Paddy Upton is a Cape Town-based international cricket coach, mental-performance expert, leadership coach, author and keynote speaker with more than 25 years’ experience in elite sport and high-performance environments.
Paddy is best known for his pivotal role with the Indian National Cricket Team, where he served as Mental Conditioning and Strategic Leadership Coach alongside Gary Kirsten. During their tenure, India achieved the ICC World No. 1 Test ranking for the first time in its history and went on to win the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, ending a 28-year wait for the title.
He subsequently became Performance Director of the South African Proteas, helping South Africa become the first cricket nation in history to simultaneously hold the ICC World No. 1 ranking in all three formats of the game.
Paddy has coached extensively in the world’s leading T20 competitions, including the Indian Premier League, Australian Big Bash League and Pakistan Super League. As Head Coach of the Rajasthan Royals, he guided the team to the IPL semi-finals and Champions League final in 2013, including a remarkable run of 13 consecutive home victories. He was also part of the coaching journey that transformed Sydney Thunder from perennial bottom finishers into Big Bash League champions.
Beyond cricket, Paddy has worked as a mental-performance coach with more than 150 professional athletes across 11 sporting codes and five continents, including Olympic gold medallists and world champions. He has also served as a Professor of Practice at Deakin University Business School and received the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Achiever Award in recognition of his contribution to his field and society.
Author of The Barefoot Coach, Paddy translates lessons from elite international sport into practical insights for business. His engaging keynotes explore how leaders and teams can create environments that enable people to perform at their best, particularly under pressure and through uncertainty.
Key Speaking Topics: High Performance • Leadership • Mental Toughness & Resilience • Team Dynamics • Performing Under Pressure • Organisational Culture • Leading Through Change • Unlocking Human Potential
Highlights: 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup-winning coaching team • India World No. 1 Test Team • Proteas World No. 1 across all three formats • Rajasthan Royals Head Coach • Sydney Thunder BBL Championship journey • Professor of Practice • Author of The Barefoot Coach • Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Achiever Award
