In her spare time, Orla Chennaoui is a skilled yoga practitioner (a Yogi) and a keen cyclist. She also passed her ARDA National B racing licence test and is a qualified racing driver.

MEDIA

Orla has anchored sporting programmes for a range of television channels. She started at ITV Meridian, before moving to the STV Group, reporting on morning bulletins, and afternoon and nightly shows. In 2005 she moved to Sky, a channel she would stay with until for nearly 15 years.

She started as a news correspondent for Sky News, before becoming their cycling presenter and correspondent. She has been involved in all of Sky’s cycling coverage from 2010, covering nine Tour de France’s, two Giros d’Italia, two Tours Down Under, the annual tour of Britain, several Road World Championships, and the London Track World Championships. She also reported on the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

In 2016 she became their Sky Sports presenter, hosting a number of sporting shows, carrying out live interviews, and breaking big sporting stories. Throughout her time at Sky, she was also a contributor to their sister channel, Germany Sky Sport News.

Leaving Sky in 2019, Orla joined Eurosport, predominately as their cycling presenter, but also other sports such as MotoGP, and rugby.

During the London 2012 Olympic games, Orla was a guest blogger for Grazia Magazine and Bauer Media, writing daily blogs on life behind-the-scenes at the games, and interviewing elite athletes. In 2014, Orla contributed to The Cycling Anthology, a collection of work by cycling journalists and writers.

Since 2016, Orla has been a co-host on The Cycling Podcast Féminin, a show that covers the world of women’s professional cycling. The podcast covers general topics, but also produce special episodes during the Classics, World Championships, and the Women’s Tour.

In 2022, she launched another podcast, The Breakdown, alongside Olympian Greg Rutherford, where they meet sport stars and celebrities to discuss the components of success, battles that we all struggle with, and the elements of sport that unite us all.

TEN TIMES BRAVER

As a junior athletics champion, a classically trained violinist, and a law graduate, Orla was familiar with having to work hard in order to achieve success, but only recently realised her years of overachieving were rooted in anxiety. It was her experiences with post-natal depression in 2015 that led her to understand the ways her mental health had shaped her life; she stopped self-medicating with alcohol and lost herself in research that led her to her refreshing conclusion – that anxiety can be a superpower.

With roughly 275 million people worldwide suffering with anxiety, it is become more necessary than ever to understand and reframe anxiety.

Through Orla’s passion project, Ten Times Braver, she is dedicated to helping people to recognise all the ways that anxiety can be used to good, helping to manage the more difficult elements through practical, easily incorporated tips. Her programme can be delivered in long-form retreats, and in short 15-minute sessions.

Why Book Orla?

Orla brings the most stringent broadcast standard to her talks and workshops, while maintaining authenticity and relatability to her audiences.

– Orla reveals the secret techniques she uses in order to work in a high-pressure, live TV environment, where time is critical and performance standards are uncompromising.

– Orla brings science to an idea that is often dominated by spirituality, a concept that can be alien to many.

– Orla offers time-efficient practices that will make a genuine difference to your mental and overall wellbeing.

CORPORATE

Orla is a confident presenter who enjoys live audience interaction, and has hosted award ceremonies, chaired debates, and led on-stage Q&As.

As a corporate speaker, she has worked alongside Rapha, Team Sky, Braveheart Cycling Fund, Telegraph Events, Action Medical Research, Assos Ltd, Pedal Norfolk, and the Women in Sports Trust. In 2016, she compered The British Beer and Pub Association annual dinner alongside fellow Great British Speaker Sir Chris Hoy.

She has worked on events such as Rouleur Live and The Women in Sport Summit providing industry insight along with a collection of other influential guests, and inspiring others within the sports arena.

KEYNOTE SPEECHES

Living In a World of Fear: Orla uses her experience in newsrooms to explain how, as a society, we have become addicted to fear. Fear-mongering is big business, from news channels to multi-billion advertisers. Orl will demonstrate how fear is the glue that binds newsgathering, politics, and the consumer society, before giving real-life examples from the world of sport about how escaping that culture of fear can lead to success.

Recognising Anxiety in the Workplace: Anxiety in the workplace affects the entire business operation, resulting in missed deadlines, lower productivity, increased absences, and a high staff turnover. With the levels of anxiety growing after the COVID pandemic, Orla provides guidelines on how to spot and support cases of anxiety in the workplace and how employees can improve staff wellbeing and the company image.

Turning Anxiety Into Your Superpower: Orla adopts a radical approach to anxiety to help people see the ways in which it can bring significant benefits. Using her own experiences with anxiety in the high-pressured world of live television, Orla helps reframe the condition for the positive, making living with anxiety more bearable.

The Power of Your Autonomic Nervous System and How to Use Breathwork to Up or Down Regulate: Orla provides the techniques she relies on for live television and large corporate events. Time pressures are key for Orla, in both her work life and personal life, so she offers practical techniques that anyone can fit into their day to make a difference. Her strategy is based on science, and a toolbox of breathwork and meditation techniques to regular depending on the situation.

The Power of Language and the Neuroscience Behind Self-Talk: The relationship between thinking and language has intrigued scholars for years. Orla explores the neuroscience and neuroplasticity of language. Using her own experience, she demonstrates ways in which something as simple as words can impact your mental wellness and the culture of your business.

Whether she is broadcasting from a studio or out on location, her charismatic appeal and ability to present and report with strong journalistic flair make Orla a popular choice of host for any event.

Call +44 1753 439 289 or email Great British Speakers now to book Orla Chennaoui for your next live event or corporate video.  

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