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Colin MacLachlan is a former SAS operative, leadership authority, and renowned high-performance speaker who brings the intensity of the battlefield to the boardroom. With over 25 years of experience operating in the world’s most dangerous environments, Colin now empowers organisations to build resilience, navigate adversity, and unlock their full potential. His rare combination of military insight, academic discipline, and personal courage makes him one of the UK’s most compelling keynote speakers on leadership, performance, and mental strength.
Colin began his military journey in 1989 with the Royal Scots, later passing the notoriously gruelling SAS selection process at just 23 – becoming one of the youngest members to enter the 22 SAS in two decades. During his time in the elite unit, he played a central role in several high-profile missions, including Operation Barras in Sierra Leone, where he helped rescue hostages from the notorious West Side Boys militia. He was also the first sniper on scene during the UK’s longest hostage siege at Stansted Airport and later survived captivity in Iraq after being kidnapped and subjected to mock executions. Few individuals have led hostage rescue missions, negotiated with terrorists, and also survived being a hostage themselves—Colin is one of them.
Following his military career, Colin broadened his expertise, working as a security consultant for the Saudi Royal Family, A-list celebrities and US media networks. He earned a First-Class MA (Hons.) in History from Edinburgh University and an M.Litt in Terrorism from St Andrews University, adding academic insight to his operational experience. His influence extends into media as a TV personality on Channel 4’s ‘SAS: Who Dares Wins’ and Channel 5’s ‘Secrets of the SAS’. He is also a published author and co-author of ‘SAS: Who Dares Wins – Leadership Secrets from the Special Forces’, where he translates elite military thinking into practical strategies for everyday leadership and performance.
Today, Colin speaks internationally on topics such as resilience, performance under pressure, leadership, teamwork, and Stoicism. His talks blend powerful storytelling with actionable lessons, guiding teams to perform at their peak under the most demanding circumstances. As the founder of ‘Who Dares Cares’, a charity supporting veterans and those affected by stress, Colin continues to serve others through his message of courage, clarity, and conviction. Whether addressing executives or frontline professionals, Colin’s mission is the same: to transform potential into performance.
Colin MacLachlan is regularly booked to engage audiences at events, read their latest feedback below:
“Colin is a great motivational speaker, his stories were extremely engaging and interesting, with powerful learning points that clearly relate to the corporate environment.”
“Colin came to talk at our Afternoon Tea: A Slice of Inspiration event for Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People. On the day of the event, Colin turned up in plenty of time for a briefing and mic check and was happy to meet and chat with all our volunteers. It was amazing to hear Colin speak- he was such a natural and the audience immediately took to him. It was fantastic to hear him speak about his childhood, army and SAS experiences, and challenges, all with such incredible humility and humour. Another speaker could have made some of the topics seem harrowing however Colin spoke with such grace and honesty that his stories were fascinating to all listening. During the Q and A, he honestly answered some probing questions and I think everyone could have stayed for another 2 hours listening! After the event, Colin was also very generous with his time chatting and taking photos with guests. I cannot speak highly enough of the whole experience. We are so pleased to have been able to share our special day with Colin and would love to welcome him for a hospice tour if he is ever in the area!”
“Please can you extend our thanks to Colin? We have received some fantastic feedback on his talk. It was funny, engaging and interesting to hear his stories from his time in the SAS.”
The High-Performance Speakers Agency is the UK’s leading bureau for teamwork, leadership, and marginal gains speakers. We hire speakers for corporate conferences and events across the world and cater to both in-person occasions and online webinars. Our roster includes sportspeople, business leaders, adventurers and more, to ensure audiences of all industries receive tailored, impactful advice on optimised performance.
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