Mandy Hickson is a pioneering female pilot turned motivational speaker and business navigating consultant, who draws on her extraordinary career in the Royal Air Force (RAF) to deliver powerful lessons in leadership, risk management, and human factors. Having developed an enviable skill set during her time as an RAF pilot, Mandy now translates those experiences into valuable tools for the workplace. From overcoming early setbacks to achieving history-defining milestones, her story resonates with audiences seeking inspiration and practical guidance. As a keynote speaker, Mandy combines her extensive operational expertise with fast-paced stories from her time in the skies, captivating listeners with her insights into decision-making and resilience under pressure.
As only the second female pilot to fly the Tornado GR4 on the front line, Mandy broke new ground for women in the RAF. Much of her remarkable career was spent as the only female aircrew member, flying on 45 combat missions over Iraq and completing three duty tours. Her role as the Squadron’s Combat Survival and Rescue Officer saw her lead a cross-continent initiative at the height of military operations, exemplifying her leadership and strategic thinking. Since leaving active service, Mandy has continued to serve as an inspirational role model through her work as a Volunteer Reserve on the Air Experience Flight with the Air Cadets. In 2022, she further expanded her professional impact by taking on the role of Faculty Lecturer at the LBC2 Programme, where she shares her expertise in leadership and personal development. Most recently, in 2023, Mandy demonstrated her enduring determination by completing a trek to Everest Base Camp, a testament to her persistence and adventurous spirit.
Mandy’s path to becoming a pilot was far from straightforward. Despite showing early promise and earning an RAF flying scholarship aged 17, her journey was marked by setbacks, including failing the RAF’s flying aptitude test twice. Nevertheless, her determination and resilience led to her selection as a test case by the RAF, proving her capability and paving the way for future female pilots. Her personal story of perseverance underpins her motivational talks, where she draws on her experience to offer valuable insights on teamwork, leadership, crisis management, and human error, all highly relevant to corporate and organisational environments.
Today, Mandy delivers transformative talks across a range of sectors, using her personal and professional experiences to inspire and educate audiences. Her recently published book, 'An Officer, Not a Gentleman', highlights her journey as a woman in a male-dominated profession and explores the mental and physical resilience required to thrive as both a frontline pilot and a mother. Highly acclaimed for her contributions, Mandy was shortlisted as a finalist in the Inspiration of the Year category at the Ex-Forces in Business Awards. Her career continues to inspire, and her involvement in groups such as Inspiring Women for Work highlights her commitment to empowering others and offering tangible value through her remarkable story.
At Champions Speakers, we take pride in being an official booking agent for Mandy Hickson. As we proudly represent Mandy Hickson as her booking agent, we had the opportunity to sit down with her and discuss her new book, working with an all-male squadron and what it's like to fly a fighter jet on the front line. Read our interview with Mandy or watch our exclusive Q&A with Mandy Hickson, conducted by our Senior Content Executive, Megan Lupton.
Most recently, Mandy Hickson was inducted into the Best International Women's Day Speakers to Hire, recognising her talent as an incredible female pilot.
Social Media
Books
An Officer, Not a Gentleman: The Inspirational Journey of a Pioneering Female Fighter Pilot
Reviews
Mandy Hickson received a 5 star rating across 15 events in 2023
Agent Recommendation
"Mandy Hickson is a truly inspiring motivational speaker whose pioneering career as a female pilot in the Royal Air Force exemplifies determination and leadership. Her remarkable experiences, including 45 missions over Iraq, offer invaluable insights into risk management and teamwork. Mandy’s dynamic talks are transformative, engaging audiences with fast-paced stories and practical workplace tools."
How to hire Mandy Hickson
Contact the Champions Speakers Agency to provisionally enquire about hiring Mandy Hickson 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.
