Dr Jo Salter MBE

Full Biography

Dr Jo Salter MBE - Britain’s First Female Fast Jet Pilot

Leadership, Change, Resilience & Transformation Speaker

Dr Jo Salter MBE is a pioneering motivational and keynote speaker, best known as Britain’s first female fast jet pilot. A former RAF Flight Lieutenant who flew the Panavia Tornado with the legendary 617 Squadron, Jo brings audiences a powerful real-world story of courage, resilience, leadership and breaking barriers.

Today, Jo combines her extraordinary aviation career with senior business experience at PwC, where she has held leadership roles across people, organisation, risk technology, global transformation and GenAI. Her talks are ideal for organisations facing change, pressure, uncertainty, transformation or the need to inspire people to think differently, lead confidently and perform at their best.

First female RAF fast jet pilot | MBE for Services to Aviation | Former PwC Director of Global Transformative Leadership | GenAI and digital transformation experience | Honorary Doctorate from Bournemouth University | Open University Business School lecturer

Why Book Dr Jo Salter MBE?

Most organisations are navigating some form of change: new technology, shifting markets, cultural transformation, leadership pressure, inclusion challenges or the need to keep teams motivated through uncertainty.

Jo Salter helps audiences understand what it takes to perform, adapt and lead when the stakes are high. Drawing on her experience in one of the world’s most demanding military environments, and later in major corporate transformation roles, Jo translates powerful life lessons into practical insight for modern teams and leaders.

Her story is inspiring, but her value goes far beyond motivation. Jo helps audiences explore how to stay calm under pressure, build resilience, challenge outdated thinking, create inclusive cultures, embrace change and lead people through complexity with confidence.

Her delivery is warm, energetic, humorous and highly relatable. Audiences frequently praise her ability to connect her story directly to their event theme, leaving people inspired, energised and ready to act.

Keynote Topics

Leadership Under Pressure

A powerful keynote exploring what high-pressure environments teach us about decision-making, trust, accountability and leading when there is no room for complacency.

Drawing on her RAF career and later corporate leadership roles, Jo shares practical lessons on how leaders can stay focused, communicate clearly and inspire confidence even in challenging conditions.

What it delivers:

• Insight into decision-making under pressure
• Lessons in accountability, courage and trust
• Tools for remaining focused in demanding situations
• A memorable leadership story with real-world relevance
• Inspiration for leaders at all levels

Best for: Leadership teams, management conferences, senior leadership away days, high-pressure industries, safety-focused events and organisations needing stronger decision-making and accountability.

Disruption & Transformation

Jo’s career has been defined by transformation: from entering a newly opened path for women in fast jet aviation to leading major organisational change at PwC.

This keynote helps organisations understand how to approach disruption with confidence rather than fear. Jo explores how to adapt quickly, challenge assumptions, manage complexity and create positive change in fast-moving environments.

What it delivers:

• A practical mindset for navigating disruption
• Lessons from military and corporate transformation
• Confidence to challenge old ways of working
• Insight into digital transformation and business change
• Motivation to embrace uncertainty as an opportunity

Best for: Organisations going through restructuring, digital transformation, cultural change, technology adoption, innovation programmes or major business transitions.

Adopting a Change Mindset

Change is rarely comfortable, but Jo’s story shows how individuals and teams can learn to meet uncertainty with courage, flexibility and strategic thinking.

Having built a career by adapting to new rules, new environments and new expectations, Jo helps audiences understand how to reframe change, overcome resistance and develop the confidence to move forward.

What it delivers:

• Increased confidence during change
• Tools for reframing uncertainty
• Practical insight into resilience and adaptability
• Motivation to challenge limiting beliefs
• A stronger sense of personal responsibility and possibility

Best for: Transformation events, internal conferences, employee engagement days, change management programmes and teams experiencing uncertainty or transition.

Generative AI, Technology & Responsible Innovation

With experience in PwC’s GenAI and risk technology strategy work, Jo speaks on the opportunities and challenges created by emerging technology.

This keynote is ideal for organisations looking to inspire teams around AI adoption while also encouraging responsible, ethical and thoughtful implementation. Jo connects the human side of transformation with the realities of fast-moving technological change.

What it delivers:

• Clear insight into the human impact of emerging technology
• Discussion around responsible and ethical AI adoption
• Confidence for teams facing technological change
• A leadership perspective on innovation and risk
• Motivation to engage with AI rather than fear it

Best for: Technology conferences, digital transformation events, leadership teams, innovation programmes, risk and governance audiences, and organisations exploring AI adoption.

Female Leadership & Breaking Barriers

As Britain’s first female fast jet pilot, Jo offers a compelling and authentic perspective on gender barriers, confidence, inclusion and representation.

Her story powerfully demonstrates what is possible when people are given opportunity, when stereotypes are challenged and when individuals back themselves in environments where they may not initially feel they belong.

What it delivers:

• Inspiration for women in leadership and business
• Insight into overcoming barriers and bias
• Confidence to pursue ambitious goals
• A powerful message around representation and opportunity
• Motivation to build more inclusive workplace cultures

Best for: International Women’s Day, women in leadership events, diversity and inclusion programmes, graduate events, leadership conferences and organisations seeking to inspire underrepresented talent.

