m not out! I don’t think I’m gay enough! So I went the opposite.

“That was actually the impetus for me to come out publicly. When I was discriminated against, I lost a massive six-figure speaking contract. Ironically, the guy was gay himself. 

“So it’s one of those classic examples - sometimes the women in power don’t want other women to succeed, and sometimes the gay person that’s closeted in a corporate environment, certainly 25 years ago, was terrified of somebody that might look gayer than them because it might expose them.

“So I just decided enough of this. If I’m being discriminated against and I’m not even out, what have I got to lose? You’re not gay enough, you’re too gay - let’s just be who we are.”

Q3: You’ve spoken often about diversity and inclusion in sport. From your perspective, what practical steps can organisations take to make sporting environments truly inclusive?

Mark Tewksbury: “Well, I think that we have to be really purposeful. In fact, just like the business community has to be super purposeful right now about making sure that we’re representative.

“People are sometimes miffed about this idea of diversity and inclusion, and I like to explain it really simply. For me, it’s like you’re trying to make the most amazing stew or bowl of soup imaginable. 

“Diversity is all the ingredients that go into that soup, but inclusion is the cauldron that the soup is actually made in - that’s the culture you create through the language you use, the tone you set, and how you make people feel like they can be themselves at work.

“The stronger that cauldron is, the more those ingredients can bring out the best in themselves and fully flavour that soup. Otherwise, it’s a bland soup if nobody’s allowed to shine and do their thing.

“So, diversity and inclusion - you just want to create the best possible soup for your culture. You’ve got to have that place where people feel like they can bring themselves fully to work.”

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Q4: How did competing at the Olympic Games shape your mindset, both as an athlete and as a leader?

Mark Tewksbury: “The Olympics have completely shaped who I am. They really taught me the fundamentals of high performance - how to lead myself to amazing results, how to lead others, and how to sustain it.

“The Olympic movement - it’s the athletes, it’s the coaches, but it’s also sustained by values and something that gives it all meaning. Without that sort of other layer, the gold medal doesn’t mean that much. It’s really taught me a lot about high performance.

“There’s this myth that high performance is for the elite, but actually, the fundamentals of high performance started for me as an eight-year-old kid. All the way through that trajectory, it took me to the highest levels of what I did. 

“But high performance is really that ability to constantly improve, to constantly evaluate what you’re doing and find ways to be better today than you were yesterday. That’s a philosophy that works not just through the Olympics and sport but in life.”

Q5: What personal traits do you believe define a true Olympian - both in sport and beyond it?

Mark Tewksbury: “Well, I think there are all kinds of them - many, many micro-skills that are needed to be successful and to bring your best in whatever we’re doing.

“It requires a lot of self-awareness, agility, and resilience to get through the tough times. It requires mental fortitude to be strong when sometimes you might want to give up. It requires being open to change and being flexible and adaptable to do things differently.

“It just laid such a solid foundation - to pivot and to do what’s needed to be successful in the moment. Once you do that step, then you look to the next one after that.”

This exclusive interview with Mark Tewksbury was conducted by Chris Tompkins of The Motivational Speakers Agency.

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