Mandy Hickson's official speaking topics are listed below:
- The Building & Empowerment of Effective Teams
- Inspired Goal Setting & Ultimate Focus
- Decision-Making Under Extreme Pressure
- Maintaining Momentum Despite Losing Top Talent
- Nurturing a Culture of Self-Confidence & Aspiration
- Maintaining Essential Work/Life Balance in a Demanding Environment
- Overcoming Innate Risk Avoidance Tendencies
- A Wavering of Confidence & Self-Belief
- Amazingly Still Having to Break Through the Glass Ceiling
Official Feedback from In-Person & Virtual Events
Feedback from In-Person Events:
"I just wanted to let you know that Mandy was truly amazing yesterday. The feedback we have had was incredible and everyone agreed how inspiring she was and in awe of what she has achieved. I didn’t get to say goodbye to Mandy, but please pass on my thanks to her and it was a pleasure to meet her. I know we will all really enjoy reading her book." - Liz, Team PA, Quintain
"She was amazing, thank you! The perfect end to our conference. Everyone was really inspired and had a lot to say after her presentation. Thank you for your help in arranging" - Jennifer, Personal Assistant, Group Legal - Corporate, Commercial & Compliance, Vodafone
"Mandy is a fantastic public speaker. She is both inspirational and extremely well-prepared. Her ability to relate her own experience working under extreme pressure and in highly performing teams to everyday situations is most impressive. She tops it all with a wonderful sense of humour and great modesty. Listening to her talking about the many challenges that she has successfully overcome should be compulsory for all girls!" - Miriam, Partner, Dechert LLP
"Much like the fighter jets you flew, the noise (feedback) about your presentation can still be heard. The feedback has been fantastic with many saying “Mandy was the most inspirational speaker I have ever heard”. You are extraordinarily talented, hugely determined and beautifully funny with a great ability to connect with people - for such a high flier you are very grounded! Thank you for sharing, it was a great pleasure." - Peter, Managing Director, Old Mutual International
"Mandy, great to meet you. Your session was particularly well received. I am delighted I was able to stay to hear you talk. Your story is very inspirational and I recognised many of the challenges you have faced as a woman in a predominantly male world as these issues are industry-agnostic. I am sure we could spend hours sharing our war stories (literal and metaphorical !). I do all I can to help the next generation navigate these challenges and not experience the same difficulties as those who have gone before. You are clearly doing the same." - Sue, CEO, M&S Bank
"I just wanted to say thank you once again for a fabulous talk at our execs conference. They were buzzing afterwards, just as the partners were, and it really made the day. Funny, human and relevant with an appropriate dose of self-deprecation. You went down a storm! Thank you." - Jonathan, Managing Partner, Russell-Cooke International Law Firm
"I just wanted to say following yesterday that I have been approached by so many people, telling me that you were the best speaker we have ever had. Not only were you very motivational and inspiring, but you were also very amusing with it which brought a really nice atmosphere to the room. If I could have the same speaker each year, you would be top of my list!!" - Orbit Group
"Mandy was absolutely amazing. She was really able to connect her story to ours and left the audience with nuggets to take away as well as inspiration and motivation." - Quilter
"Also, just wanted to drop you a note saying thank you for recommending Mandy to us … she was fantastic, the audience soaked up everything she had to say … brilliant suggestion"- Greencore
"She was amazing, thank you! The perfect end to our conference. Everyone was really inspired and had a lot to say after her presentation. Thank you for your help in arranging." – Jennifer, Personal Assistant, Vodafone
"Mandy was perfect for our meeting, she has a great story that resonated with everyone in the room. As I said to her at the end, she didn’t need to ask for feedback on the day as I’m sure she could tell looking at the audience from the stage just how engaged they were! We also had similar feedback from those that watched the video afterwards (which we deleted after 2 weeks as agreed)." - Shell
"Mandy Hickson was incredible. I think most of the crowd was completely captivated by her talk. She also has an approachable personality/character, which can often not be the case with some speakers and is super interesting to talk to. She was very happy to share all her flying stories! She socialised with our guests and colleagues and the feedback was nothing short of exemplary. Her talk was fascinating and powerful and gave a great insight into what it was like for her to start a career in the Royal Air Force as a woman and her journey to now. She had the audience hooked from the first minute. It was insightful and engaging." - Quintain
"It all went off without a hitch last night. Mandy was fantastic." - Stepstone Group
- 2024 – Inducted into Best International Women's Day Speakers to Hire
- 2023 – Completed trek to Everest Base Camp
- 2022 – Appointed Faculty Lecturer at the LBC2 Programme
- 2022 – Finalist in Inspiration of the Year at the Ex-Forces in Business Awards
- 2020 – Published book 'An Officer, Not a Gentleman'
- 1998 – Second female pilot to fly the Tornado GR4 on the front line
- 2000s – Flew 45 combat missions over Iraq and completed three duty tours
- 2000s – Squadron Combat Survival and Rescue Officer leading a cross-continent initiative
- 1990s – Selected as a test case by the RAF after failing the flying aptitude test twice
- 1990 – Awarded RAF Flying Scholarship at age 17
- Volunteer Reserve on the Air Experience Flight with the Air Cadets
