Guest speaker: Dr Mark Prince OBE

We are thrilled to announce that the keynote speaker is Dr Mark Prince, who created the Kiyan Prince Foundation (Links to an external site.) in 2007 to attempt to raise awareness of youth crime after his 15-year old son was fatally stabbed in London.  Dr Mark Prince will be discussing his story, the formation of the foundation, and his views on getting young people into sport to avoid crime.

Bio: 
Former professional title holding boxer, turned award winning charity campaigner, Dr. Mark Prince is a model example of utilising your circumstances for change. All too familiar with overcoming adversity, the once drug abusing youth became a world-renowned fighter, to later reinvent himself once more after the death of his son to ensure others don’t endure the same grief as him. An inspirational speaker, Mark’s life journey has been nothing short of remarkable, and his experiences make for a truly captivating after dinner speech.

Previously the holder of the IBF Inter-Continental and WBO Inter-Continental titles, Mark’s boxing talents were internationally renowned. A light-heavyweight of the sport, in his entire career he only lost one bout, when he contested the illustrious world title in the late 90s. Having had a difficult upbringing, boxing brought a level of purpose, discipline and success to the rapidly escalating lifestyle Mark led, influenced by violence and drugs. In a true rag to riches story the star sportsman showcased his natural agility in the ring as he garnered the world’s attention with his impressive results.

Hanging up his gloves, Mark had a world of opportunities ahead of him, which, came crashing down around him in May 2006. After his son passed away, a teen victim of knife crime, Mark had two choice, to crumble with his world, or rebuild it. Utilising the mental resilience, strength of character and unfaltering drive that boxing had instilled in him, Mark once again transformed, not only his future, but hundreds of others.

Driven by the need to prevent knife crime, Mark founded The Kiyan Prince Foundation in 2007, which used his platform and experiences in sport to create positive change. Awarded an OBE for his Services to Tackling and Gang Crime in London, Mark has solidified a legacy to his late son and influenced a generation. In 2019, fans of Queens Park Rangers voted to change the name of their famous training ground to reflect the impact Kiyan Prince had as a player in their youth team.

Continuing his involvement in sport, Mark is a qualified personal trainer working predominantly with youths, instilling the same essential qualities for success in them, that boxing did for him. A true inspiration, Mark was awarded the Children’s Champion Award. Hear first-hand Mark’s compelling life story, an in depth look at knife crime and the qualities that make and break us, with an after-dinner talk from Mark Prince.

Event contact: nt27@aru.ac.uk