Emma Ross is a trailblazing leader in sports science and a staunch advocate for women's empowerment in sport. As the Head of Physiology at the English Institute of Sport, Emma’s mandate included nurturing Team GB talent across the hugely successful Rio and Tokyo Olympics.
Rather than solely focusing on marginal gains, Emma embarked on an extensive research journey, delving into the experiences of women in elite sports. Her findings revealed a fundamental oversight: the neglect and underutilization of the female athlete's unique physiology. Determined to drive change, Emma spearheaded groundbreaking initiatives aimed at reshaping the landscape of women's sports.
Today, Emma is celebrated as a sought-after voice and consultant in women's sports, championing inclusivity, equity, and recognition of the female athlete's full potential. Despite her own background as a former rugby player and avid marathon runner, Emma recognises the systemic barriers within cultural, medical, and academic frameworks that must be dismantled to pave the way for women's success in sports.
With unwavering dedication and a passion for progress, Emma Ross continues to lead the charge towards a more equitable and empowering future for females worldwide.
In the pursuit of equality we sometimes overlook important differences between men and women which should influence how we design systems so that everyone can fulfil their potential; equitable systems. Emma shares her decade-long exploration of what it takes to create equitable environments, and what happens when you do.
Leading transformation or change is both exciting, and challenging. In this inspiring and insightful talk, Emma shares her change-making journey of addressing gender inequalities in sport, and the gaps which threaten to derail that journey. From gender gaps to data gaps to knowing-doing gaps, Emma’s lessons learned in sport will help any business or organisation through periods of change and evolution.
Sports science seeks to understand how to optimise human performance. But it’s not just in sport where individuals and teams need to perform at their best. Emma’s holistic, bio-psycho-social approach to wellbeing and performance, learnt from a decade in sports science research, and a further decade applying this expertise in the elite sporting world, will help individuals and organisations realise and embrace high performance habits.
How is our biology related to how we experience the world? How does what’s going on inside our body influence our behaviour, our relationships, our communication, our ability to perform well? An insightful and thought provoking talk for any organisation wanting to explore wellness, wellbeing and health as important foundation of performance and success.