Building High-Performing Teams

From RAF squadrons to global corporate teams, Jo understands what high performance really requires: trust, communication, clarity, resilience and the ability to bring diverse strengths together.

This keynote explores how teams can perform under pressure, support one another, adapt quickly and maintain focus when challenges arise.

What it delivers:

• Lessons in teamwork from elite environments
• Strategies for building trust and shared purpose
• Insight into resilience and performance culture
• A practical understanding of team communication
• Inspiration to create environments where people can thrive

Best for: Team away days, leadership conferences, sales kick-offs, corporate events, high-performance programmes and organisations wanting to strengthen collaboration.

Inclusive Leadership

Jo’s RAF career gave her first-hand experience of entering and succeeding in a traditionally male-dominated environment. Her keynote on inclusive leadership explores how organisations can create cultures where people feel valued, respected and able to contribute fully.

Jo helps leaders understand why inclusion is not simply a moral issue, but a performance issue too. Diverse perspectives, when properly welcomed and heard, help teams make better decisions and achieve stronger outcomes.

What it delivers:

• A powerful real-world perspective on inclusion
• Insight into belonging, confidence and opportunity
• Practical lessons for leaders building inclusive teams
• Motivation to challenge stereotypes and assumptions
• A stronger understanding of how diversity supports performance

Best for: DEI events, leadership programmes, HR conferences, people and culture teams, women’s networks and organisations building more inclusive workplaces.

What Audiences Gain

Jo Salter’s sessions are designed to inspire audiences while giving them meaningful lessons they can take back into their roles, teams and lives.

Audiences leave with:

• Greater confidence to face change and uncertainty
• A stronger understanding of resilience under pressure
• Practical leadership lessons from military and business environments
• Motivation to challenge barriers and limiting beliefs
• Insight into inclusive leadership and high-performing teams
• A fresh perspective on transformation, AI and the future of work
• Energy, inspiration and a renewed belief in what is possible

Speaking Style & Delivery

Jo is known for being warm, engaging, funny, authentic and deeply inspiring. Her talks combine extraordinary personal stories with relevant business insight, making her equally suited to serious leadership conferences, large-scale corporate events, intimate executive sessions and uplifting motivational keynotes.

Clients praise her ability to connect with audiences, tailor her message to the event theme and deliver powerful takeaways without relying on heavy slides or corporate jargon.

Her sessions can be delivered as keynote speeches, fireside chats, workshops, panel discussions, conference sessions and virtual presentations.

Experience & Background

Professional Experience

• Britain’s first female fast jet pilot
• Former RAF Flight Lieutenant
• Flew the Panavia Tornado with 617 Squadron
• Joined the RAF at 18
• Former Director of People & Organisation at PwC
• Former Director of Risk Technology Strategy at PwC
• Former Director of Global Transformative Leadership at PwC
• Experience in GenAI, digital transformation and responsible AI implementation
• Associate Lecturer at the Open University Business School
• Author of books including Energy: 52 Ways to Fire Up Your Life and Become an Energy Angel and Energize

Achievements

• Appointed MBE for Services to Aviation
• Awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Bournemouth University
• Named one of the BBC’s 50 Most Inspiring Women in the World
• Invited to the Top Gun: Maverick premiere by Tom Cruise
• Named No.1 in Global Gurus’ selection of top motivational speakers for corporate events
• Trustee of the RAF Club
• Trustee of Ripples Charity
• Ambassador for Global Angels

Previous Clients / Audience Type

Jo is a strong choice for organisations looking to inspire people around leadership, resilience, inclusion, change, transformation, AI, high performance and overcoming adversity.

Typical clients and audiences:

• Corporate organisations
• Leadership and management teams
• Women in leadership networks
• DEI and inclusion programmes
• Technology and transformation teams
• HR, people and culture teams
• Public sector and government audiences
• Financial services organisations
• High-pressure industries
• Conferences, awards, fireside chats and internal company events

Named clients include:

• AIB
• Wells Fargo
• Three
• British American Tobacco
• Deutsche Bank
• EDF Energy
• BP
• Ministry of Defence
• Home Office
• Cable & Wireless
• DP World
• Straumann
• SSCL
• Equinix
• Clyde & Co
• Coinbase

If you are looking for a speaker who can energise your audience, challenge their thinking and deliver an unforgettable message on leadership, resilience, change and human potential, Dr Jo Salter MBE is an outstanding choice.

Contact us today to discuss your event requirements.

Artist Location, Travel & Pricing

Price from £POA + VAT + travel from Surrey

Based on 1 person performing 1 x 45 Minute Talk

Most Alive Network artists travel UK wide and internationally. Get a guide price instantly by clicking the 'get quote' button and entering your event date and location. Make an enquiry and we will liase directly with Dr Jo Salter MBE to confirm price, availability, and the provide you with a confirmed quote.

Get Instant Quote

Lineup

Default lineup: 1 performer

Requirements

Required by act...

Similar Artists

See more artists like Dr Jo Salter MBE

Featured In

• 1. Celebrity Speakers and Hosts
  2. South East
  3. Surrey
• Party Entertainment Ideas