A journey through the years…
Leon Lloyd is a former England international rugby player, who has played at the highest level and against elite players such as Jonah Lomu, (and survived!). Leon started his working career as a professional rugby player in 1995, playing over 270 games for both Leicester Tigers and Gloucester Rugby. He scored over 100 tries during his career and has represented England at every age level making his full debut in 2000 against South Africa.
In the years that have followed, Leon turned his lessons and experiences from rugby into transferrable skills for business, making that all-important transition into the ‘real world’.
Education
Combining his passion of sport and business, Leon went on to graduate gaining a First-Class (Hons) degree in Business Leadership and Management. His final dissertation topic focused on how sports clubs and organisations can better help prepare their athletes for life after sport. More recently, Leon graduated with an MBA, earning a Distinction grade where his thesis was again around transition and the employability traits of elite athletes.
Today, Leon is continuing his education journey and is currently completing his PhD.
Since embarking on this journey, Leon has gone on to work with elite organisations that include Microsoft, the SAS and the Premier League.
Life after sport:
Today, Leon’s shares his knowledge, experience and education with the corporate world in two key areas by
(1) helping others to find high level work and (2) sharing his story as a Motivational Speaker.
Helping others find work | Education & Recruitment
After several years as CEO for Switch The Play (a charity which educate athletes about how to fulfil their potential through and beyond sport), Leon was able to physically implement all he had learnt during his education so that real life athletes could prepare for their transition to the corporate world.
However, Leon wanted to take things to the next level and look beyond just educating around transition and actually help to place athletes in business roles. This led to the creation of Centrum Solutions in 2020 with his close friend and fellow rugby player, Mitch Read. Centrum Solutions is a multi-faceted recruitment provider helping both clients and candidates to unlock their maximum potential, specialising in Elite Transition & Executive Search.
Sharing his story & helping others share theirs | Keynote Speaking
For many years now Leon has continued to support businesses and those transitioning into business as a Motivational Speaker, sharing his knowledge and key insights around transition, leadership, culture, communication, resilience and success.
More recently created a bespoke elite speaker training programme (B.E.S.T) with global Keynote, Paul McVeigh. Leon and Paul help others to start their career in public speaking through a variety of training opportunities including residential stays, masterclasses & e-learning modules.
Sharing his story & helping others share theirs | Keynote Speaking
Founded in 2024, Pracademia Group offers keynote speaking, masterclasses and training for companies looking to improve their ways of working. The name is a seamless fusion of practical and academia, reflecting their commitment to bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world application. Key sessions include: teamwork, people, success, sweet & sour, and transition.