Justin Hughes is a former fighter pilot, Executive Officer of the Red Arrows, senior corporate executive, and current biotech entrepreneur addressing climate change; he has his 'skin in the game' for building high-performance cultures. He is a renowned speaker on various related topics, including leadership, building high-performance teams (including virtual teams), decision-making under ambiguity, and thriving in high-risk environments. Delivery options include keynotes, facilitation, and workshops, and he has extensive experience with diverse audiences across the US, Europe, the Middle and Far East, and China.
Justin combines a highly engaging delivery style with clear, actionable insights based on first-hand knowledge of the most demanding operating environments. His passion for high performance evolved from his experience as a fighter pilot, performing over 250 displays worldwide with the Red Arrows. Justin's BETTUR (Better Understanding of Reality) model is based on personal learnings about how to plan, execute, and adapt in situations characterised by ambiguity, imperfect information, rapid change, and pressure to deliver.
Justin has worked as a strategic adviser who partners with senior leadership teams to improve organisational effectiveness. His clients have included Microsoft, the United Nations, and Mercedes Formula 1, and he is a regular contributor to BP's global Leading in Operations programme. In addition, he has delivered impactful talks globally on culture, leadership, and strategic priorities, with engagements spanning the US, UAE, Europe, and beyond. Justin is the author of The Business of Excellence (Bloomsbury, 2016) and has been profiled in leading media outlets, including the London Standard, Director Magazine, The Daily Telegraph, and The Independent. He has also been interviewed for BBC World Talking Business, BBC Breakfast, and The Standard.
In addition to his corporate and military accomplishments, Justin led NetZeroNitrogen to secure a successful funding round in 2023 and launched early-stage field trials for biological fertilisers. These achievements earned NetZeroNitrogen recognition as 2nd out of 400 in KPMG's UK Tech Innovator of the Year competition in 2024. His leadership in sustainability further underscores his commitment to tackling pressing global challenges.
Outside of his professional pursuits, Justin serves as a trustee for Hospitallers Ukraine Aid, which plans to deliver medical equipment to Kyiv. He is also actively involved in his local community, where he turned around a girls' U9 football team. He is also an adventurer, having undertaken immersive travel experiences, such as exploring Vietnam with his family on mopeds.
As a result of an intellectual mid-life crisis, Justin earned an MBA with Distinction from London Business School and an MSt with Distinction in International Relations from the University of Cambridge. For the latter, he initially planned a thesis on pandemics but thought no one would be interested (in 2017!), and instead analysed the threat posed by cryptocurrency to the financial order; he is currently sitting on a return of 1000% (though he only bought $30).
As Champions Speakers is an official speaker agent for Justin Hughes, in October 2020 our Director, Jack Hayes, was lucky enough to sit down with Justin to discuss all things Red Arrows, creating high-performance teams and showing leadership. Take a look at this exclusive interview with Justin today.
Social Media
Books
The Business of Excellence: Building High Performance Teams and Organizations
Reviews
Justin Hughes received a 5 star rating across 21 events in 2023.
Agent Recommendation
"Justin Hughes is an inspiring speaker with a remarkable story. From flying with the Red Arrows to leading a biotech tackling climate change, he’s lived high-pressure leadership firsthand. With a warm, engaging style, he shares practical insights on teamwork, resilience, and decision-making, leaving audiences motivated and ready to excel."
How to hire Justin Hughes
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Justin Hughes for your next event, today. To get in touch, simply call an official booking agent on 0207 1010 553 or email us at [email protected] for more information.
** We do not accept requests for autographs, signed merchandise, fan mail, birthday messages or any other non-commercial contact with the speakers or acts. Each speaker on the website may not have necessarily worked with Champions in the past but are known to perform such engagements within the industry.
Justin Hughes' official speaking topics are listed below:
- Building and Maintaining High-Performance Cultures and Teams: Explore the processes to improve alignment and coordination within teams, understand the key cultural traits of high-performing organizations, and enhance personal resilience, especially for home workers.
- Decision-Making and Risk Management: Best practices for decision-making under pressure, including leveraging team diversity, pre-planning responses, and mitigating risks through improved understanding of cognitive biases.
- Decision-Making Under Ambiguity: Approaches to mitigate cognitive and motivational biases that can impair judgment in uncertain situations, with a focus on improving clarity and effective decision-making in challenging environments.
- Leadership: Understanding leadership as a moral and emotional endeavor—about inspiring people to follow willingly, rather than just using authority. Learn how leadership behavior defines culture and influences organizational success.
