Ram Charan
Global CEO Advisor | Bestselling Author of Execution & China's 90% Model | Thinkers50 Hall of Fame | Harvard Business School Faculty
Susie Wolff
Managing Director, F1 Academy | CNBC Changemaker 2026 | Former F1 Development Driver, Williams | MBE | Founder, Dare to Be Different
Susie Wolff made history as the first woman in twenty-two years to compete in a Formula 1 race weekend — and has spent the decade since dismantling the barriers that made that milestone so rare. As Managing Director of F1 Academy, she has transformed Formula 1's all-female junior series into the second-most followed motorsport series in the world, named a CNBC Changemaker in 2026. Her keynotes are a masterclass in what leadership, inclusion, and sheer determination can build.
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Susie Wolff biography
Susie Wolff is one of the most consequential figures in global motorsport today — a trailblazing former racing driver turned transformative sports executive whose work is actively reshaping what Formula 1 looks like for the next generation. Born and raised in Oban, Scotland, she began karting at the age of eight, winning the British Kart Racing Driver of the Year title in 1996 before progressing through Formula Renault and the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) for Mercedes-Benz. In 2014, she made history at the British Grand Prix as the first woman in twenty-two years to participate in a Formula 1 race weekend, competing as a Development Driver for the Williams F1 team. She retired from driving in 2015, having spent over two decades competing at the highest levels of the sport, and was awarded an MBE in 2017 for her services to motorsport.
Part of women speakers around the globe, Susie Wolff’s influence since leaving the cockpit has been even more significant than her driving career. She founded Dare to Be Different, a pioneering initiative that invited school girls aged eight to fourteen to engage with motorsport-related activities across the United Kingdom, before merging with the FIA Girls on Track programme in 2019 to extend its global reach. She then served as CEO of Venturi Formula E from 2021, overseeing the team’s best-ever Championship results before taking on the role that has come to define this chapter of her career.
Building F1 Academy Into a Global Platform
In March 2023, Wolff was appointed Managing Director of F1 Academy — Formula 1’s all-female junior racing series — reporting directly to F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali. What she inherited was a nascent series with no broadcasting, no F1 team backing, and races held in front of empty grandstands. What she has built is something entirely different. Under her leadership, F1 Academy has secured support from all ten Formula 1 teams, expanded its grid from 15 to 18 cars, launched broadcast coverage in over 160 territories, produced the Netflix docuseries F1: The Academy, and grown its fanbase by 31% year-on-year according to a Nielsen global study — making it the second-most followed series after Formula 1 itself, per the 2025 Global F1 Fan Survey. She has also attracted landmark commercial partnerships with Charlotte Tilbury, American Express, TAG Heuer, Tommy Hilfiger, Gatorade, PUMA, and The LEGO Group. In February 2026, CNBC recognized her as a Changemaker, citing her role in broadening F1’s commercial and broadcast reach while creating a sustainable business model and inspiring the next generation of female racing talent. Her drivers are now progressing: 2024 champion Abbi Pulling competed in GB3 and drove for Nissan’s Formula E team; 2025 champion Doriane Pin became a Mercedes development driver set to race in the European Le Mans Series.
As a speaker, Susie Wolff brings a rare combination of lived experience and executive achievement to every stage she takes. She has competed at the top of the most demanding sport in the world, led a Formula E team as CEO, and is now transforming an entire championship from the ground up. Her keynotes are grounded, direct, and shaped by the conviction that diversity is not a social obligation but a competitive imperative — and that inclusion, when properly designed, produces results.
Susie Wolff Speaking Videos
Susie Wolff - How Big Data & AI is applied in Formula E Racing
Susie Wolff - Day I scared the life out of track day guest!
Susie Wolff Keynote Topics
From competing in a sport where women were told they didn't belong, to building an organization that is actively changing that reality, Susie Wolff's career is a study in what it takes to perform and prevail in environments that were not designed for you. In this keynote, she shares the mindset, strategies, and habits that allowed her to reach the top of motorsport as a driver, lead a Formula E team as CEO, and transform F1 Academy from a standing start into a globally recognized championship. The lessons are directly transferable to any leader navigating resistance, bias, or an institutional culture that resists change — and they are delivered with the authority of someone who has lived every word.
When Susie Wolff took over as Managing Director of F1 Academy in 2023, she inherited a series with no broadcast deal, no team support, and races in front of empty grandstands. Three years later it is the second-most followed motorsport series in the world. In this keynote, she takes audiences inside the decisions, partnerships, and cultural shifts that drove that transformation — how to align stakeholders around a mission that challenges the status quo, how to build commercial partnerships that amplify rather than compromise your values, and how to create an organization that produces results that silence even the most skeptical critics. A compelling session for any leader responsible for organizational transformation, turnaround, or growth from scratch.
The most persistent misconception about diversity and inclusion initiatives is that they are acts of generosity rather than competitive choices. Susie Wolff has spent her career proving otherwise. In this keynote, she examines the evidence behind inclusion as performance strategy, using the F1 Academy case — where every major commercial and sporting metric has improved in tandem with the series' diversity mission — to demonstrate that when organizations create genuine opportunity for underrepresented talent, they do not sacrifice standards. They raise them. This is a talk for senior leaders who want to move beyond the language of inclusion into the mechanics of it: what it actually takes to design systems, cultures, and incentive structures that produce results.
