Cultural Diversity Roster

Find a Presenter

speaker

Private Jaco van Gass

Private Jaco van Gass

INJURED SERVICEMAN&ADVENTURE

Jaco has since turned his focus to cycling and he was accepted

See Below for Full Bio

Categories :

Add To My Speakers List Request Availabilty
[Sassy_Social_Share]

Bio

Full Bio

Jaco and his platoon were engaged by Enemy Forces and after an intense 45-minute firefight, Jaco was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. The injuries he sustained included the loss of his left arm at the elbow, a collapsed left lung, shrapnel wounds to his left side, punctured internal organs, blast wounds to the upper thigh, a broken tibia and a fractured knee.

Eleven operations and intensive rehabilitation followed, and Jaco has since completed several marathons, trekked across the North Pole in 2011 (helping to raise £1.5 million for Walking With The Wounded in the process) and attempted to climb Mount Everest in 2012, before having to abandon due to dangerous weather conditions.

Jaco has since turned his focus to cycling and he was accepted onto the Paralympic Development Programme in 2013. At the inaugural Invictus Games in September 2014, he won gold in both the time trial and circuit race and was accepted onto British Cycling’s Paralympic Academy Programme at the end of 2014. In 2021, Jaco represented Team GB at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, postponed by one year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Competing at the games, Jaco claimed Paralympic Gold in the C1-5 750m team sprint and C3 3000m individual pursuit and Paralympic Bronze in the C1-3 1000m time trial.

Not only is Jaco an awe-inspiring public speaker but, more importantly, he is a charming and witty gentleman – his politeness, and charisma make him both memorable and entertaining as a motivational speaker, his ability to mix humour in with the intense drama and seriousness of his personal experiences manages to set audiences at ease whilst simultaneously inspiring them.

Check Availability

MM slash DD slash YYYY
Check Availability for

Topics

Topics

Personal determination
Overcoming adversity
Managing change

Videos

Videos

Jaco van Gass, MBE | COVVI Advocate Stories
Showcase | Jaco van Gass

Books

Please Contact Us For More Information

News

Please Contact Us For More Information

TESTIMONIALS

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

The American Psychological Association was thrilled to have Dr. Antonia Novello as our speaker for the 2024 APA Convention. Dr. Novello was fantastic, and her presentation was a tremendous success. Thank you, Peter, for all your hard work in making this event such a resounding success.

American Psychological Association

For our annual Native American Heritage Month celebration, PDA Group arranged for John Echohawk to join us for a virtual moderated discussion. The program was thoughtful, engaging, and highly impactful for our audience of lawyers and professional staff. We are grateful for their partnership and look forward to working with them again.

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

We have partnered with PDA Group on multiple successful events, including our charity luncheon with Lisa Edelstein and our Women’s Philanthropy Kickoff Event featuring Allegra Goodman. Their professionalism, expertise, and commitment to excellence make them an outstanding partner. Thank you for your exceptional work and continued support.

UJA-Federation

We have received so much fantastic feedback following our virtual event. It was an absolute success, and Sylvia Fowles was excellent. Thank you again to Sylvia and the entire team for your partnership!”

U.S. Bank

Kurt Warner was spectacular—he completely wowed the audience and solidified major leadership points. He was an amazing partner, and we will be talking about this experience for years to come. We will definitely leverage the PDA team for all of our speaking needs!”

Sysco Corporation

The events over the past two years went very well — everyone had a great time with Dr. Mark Esper in 2025, and Sam Hinkie led a very engaging Q&A with our Principal, Jean Reynolds, in 2024. Thank you for working with us these last two years; your support has been instrumental to the success of our programs!

Investcorp Strategic Capital Group

It was an absolute privilege to have Dr. Sanjay Gupta as our keynote speaker for the 2026 GME Leadership Conference. He delivered an outstanding address that resonated deeply and left a lasting impression on everyone in the room. The entire planning process was seamless and collaborative. It was a pleasure working together, brainstorming suggestions, and ultimately selecting the perfect fit for our event. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

HCA Healthcare

We had a fantastic day with Inge! She was very engaging with all those that attended. Her personal stories about the holocaust were very special and we were moved that she was willing to share them with everyone. Thank you again, PDA for all your hard work and dedication to make this program such a success!

Salt Lake Community College

It was a great pleasure to work with PDA Group! The communication was always prompt, friendly and helpful. We loved the speakers and events we booked through Mr. Peter Walker (PDA Group).

Western Michigan University

On behalf of myself and my organization Entertainment Unlimited the Campus Programming Board of Ferris State University, we thank you PDA and Dan for a successful event!! Dan was magnificent! Students really enjoyed the presentation. I know I did. Can’t wait to bring in more programs with PDA Group.

Ferris State University

GET IDEAS

1 Hour or Less
914-940-0075 "America's Entertainment Leader"