PRESS PACK
INTRODUCTION
Please note – This is a specific introduction to introduce Aaron to the stage, rather than a biography (that gives away the story)
The next speaker onto the stage had quite an extraordinary few years, particularly since he started rocking a new piece of jewellery.
He has been voted in the Top 100 most influential people in the UK with a disability.
Was the face of the Channel 4 Paris Paralympic campaign.
He has appeared in every national newspaper.
Been live on every major TV Channel.
Appeared in a Public Enemy music video.
Has had lunch with Prince Edward.
Videos of him and his family have gone viral.
Comedian Adam Hills announced live at Wembley Stadium that he had a 'man crush' on him.
He's the fastest wheelchair rugby player on the planet.
Please welcome to the stage
Aaron Phipps MBE
(Pronunciation Aa-ron)
BIOGRAPHIES
Please note – Aaron’s full bio will give away the ending of his keynote. You may choose to use the version listed below that will help keep the suspense.
Short Bio
(46 words)
Aaron Phipps MBE is a three times Paralympian and gold medal winning champion from the Tokyo 2020 games. He has scaled Kilimanjaro on his hands and knees for charity and has been voted in the top 100 most influential people in the UK with a disability.
Medium Bio
(91 words)
Aaron Phipps MBE is three time Paralympian and gold medal winning champion from the Tokyo 2020 games. He plays the brutal, only full-contact disability sport, Wheelchair Rugby aka Murderball. His team went from being 5th in the world to the best on the planet, in the middle of a global pandemic!
He is a keen fundraiser and in 2016 became the first person in the world to scale Kilimanjaro on his hands and knees.
He has been voted in the top 100 most influential people in the UK with a disability.
Long Bio
(274 words)
Aaron Phipps, MBE, is a Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby athlete, three times Paralympian and gold medal winning champion. At 15 Aaron had both of his legs and most of his fingers amputated due to blood poisoning from meningitis. After a 10km fundraising wheelchair race for the Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF), Aaron's sporting journey began. Starting with wheelchair racing Aaron competed in two London Marathons, including 2009 where he came fourth, finishing in under two hours. Aaron joined the GB Wheelchair Rugby squad and was selected for the 2012 London Paralympic Games where he scored over half of his team's points.
In 2016 Aaron decided to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds for both MRF and Shaw Trust, with a specially adapted off-road wheelchair. However, when the wheelchair wasn’t working on the terrain Aaron refused to be carried and reached the summit after four days of trekking on his hands and knees. It's the first time an amputee has reached the top of Kilimanjaro without any assistance. The story made national headlines and has been the subject of a Channel 5 documentary.
Aaron returned to Wheelchair Rugby in 2017. Against all the odds his team went from being 5th in the world, to the best on the planet, in the middle of a global pandemic! It was the first European team to win a medal in wheelchair rugby and Paralympics GB’s first ever gold medal in a team sport.
He continued to the Paris 2024 games and achieved his dream of getting his family to watch him compete.
He has been voted in the top 100 most influential people in the UK with a disability.
One that doesn’t give away the story
(79 words)
Aaron Phipps MBE competes on the world stage as a Paralympian. He pulled himself from an impossible situation as a teenager to become the best in the world in what he does.
He is a keen charity fundraiser and in 2016, set himself the biggest challenge yet to scale MT Kilimanjaro in a wheelchair.
He has been ranked in the top 100 most influential people in the UK with a disability and his story moves audiences across the globe.
Something a bit more ‘var, var, voom’
(59 words)
Looking to be inspired? This is not your average run-of-the-mill talk. Hear from a real life superhuman. Aaron will share how he pulled himself out of an impossible situation and go onto be the best in the world at what he does. This will leave you feeling more productive, focused and motivated. Real life, real human spirit, just... real.
The talk was brilliant and a true emotion rollercoaster
HSBC
AV REQUIREMENTS
Live
Aaron requires presentation facilities with sound. His preference would be to present from his own laptop as he has numerous HD videos embedded within his slide deck using VGA or HDMI.
Virtual
Aaron has his own studio to present virtually. He is happy presenting on all virtual formats, Zoom, Teams etc.