Greg Phillips is a former international swimmer turned senior banking and technology executive who brings a rare blend of elite sport discipline and real-world commercial leadership to the stage.
As an athlete, Greg represented England internationally, competing on the FINA (now World Aquatics) World Cup circuit and winning a Bronze medal in the 100m Butterfly (Sheffield, 2001). He was a three-time English National Champion in the 50m butterfly, a US National Champion (4x100m freestyle), and a US Open American Club Team record holder (4x50m freestyle).
His career was built not on momentary success, but on the daily habits of mindset, attitude, resilience, and relentless attention to detail that elite performance demands. He experienced both the highs of international success and the challenges of injury, setbacks, and rebuilding under pressure – lessons that now underpin his work in leadership and performance.
After retiring from elite competition, Greg transitioned into business, building a 23-year career in sales and executive leadership across the banking and banking technology sectors in the UK and Australia. He has held senior roles with both the major banks and with tech businesses in the UK and Australia - he currently serves as General Manager of a technology business operating within the banking sector. His experience spans large-scale transformation, sales culture development, and leading teams through complexity where performance, accountability, and adaptability are critical.
A graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Greg combines commercial rigour with a deep understanding of governance, leadership behaviour, and organisational culture. He is also an accredited Football Australia grassroots coach, reinforcing his belief that performance excellence is built through coaching, standards, and consistency rather than sporadic heroic effort.
Now in his 40s and a father of three, Greg returned to competitive swimming, balancing executive leadership, family life, and national-level competition in Australia (and picking up 2 masters national records - still in place - in the 50m and 100m freestyle). This chapter of his journey adds a powerful and relatable dimension to his story: performance is not just for the young or the professional athlete, but for anyone willing to commit to mindset, discipline, and purpose.
In his keynotes, Greg weaves together his experiences from elite sport and senior business leadership to show how sustainable performance is built through:
- Mindset under pressure
- Attitude and behaviour as the foundation of culture
- Relentless focus on small details, every day
- Consistency over occasional heroic effort
His talks are story-driven, practical, and grounded in lived experience, resonating strongly with leaders navigating transformation, technological change, and the challenge of building high-performance cultures in complex organisations. Greg recently appeared as a guest on the ‘2ndWind Podcast’ talking about his experience as an elite athlete and how he transitioned into business using his transferrable experiences and learnings.