- Mental Health: Highlighting the importance of mental health in achieving high performance, with strategies for maintaining psychological well-being, particularly in high-pressure environments.
- Peak Performance: Drawing from the experience as a fighter pilot, learn what drives peak performance, how to prepare for high-pressure scenarios, and how to build the capacity to perform at your best.
- Resilience: Exploring how to build and enhance personal resilience, using mental models and tools to manage stress and perform effectively in tough situations.
- Strategic Ambiguity and Agility: Tools and approaches for navigating ambiguity strategically, ensuring teams and organizations can adapt quickly and effectively to change.
- Strategy: Exploring strategic thinking as it relates to setting direction and achieving alignment, with emphasis on creating clarity amidst complex circumstances.
- Teamwork: Insights into fostering collaboration, effective communication, and shared purpose, drawn from experiences in high-stakes environments like the Red Arrows.
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
"Justin hosted a two-day workshop in Canada for my global management team, delivering a thought-provoking, hands-on programme on high reliability and balancing growth with safety. It was extremely worthwhile, and I wouldn't hesitate to bring him back." - Andrew, Senior Vice President, Trican Completion Solutions
"We've had many leadership interventions before, but Justin was in a class of his own." - Abdulla, CEO, Commercial Bank of Qatar
"Justin is one of a rare breed of speakers who completely captivates an audience, providing actionable insights that translate directly into positive business outcomes. I'm certain that his impact was a factor in our record performance this month. An outstanding individual with world-class ability to bring excellence to life." - Toby, CEO, Harrington Starr, North Starr, HSTC
"Justin was very well received. He adapted his style and message to align perfectly with the brief, allowing the audience to connect and engage deeply." - Brian, United Utilities
"The feedback on Justin's presentation at the ASIS UK Winter Seminar was sensational—it's still the talk of the event! He absolutely nailed what we were looking for, delivering a thought-provoking and interactive session." - David, UK Chairman, ASIS International
"Feedback was massively positive—some of the best we've ever had." - Beth, Head of Technical Talent EMEIA, Fujitsu Services
"Thank you for your amazing presentation at our High-Performance Teams Event in Abu Dhabi. You captured the audience's attention, even as we neared lunchtime, and the energy in the room was electric. Your keynote transformed our event, and I look forward to future collaborations." - Marita, Managing Director, SAP Training & Development Institute FZCO
"Justin's preparation and professionalism in mastering the virtual format was a key factor in the success of our first online event for senior clients. He even motivated my son to do his maths homework during a pre-call!" - Melissa, UK Board, KPMG
"A year on, and we still use the language and principles Justin introduced." - Richard, Senior Director, Trade & Marketing, Maersk Deutschland
"Justin delivered a pragmatic insight into business excellence, and emphasized the importance of debriefing and learning from experience. We've implemented this in every operational meeting, leading to an excellent first half-year performance that exceeded our corporate objectives." - Gary, Chief Commercial Officer, Oncology Business Group (Global) and Chairman & CEO EMEA Region, Eisai EMEA
- 2024 - CEO NetZeroNitrogen: Successful funding round (2023), led early-stage field trials for biological fertiliser
- 2024 - 2nd out of 400 in KPMG's UK Tech Innovator of the Year
- 2024 - Attended conference for DRPG & Worcester Bosch
- 2024 - Speaker engagements in US, UAE, Europe (inc UK), including BP's Leading in Operations programme (Culture, Leadership, Priorities) and future pipeline in Eastern/Western Europe & US (financial services, oil/gas, media, tech)
- 2024 - Personal: Turnaround of girls' U9 football team, immersive travel in Vietnam (family of 4 on moped), Trustee for Hospitallers Ukraine Aid (potential Kyiv trip to deliver medical equipment)
- 2022 - CEO NetZeroNitrogen
- 2020 - Board Adviser Digital Wellbore Ltd & Trustee Coastal Learning Partnership
- 2019 - Trustee Humantopia & Director Integrated Airline Service L3Harris Commercial Aviation
- 2016 - Author ‘The Business of Excellence: Building High-Performance Teams and Organisations’
- 2012 - Non-Executive Adviser Inox Global Capital Management
- 2007 - Co-founder & Director SL Privée
- 2003 - MD & Director Consulting Mission Excellence
- 2000 - Executive Officer Red Arrows
- 1990 - Fighter Pilot Royal Air Force
