A little bit about me…

Designing the Future of Performance, Leadership, and Talent

Welcome.

I’m Robert Reid — World Rally Champion, leadership strategist, and systems architect for elite performance. After three decades navigating the worlds of high-pressure execution and long-term system building, I’m stepping into a new chapter: sharing lessons learned, mistakes made, and questions still unanswered.

I have been fortunate to experience performance from many perspectives — co-driving alongside Richard Burns to the 2001 World Rally Championship title, guiding the governance of motorsport globally as FIA Deputy President for Sport, and developing world champions and future leaders through performance programs that scale excellence, not just effort.

Those experiences taught me something simple but powerful: success is never an accident. Winning once is hard. Building systems that produce winners again and again is much harder. Whether behind the wheel or around a boardroom table, leadership demands precision under pressure and the ability to think beyond the next immediate challenge.

This platform is not about recounting past victories. It is about designing the frameworks that will define success for the next generation. Motorsport taught me that talent alone is never enough. Systems shape outcomes. Leadership is as much about culture as it is about control. Real progress requires rethinking not just what we do, but how we build.

Today, I’m passionate about applying the lessons of elite sport, systems thinking, and leadership development to a broader canvas: reimagining talent development for future generations, redefining governance and leadership for sustainable success, and contributing strategic insight to businesses and organisations that value long-term excellence.

Each week, I’ll explore ideas around leadership under pressure, governance lessons from elite sport, building high-performance systems, talent architecture for the future, and personal evolution — moving from operator to architect. Some posts will share stories from my time competing at the highest levels. Others will challenge how we think about leadership, talent, and performance. Always, the aim will be to offer strategic frameworks and lived insights — helping you rethink leadership, governance, and performance for the future.

This space is for leaders navigating complexity and change, organisations seeking sustainable excellence, individuals passionate about unlocking their next level, and anyone fascinated by the deeper mechanics of human and team performance.

If you are looking for grounded inspiration and strategic insights based on real-world experience, you’re in the right place.

A little bit about me:

• World Rally Champion (2001) with Richard Burns

• Deputy President for Sport, FIA (2021–April 2025)

• Performance Director, Motorsport UK (2005–2012)

• Talent developer, with 14 world champions emerging from performance pathways

• Consultant and advisor to teams, drivers, and governing bodies across motorsport and business

• Co-founder of Elite Sports Performance (ESP) Scotland

• Non-Executive Director and strategic advisor in leadership and governance

Thanks for being here at the start. I look forward to sharing the next stages with you.