Vanessa Gilles

Vanessa Gilles

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Ottawa, Ontario

Leadership and Change | Executive Coaching | Transformation | Agility & Transitions | Resilience

Vanessa Gilles, a Canadian central defender, has risen to prominence in women's soccer through her perseverance and talent. Despite going undrafted, she refused to be deterred and played in Cyprus, where she honed her skills and gained international experience. Her exceptional performances caught the attention of scouts, leading her to join Angel City and later Olympic Lyonnais. Representing Canada in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Vanessa Gilles's stellar defensive displays contributed to their gold medal win. Off the field, she is known for her humility and dedication, inspiring aspiring soccer players worldwide. Vanessa's story highlights the power of determination and passion, showing that with hard work, resilience, and self-belief, extraordinary achievements are possible.

VANESSA GILLES BIOGRAPHY

Vanessa Gilles is a Canadian central defender who has risen to prominence in the world of women’s soccer through her perseverance, talent, and unwavering determination. Born and raised in Canada, Vanessa’s journey to becoming one of the top women’s soccer players is a testament to her passion and resilience.

Despite her exceptional skills, Vanessa Gilles faced a setback early in her career when she went un-drafted. Determined to pursue her dreams, she refused to let this deter her and decided to play in Cyprus, a lesser-known soccer destination. This experience turned out to be a pivotal point in her career, as she honed her abilities and gained invaluable international experience.

Vanessa Gilles’ exceptional performances in Cyprus caught the attention of scouts, and it wasn’t long before she received an opportunity to showcase her talent on a larger stage. She seized the chance and joined Angel City, a renowned women’s soccer team. Her commanding presence on the field, strong defensive skills, and leadership qualities quickly established her as a crucial player within the team.

Continuing her upward trajectory, Vanessa Gilles later made a move to join Olympic Lyonnais, one of the most successful women’s soccer clubs in the world. Her relentless work ethic and commitment to excellence played a significant role in the team’s continued success.

Vanessa Gilles achieved her long-term dream when she represented Canada in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Her stellar performances in defence were instrumental in Canada’s remarkable journey, which culminated in winning the gold medal. Vanessa’s contributions to the team’s success showcased her ability to perform under pressure and solidified her reputation as one of the best central defenders in women’s soccer.

Off the field, Vanessa Gilles is known for her humility, dedication, and determination. She has become an inspiration to aspiring soccer players worldwide, proving that hard work, resilience, and unwavering belief in oneself can lead to extraordinary achievements.

As Vanessa Gilles continues to excel on the soccer field, she remains a shining example of how perseverance and passion can help individuals overcome obstacles and reach the highest levels of success.

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Vanessa Gilles Topic Presentations

leadership through sport

  • Virtual PresentationKeynote PresentationWorkshop SessionHalf Day TrainingFull Day Training
  • Soccer players often develop leadership skills through their roles as team captains or influential players. They learn to lead by example, inspire their teammates, and make strategic decisions on the field. These leadership qualities can be transferred to other areas of life, enabling players to become effective leaders in their communities, workplaces, or even in their personal relationships.

diversity and inclusion

personal development

mental toughness & resilience

peak performance

tackling adversity

experience as an athlete and applying to business and life skills

resilience expert

Testimonials

I think what we’re quickly learning is Vanessa is an absolute legend in Ottawa. This city is so, so proud of Vanessa’s achievements … She’s an absolute legend and will do anything to keep a clean sheet and do whatever it takes to win, and I think they’re attributes loved by all Canadians.

Bev Priestman

Head Coach
Canada Soccer

Articles & Media

Canadian centre back Vanessa Gilles poised to reach new heights with Lyon

CBC

Just when you think Vanessa Gilles' amazing ascent has stopped dead in its tracks, the Canadian women's team defender finds a way to reach new dizzying heights. Originally a tennis player growing up in Ottawa, Gilles switched to soccer as a teenager and eventually earned a scholarship to the University of Cincinnati, leaving her mark on the program by winning several individual honours. Gilles turned pro after school, first signing with Cypriot side Apollon in 2018 before moving to French club Girondins de Bordeaux later that year.
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Gilles in a new French adventure with Olympique Lyonnais

