Nicola 'Rosie' Steevenson

Nicola ‘Rosie’ Steevenson has over 10 years RAF experience, spending her years as a front-line Tornado F3 Navigator and Weapons System Operator. She is a STEM Ambassador and the co-founder of On A Mission, a service that provides resources and workshops on leadership and personal and professional improvement, inspiring audiences through her and former RAF colleague Helen Seymour’s story of persistence and grit whilst serving in the RAF. 

She holds a BEng in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Manchester, and despite having her dreams as a fighter pilot rejected due to failing her medical, Rosie pivoted to leading a career in being a navigator for the Tornado F3. She employed tactical air defence of the UK and Falkland Islands, maintained Quick Action Alert cover, and was on standby for NATO’s Rapid Reaction Force. Upon leaving the RAF, Rosie became the Chief Ground Instructor at Flybe. She went on to hold various high-level roles, such as the Head of Human Factors at Virtual Jet Centre Limited, Aviation Safety Consultant for Baines Simmons, and Associate Consultant for Atrainability. 

Rosie is a qualified Crew Resource Management and Trainer and is currently a Non-Executive Director for Devon Air Ambulance Trust. She is also the Director of Human Performance Solutions, as well as an Associate at Systemic Factors Limited. She is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors and of the Clinical Human Factors Group. Rosie recently completed her MSc in Human Factors and Behavioural Change at the University of Derby. 

With a passion for improving human performance in high-pressure environments, Rosie speaks to a wide range of individuals and companies to encourage their professional progress. She received the Phoenix Award at West Country Women Awards and was invited to speak at their International Women’s Day event, detailing her journey and the barriers she faced in a traditionally male field. She and co-founder Helen have delivered their keynote ‘Performing Under Pressure’ to Funding Xchange staff. More recently, they conducted 8 joint keynote talks to Network Rail employees. Their talks draw from their experiences of flying together as one of the few all-female crews in the world and discuss resilience, adapting to change, the importance of inclusivity, and the fear of failure.