Venus Williams

Legendary Tennis Champion

Venus Williams is is one of the greatest female tennis players of all time. She has been ranked world No.1 for 19 weeks - becoming the first African American women to do so in the Open Era. With her seven Grand Slam singles titles she has more than any other active female player - except her sister. She has also won 14 Grand Slam Women's doubles titles, all with Serena Williams; the pair is unbeaten in Grand Slam doubles finals.

By the tender age of 14, Venus Williams (*1980) had already become a professional athlete, taking the world of tennis by storm. Fiercely determined and wielding an impressive physical prowess, she spent the next decade rising to the top-ranked position and winning numerous championships, including the US Open, Wimbledon, and doubles at the Australian Open and French Open, in addition to three Olympic Gold medals.

Williams has parlayed her fine-tuned business acumen with her healthy competitive spirit to excel in several ventures. She has gained a comprehensive education on the business side of the sport as well. It's a mindset that has served her well as she's reached adulthood and begun looking beyond tennis.

So in addition to her worldwide tennis competitions, the young entrepreneur is a uniquely creative designer. Moreover, she has become a certified decorator and owner of V Starr Interiors, a successful interior design firm based in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. V Starr partnered with Airbnb partner Niido to design the first-ever apartment complex. She enrolled in fashion design school while off-tour, followed her dreams, earned a degree in Fashion Design from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale and became a Certified Interior Decorator. Her entrepreneurial spirit and design success does not end there. In November of 2007, she launched her clothing line EleVen, which was the largest clothing line ever launched by a female athlete. In 2009 Williams along with her sister, Serena became the first female African-Americans to have a stake in an NFL franchise after joining the ownership group of the Miami Dolphins. In May 2020, Venus partnered with Credo Beauty to debut an award-winning line of clean, mineral-based SPF products under the EleVen by Venus

+49 721 920 982 0 [email protected] www.londonspeakerbureau.de umbrella. Her entrepreneurship in the health, wellness and beauty space also includes her role as Chief Brand Officer to Asutra and in December 2020, Williams launched her plant-based protein company, Happy Viking.

Venus Williams is one of the most inspiring women in the history of sports. A true believer of equal rights, she became the first to be named "UNESCO Promoter of Gender Equality," stating, "Through my partnership with UNESCO, my goal is to let women and girls throughout the world know that there are no glass ceilings, and to do my part to support programs that provide real opportunities for women to succeed in whatever they set their minds to."

Topics

· Motivation · Gender Equality · Entrepreneurship · Design/Creativity

Publications

· Come to Win: Venus and Friends on Life Lessons Beyond the Playing Field, 2010

+49 721 920 982 0 [email protected] www.londonspeakerbureau.de