Concacaf

MIAMI, Florida – Resilience and compromise are some words that can describe a professional footballer. Some have lived through it all since a very young age, having to show character on and off the pitch. Canadian center back Vanessa Gilles is the perfect example on how those words embody a player, having done so while representing her National team and club, which at the moment is the eight-time European champions, Olympique Lyonnais.
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Cyle Larin, Vanessa Gilles named Canada Soccer's players of the month for March

Yahoo Sports

Forward Cyle Larin and defender Vanessa Gilles have been named Canada Soccer’s players of the month for March. Larin scored three goals in two games for Canada while Gilles helped Olympique Lyonnais advance to the Coupe de France Féminine Finals. Larin scored once against Curaçao and twice against Honduras in CONCACAF Nations League wins, upping his Canadian men's record goal title to 28. The 27-year-old from Brampton, Ont., also scored four goals in three games for Spain's Real Valladolid.
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VANESSA GILLES WINS THE COUPE DE FRANCE FÉMININE

Canada Soccer

Vanessa Gilles won her first club title with Olympique Lyonnais at Stade de la Source on Sunday 14 May. The Canadian centreback won the 2023 Coupe de France Féminine following a 2:1 win over club rivals Paris Saint-Germain. This marks the 10th Coupe de France féminine win for Olympique Lyonnais since the competition was founded 22 years ago. Olympique Lyonnais currently sits at the top of the standings in Division 1 Féminine with a 13-match win streak.
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CBC Sports

Signa Butler

Canadian defender Vanessa Gilles on Angel City FC's NWSL debut
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Infosports75 TV

SBC

Interview avec Vanessa Gilles , Défenseure de l’OL après leur victoire face au PSG
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Burlington Burlington , Ontario

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How much does it cost to hire Vanessa Gilles for a keynote presentation or virtual event?

Vanessa Gilles is an expert professional key note speaker with a lot of experience speaking and delivering engaging talks to organizations and audiences in Canada. Each of Speaker Bureau Canada's talent have different ways to assess their fees, and Vanessa Gilles speaker fee ranges depending on the size of the audience, event format (in person or virtual), event location, and if the organization booking them is a non profit, association, government department/government agency or business/corporation. The speakers we work with are flexible with their fees, and it is important for us to learn more about your event before we approach them, as it is our role to work for you, and to help you find a speaker within budget. 

Please contact Speakers Bureau of Canada and provide us with your event details so that we can contact Vanessa Gilles to check availability or confirm the pricing and associated costs to hire a great speaker like Vanessa Gilles for your event. As Vanessa Gilles's agent and as a Canadian top speaker bureau and talent agency for speakers, we are able to propose each event opportunity from each host organization's behalf to try to help you get in touch with Vanessa Gilles and confirm them for your in person or online meeting/event. We can also provide and advise on the booking process and potentially negotiate their fee. Speakers Canada is a client focused speaker agency, and we work for you in finding good speakers for your team meetings and booking processes.

Vanessa Gilles Disclaimer

Speakers Bureau Canada assists companies and event planning teams seeking to hire talent like Vanessa Gilles for speaking engagements, virtual meetings, conference appearances, training sessions and workshops facilitations. Our Canadian speakers bureau does not claim to exclusively represent Vanessa Gilles, however they are represented by Speakers Canada, and we work with them closely for their Canadian speaking opportunities and bookings. As Canada's top speaker bureau, we represent Canadian motivational keynote speakers and professional guest speakers that will be available on your upcoming events date and location that are withing the budget. Our talented bureau speaker booking agency can help find business speakers or celebrity speakers that aligns with each organization, audience, event theme and the topic themes you hope for the speaker to address in their presentation. 

When SBC receives a request to book Vanessa Gilles we provide you with their speaker fees, travel costs and check their schedules. We work closely with the host organization's event planning team and the speaker to handle the logistics and to relay or negotiate associated costs. Our talented team members then will work with our talent directly or their agent/manager/assistant to confirm the Canadian speaker fee and travel expenses, so that event planning teams can receive an official quote for the speaker appearing at the event. Speaker fees and travel costs vary per speaker and our role is to contact Vanessa Gilles about your event, after we have connected with the event organizers to learn all the event details and/or conference program. Each booking request is unique since session durations and audience sizes can vary which may affect the speaker's fees. If you are looking to hire Vanessa Gilles, we recommend filling out the booking request form so a booking agent from Speakers Bureau Canada can get in touch with our talent to help you coordinate with your team to engage the speaker for a successful event.