Halifax’s Charlie Hodgson on elite mindset, leadership and life after rugby

As England’s all-time leading points scorer at the time of his retirement, Charlie is now considered one of the country’s most respected sports speakers. Known for his precision as a fly-half with Sale Sharks, Saracens, and the national team, he built a career grounded in tactical intelligence and calm under pressure. Today, Charlie inspires audiences across sectors as a sought-after rugby speaker, blending elite performance insight with practical lessons from the pitch.

Regularly booked as a leadership speaker and high performance speaker, Charlie explores the values that sustained his sporting success—teamwork, resilience, and accountability—while also drawing on his coaching work to support professional development.

His authentic approach and belief in purposeful growth have also earned him praise as a top motivation and inspiration speaker. In this exclusive interview with Champions Speakers Agency, Charlie reflects on his sporting journey, leadership in action, and why helping others develop has become his greatest motivation.

Q: As a fly-half, what were the key responsibilities you held on the field – and how did that shape your leadership style?

Charlie Hodgson: “I suppose the fly-half position is one of those positions within the team that is very much centred around leadership. Weirdly you're not – well, say weirdly, it's not weird at all – you're not captain but you still have a huge role and responsibility to play with the team because ultimately it's not my role to be centre stage.

“Whilst I'm the general on the field, my role is to facilitate others, my role is to get the most out of others, my role is to see opportunity, create space for other people to basically do what they do best. And so for me, that's a huge link in what leaders do within business.

“You're not there to take all the plaudits, you're there to make others look good, and I took a huge amount of joy in doing that actually, and that's kind of what inspired me through my career.”

Q: What motivated your shift from playing professional rugby to working in coaching and personal development?

Charlie Hodgson: “Two things – retirement. You can't retire on a rugby player's wage – well, you certainly couldn't when I was playing anyway. I think you probably can a little bit better now, but yeah, retirement – it comes with the territory. So you're always thinking about what next. I always wanted to watch other people develop and help other people develop. But I also knew that I didn't want to become a full-time rugby coach.

“I knew that there were so many learnings from sport that I believed would transfer into normal life and business, and of course they're different worlds, but the messages around purpose, around values, behaviours, resilience, rejection, competition – all of these things are applicable in both arenas. So for me, at the heart of it was a desire to help others improve and develop, just regardless of industry.”

Q: From your experience, what lessons in leadership and motivation can local business leaders take from elite rugby?

Charlie Hodgson: “How do you keep 45 professional rugby players motivated throughout a season? They all feel like they should be starting each week, yet there's a significant chance that a high number won't even play at all.

“I think some get all the glory, yet some just train and never get the highs and lows that the match experience brings at the weekend. So I guess the question really is – what do you think that does to individual and team morale if not everybody is playing?

“You could probably guess what the answer is. But by adopting a really unique approach, Brendan Venter, who was the head coach of Saracens back in 2010 when this all happened, he managed to do just that. He completely shifted the mindset and approach of the club, of everybody at the club.

“He changed them from being constant middle-of-the-table finishers to being one of the best teams in Europe in a very, very short space of time. Because I suppose I believe leadership in sport isn't just about tactics and talent – it's actually about creating belief, it's about building trust, making the right decisions under pressure. And in business, of course, the best leaders can do exactly the same.”

Q: When you speak at events or deliver workshops, what’s the most important message you hope your audience takes away?

Charlie Hodgson: “I think my biggest hope is that listeners take action based on what they've heard – whether that means a shift in mindset, a change in behaviour, even a new perspective. I think I'd like my message to resonate in a way that leads to, I guess, real world impact.

“If I get the question afterwards that says, “That was great, but so what?” then I don't really think I've done my job. So for me, it's about making sure that people walk away with some tangible, practical things to move forward.”

This exclusive interview with Charlie Hodgson was conducted by Chris Tompkins.