Ross Neal

Ross Neal spent nine years as a professional rugby player, playing for Wasps, Saracens, London Irish, London Scottish and the Seattle Seawolves in the US. He scored twice on his Premiership debut. Across his career he played under thirteen different head coaches, and saw first hand that the gap between winning and losing teams rarely came down to talent. It came down to environment.

Alongside playing, Ross spent seven years running one-to-one performance sessions with senior managers who wanted the same edge under pressure that elite athletes train for. After retiring in 2023, he founded The Culture Chain, a consultancy that measures what is constraining team performance, rebuilds the structure around it, and reports results in the metrics businesses care about: revenue per head, ramp time and retention. He also works closely with a select few performers across multiple disciplines, including comedian Simon Brodkin.

On stage, Ross combines the stories of elite sport with rigorous evidence to challenge the myths leaders tell themselves about high performance. He hosts the Human Alchemy podcast, speaking with athletes and adventurers operating at the limits of human performance.

Read More »