Nolli Waterman is a World Cup winner, multiple Grand Slam champion, Team GB Olympian in 2016 for the Rio Olympics and was named fullback of the decade in 2020 by World Rugby.
Nolli has had an incredible rugby career. After becoming the youngest player to ever be capped by her country at just 18 years old Nolli went on to win 82 caps for England, scoring an astonishing 47 tries. She also counts seven Grand Slams in the Six Nations and four Rugby World Cups to her never ending string of accomplishments. Alongside the 15 aside format Nolli had a successful international 7s career, representing Great Britain at the 2016 Olympics at Rugby Sevens where they finished in 4th place.
Since retiring Nolli has forged herself a career in the media and corporate world, becoming one of the most recognisable and sought-after female pundits within the rugby world as well as host, motivational speaker, brand ambassador and consultant.
Nolli is exceptionally passionate about continuing to action positive change for women in rugby and beyond. She is one of the founders and the current CEO of the Womens Rugby Association (WRA). The WRA is the first of it’s kind globally, and is an independent Player Association that sits on the official list of UK Trade Unions, with the sole focus of supporting players in the PWR league in England.
Nolli will be running the World Of Opportunity Programme during the HSBC mini & youth festival with students from GEMS school, where she will provide a variety of workshops including Commentary, Social Media and Journalism with Tom Urqhart
Her unique experience of being both an amateur and professional athlete whilst competing as an International, topped with her skills learned from her coaching, school teaching and role within the WRA, it has enabled Nolli to deliver at a number of internal and external corporate events across a wide range of topics including; gender balance, diversity and inclusion, female empowerment, building a successful team, leadership skills, motivation beyond pay, well-being and mental health.
In 2021 Nolli worked with HSBC to release a powerful short documentary entitled, ‘Nolli Waterman – Finding Her Voice’. In the film, Nolli opens up about her experience of swapping a rugby ball for a microphone, forging a new career path in the world of sports commentary. The documentary also sheds light on the harsh reality of her exposure to online trolling, particularly when commentating on men’s rugby matches. By sharing her journey and experiences Nolli wants to ensure she can encourage people in all industries to believe that they have a place and role – even if it is not seen as the ‘societal norm’.
