Mandy Hickson

Mandy Hickson is a role model for young women wanting to join the Airforce. At the age of 17, she was awarded an RAF scholarship, flying planes well before she started driving on land. Despite her extraordinary skill, she failed the computer-based test carried out by all future RAF pilots. Faced with a great hurdle, Mandy endured a challenging personal test. Undeterred, and with her persuasive, determined nature, Mandy convinced the RAF to take her on as a test case, ultimately saving her career in the skies. Due to her unapologetic self-belief, Mandy became the only female pilot on her Frontline Tornado Squadron, flying multi-million-pound jets for the Royal Air Force. Over the course of her career, Mandy survived different hostile environments, including operating in a 'No Fly' zone over Iraq.

As a trained Human Factors Facilitator with the Civil Aviation Authority, Mandy uses her aviation expertise, strategic risk taking and ability to stay calm whilst under immense pressure to transfer the lessons she has learned from the cockpit to the corporate boardroom. On top of this, Mandy created Inspiring Women for Work, which organised tailor-made events aiming to help women realise what they are capable and regain the self-confidence essential to go back to work. Mandy is a captivating female motivational speaker, engaging with her audience through highly interesting personal stories of how persevering through failure leads to success.