Create an experience with Ric Charlesworth

Ric Charlesworth AO is one of Australia’s most respected high-performance leaders, with a career spanning elite sport, politics, medicine, and coaching.

A qualified medical doctor, Ric also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and History from the University of Western Australia. He served as a Federal Member of Parliament for 10 years from 1983, before transitioning into high-performance sport leadership.

Ric is best known for his impact in international hockey - as both a player and a coach. He represented Australia in 227 matches, including more than 130 as captain, and competed in five Olympic Games, winning silver in 1976. His playing career also included a gold medal at the 1986 World Cup, where he was named Player of the Tournament and leading goal scorer. Alongside hockey, he played first-class cricket for Western Australia, contributing to three Sheffield Shield-winning teams and captaining the side in 1979.

Following his playing career, Ric became one of the most successful coaches in the history of the sport. As Head Coach of the Australian Women’s Hockey Team (Hockeyroos), he led the team to back-to-back Olympic gold medals (1996, 2000) and World Cup victories (1994, 1998), maintaining the world number one ranking for eight consecutive years. He later coached the Australian Men’s Hockey Team (Kookaburras), leading them to multiple Champions Trophy titles, a World Cup win in 2014, and Olympic bronze in 2012. He remains the only coach in modern hockey to have led both men’s and women’s teams to Olympic gold.

Beyond hockey, Ric has held high-performance roles including High Performance Manager for New Zealand Cricket and Technical Advisor to Indian Hockey.

As a speaker, Ric focuses on leadership, teamwork, and sustained high performance. He draws clear connections between sport and business, offering practical insights on building strong teams, managing change, and maintaining success over time. His approach is grounded, direct, and shaped by real-world experience leading teams at the highest level.

Topics Include:

• Leadership
• Embracing change with preparation
• Teamwork & team building
• Motivation
• Continuous Improvement by all
• Developing a successful culture