Charles van Commenée

"Charles delivered a one-hour presentation on Leadership and Coaching at our annual conference. His messages and core themes were perfectly aligned to what we expect from our leaders and his coaching philosophy was one that we can all learn from and apply. His no-compromise approach to accountability will ring true to any organisation that is serious about performance."

Santander Corporate Banking

Charles van Commenée – Inductee of the British Coaching Hall of Fame & Author of “Handboek Topsport”

Charles van Commenée is a world-renowned athletics coach, performance strategist, and leadership consultant best known for his tenure as Head Coach of British Athletics and Performance Director of the Dutch Olympic Committee. With over 35 years of elite coaching experience, he has guided athletes such as Denise Lewis, Jonathan Edwards and Kelly Sotherton to international success, including Olympic and World Championship medals. Inducted into the British Coaching Hall of Fame as its first non-British member, Charles is celebrated for his uncompromising pursuit of excellence and his expertise in developing high-performance cultures.

Speaking Topics:

Traits of a High Performance Culture – Resilience, No Excuses, High Expectations & Optimism
How to Build a High Performance Culture (4 Pillars)
Small Margins in a Competitive Market
Excellence Through Selection
How Demanding Should a Leader Be?
The Winning Spirit Within a Team of Individuals
Common Goals
Shared Team Values
Clarity of Roles
Embrace the Differences Within the Team
Identify the Performance Gap by Comprehensive Benchmarking
Set a Strategy to Close the Performance Gap
Set Process Goals
Formalise Agreements & Conditions
Detailed Evaluations

Credentials and Impact

Charles began his career after earning a degree in Physical Education from the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. His first major coaching role came with the Netherlands Athletics Union, where he served as National Coach for Combined Events and Throws. He later guided Chinese shot-putter Huang Zhihong to a silver medal at the 1995 World Championships and helped Denise Lewis secure gold in the heptathlon at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Appointed Technical Director of British Athletics in 2001, he went on to become Performance Director and Chef de Mission of the Netherlands Olympic Team in 2004, leading them to their second-highest medal tally in Olympic history.

Returning to the UK as Head Coach of British Athletics in 2008, Charles oversaw the nation’s preparations for the 2012 London Olympics, instilling a culture of discipline and accountability that transformed British track and field. Since 2014, he has served as a Performance Consultant for the Netherlands Olympic Committee (NOC*NSF) and continues to advise global corporations, including Shell, Capgemini and EY on leadership, teamwork and peak performance.

Publications and Media

Charles is the author of ‘Handboek Topsport’, a practical guide to high performance and elite coaching, published in 2023. Drawing on decades of experience at the top of world sport, the book explores the principles of discipline, feedback and mindset that underpin sustained success. Written for leaders, coaches and professionals alike, it distils his philosophy of structured excellence into actionable lessons for any high-performance environment.

Why Book Charles?

Audiences book Charles for his unparalleled insights into leadership, performance culture and coaching excellence. His talks combine real-world experience from Olympic sport with evidence-based methods for building resilience, accountability and trust within teams. Charles shares candid reflections from his career leading elite athletes and national sports organisations, translating those lessons into strategies for business leaders and corporate teams.

Known for his direct, engaging and pragmatic style, he challenges audiences to raise their standards, embrace constructive feedback and commit to long-term excellence. Whether addressing executives, coaches or educators, Charles delivers an inspiring and practical roadmap for achieving sustained high performance.

To book Charles to speak at your event, call SpeakOut on +44 (0) 20 8914 8966. Alternatively, complete our contact form to begin your enquiry.