Former international rugby referee, Nigel Owens is one of the most highly regarded adjudicators in the sport thanks to his career longevity and global experience. From World Cups to Heineken Cups and every other competition available, Nigel has been at the forefront of ensuring safe and fair play for the sport’s biggest games. Equally prominent for his LGBT+ rights advocacy, Nigel is openly gay and challenging the taboo surrounding homosexuality in male-dominated industries like rugby. As a speaker, Nigel offers a fresh perspective from the pitch and expands on the importance of diversity and inclusion in supporting mental health.
As one of only five professional referees to be listed with the Welsh Rugby Union, Nigel is a standout in the sport, having refereed since 1987 and made his European debut in 2000. Known for his firm but fair approach, Nigel soon gained an impressive reputation and was regularly seen at the International Rugby Board World Sevens Series matches and presided over his first World Cup in 2007. Throughout his career, Nigel refereed 100 international matches, reaching the landmark in the Autumn Nations Cup in 2020, he maintains the world record for the most test matches refereed. After reaching the milestone, Nigel retired from international refereeing but continues at a club level.
After coming out as gay publicly in 2007, Nigel vowed to use his experiences having hidden his true identity for so many years, to support others in living authentically as themselves. An honest and open role model, Nigel has shared with the media and as a speaker about the mental health impacts he suffered and the strategies he used to overcome his demons. For his influential impact on LGBT+ representation and rights, particularly in sports, Nigel was voted the Gay Sports Personality of the Year 2007 and Gay Sports Personality of the Decade in 2015 by Stonewall. He was named on the 2017 Pinc List of Leading Welsh LGBT Figures and continues to champion equality across all industries.
Since retiring from international refereeing, Nigel has been a popular media figure and is the presenter of two welsh programmes ‘Hitting the Bar’ and ‘A Minute to Go’. Recognised with an MBE for his services to sport, Nigel is one of the most prominent names in rugby making him a highly sought after choice of event speaker. Armed with his media experience and iconic life story, Nigel can captivate and entertain audiences all event long.
In November 2023 we sat down virtually with Nigel Owens and discussed his struggles with his mental health issues before coming out to the world. Watch our Exclusive Interview with Nigel Owens.
