motivators

Mandy Hickson

  • Winchester, UK
  • USD On Request

Mandy Hickson is a former Royal Air Force pilot and Human Factors facilitator. She was the only female pilot on her Front Line Tornado Squadron, flying multi million pound fast jets.  Mandy has been the keynote speaker at hundreds of events and is an inspiration to women across the UK. Mandy has also operated in […]

Mandy Hickson is a former Royal Air Force pilot and Human Factors facilitator. She was the only female pilot on her Front Line Tornado Squadron, flying multi million pound fast jets. 

Mandy has been the keynote speaker at hundreds of events and is an inspiration to women across the UK.

Mandy has also operated in hostile environments, including patrolling the ‘No Fly’ zone over Iraq. Carrying the latest weaponry, along with her unit, she was ready to drop ordnance on any target in support of operations.

After a turbulent route to the top, Mandy was awarded a RAF flying scholarship at the age of 17, long before she even passed her driving test. However, despite her achievements, she failed the computer based tests required by the RAF. Undeterred, driven by determination and passion, Mandy persuaded the RAF to take her on as a test case, thereby overcoming seemingly undefeatable hurdles.

In her speeches, Mandy Hickson relays her experiences of working with an elite team of fast jet operators with command and clarity, outlining the many ways in which the same values can be applied within any environment. Notably, she demonstrates the importance of remaining calm under pressure and leading from the front, to get the best from herself and her team.

Mandy Hickson | Former RAF Pilot

A trained Human Resources Facilitator, Mandy is an expert on interactions among humans. This affords her a detailed understanding of the role of human beings in complex systems. As a result, she applies this expertise, as well as personal experiences of calculating risk and making decisions under pressure, to businesses. Recently, Mandy Hickson founded Inspiring Women for Work, which involves tailor made events designed to help women realise their full potential and regain confidence to return to work.

Mandy Hickson is a highly demanded keynote speaker across a range of business sectors, where she talks with humour and great passion to inspire those around her. She has been invited to share her insights with some of the most successful organisations across the world where she describes the strategies & behaviours that can adopted when the stakes are at their highest.

She has a wealth of experience to share from working in a male dominated environment, from battling imposter syndrome to juggling life as a working mother of two young children.

As a coach, mentor and facilitator Mandy Hickson inspires others, covering the core areas of human performance factors; decision making, communication, leadership, behaviour, workload, conflict, fatigue and stress management. 

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As only the second female to fly a Tornado GR4 on the front line, Mandy pioneered the movement of women into the RAF. Much of her remarkable career was spent as the only female aircrew, throughout 45 missions over Iraq and three duty tours, evidencing her mental resilience, bravery and powerful attitude.

 

Since leaving the RAF Mandy has trained as a Human Factors facilitator with the Civil Aviation Authority, and now uses her in depth knowledge of aviation, calculated risk taking, decision making under pressure and the critical role of the human in the system to transfer these lessons to businesses and individuals alike.

She demonstrates the importance of remaining calm under pressure and leading, quite literally from the front, to get the best from herself and her team.

Challenging times require an exceptional corporate response. So how do you motivate and inspire your staff to demonstrate outstanding leadership and teamwork under pressure; to stride confidently towards purposeful goals and maintain focus despite great risks?

 

These critical success factors are clearly demonstrated by Mandy Hickson’s unique experiences of flying in a Front Line Tornado Squadron within hostile environments. Mandy is supporting an increasing number of organisations as a keynote or motivational speaker.

Tailored to be relevant to your organisation, Mandy’s main themes are;

 

The building and empowerment of effective teams
Inspired goal setting and ultimate focus
Decision making under extreme pressure
Maintaining momentum despite losing top talent
Nurturing a culture of self-confidence and aspiration.

We recognise the daily challenges that face Head Teachers and their staff. All too frequently this has an impact upon the time available to do the very things that are undoubtedly close to your heart –nurturing your pupil’s hopes and aspirations and inspiring them to the realisation of their dreams and ambitions.

 

As a School Governor and mother of two young boys I recognise the daily challenges that face Head Teachers and their staff.

All too frequently this has an impact upon the time available to do the very things that are undoubtedly close to your heart –nurturing your pupil’s hopes and aspirations and inspiring them to the realisation of their dreams and ambitions.

 

Mandy offers a number of different services to suit the needs of schools and would be delighted to discuss these with you in more detail.

For Women’s Groups
Hickson is focused on providing women with support and inspiration in the form of Mandy’s remarkable story. It is a story which started with dreaming about being a fast jet pilot at the age of 13 and culminated in her leading an entirely male dominated Front Line Tornado Squadron on operations.

Without a doubt most women face some really tough challenges in their working lives:

 

  • Maintaining that essential work/life balance in a demanding environment
  • Overcoming innate risk avoidance tendencies
  • A wavering of confidence and self-belief
  • Amazingly, still having to break through the glass ceiling

 

Hickson is focused on providing women with support and inspiration in the form of Mandy’s remarkable story. It is a story which started with dreaming about being a fast jet pilot at the age of 13 and culminated in her leading an entirely male dominated Front Line Tornado Squadron on operations.

 

Of course, this was not a straightforward journey; it contained apparently insurmountable setbacks and immense pressures in a hugely demanding environment.

 

Mandy shares the strategies and approach she used to get there – and delivers them with high energy and humour that will engage.

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