No one wins alone in motorsport — not a driver, not a team principal, not a Managing Director. In this keynote, Wolff draws on over two decades of experience competing and leading in Formula 1, Formula E, and F1 Academy to examine what genuine high-performance teamwork looks like under pressure: how elite teams align around a shared goal, how they build the trust to have honest conversations when things go wrong, how they manage conflict productively, and how they sustain excellence over multiple seasons rather than peaking once. The frameworks are drawn from sport but the applications are universal — and the stories are as riveting as any race.
Speaker topics
FAQs on Booking Susie Wolff
Why Susie Wolff?
Booking Susie Wolff means bringing to your stage a speaker who has broken barriers in one of sport's most exclusive environments and then gone back to redesign the system that kept those barriers in place. As the first woman in twenty-two years to participate in a Formula 1 race weekend, an MBE recipient, CEO of a Formula E team, and now the Managing Director who has transformed F1 Academy into the second-most followed motorsport series in the world, Wolff speaks from a position of both personal achievement and institutional impact. What makes her exceptional as a keynote speaker is the directness of her message: inclusion is not charity, it is strategy — and the results of F1 Academy prove it. For organizations focused on diversity and inclusion, leadership, high-performance culture, or women in business and sport, Susie Wolff is one of the most credible and compelling voices available. Contact Aurum Speakers Bureau to discuss availability.
What is F1 Academy and what has Susie Wolff achieved there?
F1 Academy is Formula 1's all-female junior racing series, launched in 2023 to create a structured, well-resourced pathway for young female drivers to progress through the motorsport pyramid toward F1. When Susie Wolff was appointed Managing Director in March 2023, the series had no broadcast deal, no F1 team backing, and minimal visibility. Under her leadership it has secured support from all ten F1 teams, expanded its grid to 18 cars, launched broadcast coverage in over 160 territories, produced a Netflix docuseries, grown its fanbase by 31% year-on-year, and built a commercial portfolio including partnerships with Charlotte Tilbury, American Express, TAG Heuer, Tommy Hilfiger, and The LEGO Group. Its graduates are now progressing — 2024 champion Abbi Pulling competed in GB3, and 2025 champion Doriane Pin became a Mercedes development driver. In 2026, CNBC named Wolff a Changemaker for her work building the series.
What was Susie Wolff's history as a racing driver?
Susie Wolff began karting at eight years old in Oban, Scotland, winning the British Kart Racing Driver of the Year title in 1996. She progressed through Formula Renault before spending eleven years competing in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) for Mercedes-Benz, one of the world's most competitive touring car championships. She joined the Williams Formula 1 team as a Development Driver and, at the 2014 British Grand Prix, became the first woman in twenty-two years to take part in a Formula 1 race weekend — a moment that made global headlines and redefined what women's participation in the sport could look like. She retired from competitive driving in 2015 and was awarded an MBE in the 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours for her services to motorsport and her advocacy for women in sport.
What topics does sports speaker Susie Wolff cover?
As one of the most in-demand women speakers and sports speakers on the circuit, Susie Wolff addresses topics including leadership in high-performance environments, building and transforming organizations under pressure, diversity and inclusion as competitive advantage, breaking barriers and challenging structural inequality, teamwork and culture in elite sport and business, resilience and navigating a career in a male-dominated industry, and the role of sport as a platform for systemic change. Her keynotes are suited to corporate leadership conferences, diversity and inclusion events, sports forums, executive retreats, and any organization committed to building cultures where talent — from any background — can thrive. Aurum Speakers Bureau can help tailor her session to your specific audience and objectives.
How to book Susie Wolff as a keynote speaker?
Aurum Speakers Bureau can help you book Susie Wolff as a speaker for your next event, conference, or board meeting. Simply fill out our contact form to inquire about Susie Wolff's availability for a speaking engagement. One of our booking agents will respond to your request immediately and contact the speaker to let them know you want to hire them. We will assist you with obtaining speaking fees, booking information, and confirming availability for Susie Wolff or any other top keynote speaker or celebrity of your choice.
How much is Susie Wolff speaking fee?
Susie Wolff speaking fees are determined by several factors, including the event's date, whether it's a virtual or in-person event, the duration, format, preparation required for their speech, and more. The same applies to the cost to hire any other top expert speakers and celebrities. The Speaker Fee Range listed on our website is simply a guideline and is subject to change without notice. If you would like to hire Susie Wolff to deliver a keynote speech for your event, please fill out the contact form or email us at info@aurumbureau.com with as much detail as possible. One of our experienced agents will get in touch with you and let you know exactly how much it will cost to book Susie Wolff.
How can I contact Susie Wolff?
We only work with Susie Wolff on paid speaking engagements. Aurum Speakers Bureau can assist you in booking Susie Wolff and will handle all negotiations, contracts, and logistics associated with having Susie Wolff speak at your event. We will be your sole point of contact throughout the process. Get in touch with Aurum Speakers Bureau today, and we will reach out to any motivational speaker or celebrity you want to enquire about speaking at your event. If you wish to contact Susie Wolff for any other reason, we will be unable to assist you as we are not authorized to provide personal contact information.
Can I book Susie Wolff for a virtual keynote?
Yes, Susie Wolff is available for virtual keynotes and webinars. To book Susie Wolff for a virtual event, please complete the contact form or send us an email to inquire about the special fees for virtual engagements.
