Ben Cohen MBE is a former professional rugby player and motivational speaker who now spends much of his time as an LGBT activist, setting up the StandUp Foundation helping to combat bullying and homophobia.
Ben Cohen MBE, is among the world’s greatest athletes. He is an England Rugby World Cup winner, and second in all-time try scoring for his country. In May 2011, Ben retired at the top of his game to set up the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation. As Chairman of the Foundation, he travels worldwide speaking to students and businesses about the importance of character, respect and equality in creating a kinder, more inclusive world. The cause is close to his heart, as Ben’s own father was beaten to death when he stood up for an employee who was being attacked.
As a motivational speaker, his philosophy is one of creating a more inclusive, diverse environment in a number of sectors, to make better use of different backgrounds and experiences to benefit colleagues and customers alike.
Ben has reached millions of people with his message through global media coverage, films and over 500,000 followers on social media. With his leadership, cities across the United States have passed StandUp declarations, calling for an end to bullying. Working with the UK Home Office, he has led the charge for the StandUp Charter to end homophobia across sports, including broad adoption (4,500 professional teams) to date in soccer, rugby and tennis.
