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The Meetings Show 2026 will feature two exceptional keynote speakers taking to the stage to deliver bold ideas, fresh perspectives and powerful real-world insight - setting the tone for an education programme designed to inspire, challenge and drive meaningful change.
HIGH-ALTITUDE LEADERSHIP MEETS ICONIC BRAND THINKING
Emma Henderson MBE - Airline Captain, Mentor, Brand Ambassador, and Presenter
Decision Making in Turbulent Change
Wednesday 24 June
In this powerful keynote, former airline captain and creator of the AVIATE framework Emma Henderson MBE, shares how leaders can make confident, high-stakes decisions when the pressure is on.
Drawing on over 30 years on the flight deck, Emma translates cockpit-tested principles into practical tools for business. In a world defined by uncertainty and rapid change, she explores how to:
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Replace stress with structure for calm, consistent decisions
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Cut through complexity with clear, decisive thinking
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Build resilient, high-performing teams under pressure
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Lead with confidence that inspires trust and psychological safety
An energising and practical session equipping event professionals and senior leaders to make better decisions, faster and deliver measurable impact.
More about Emma:
Until September 2020 Emma was one of fewer than 500 female airline captains in the world and had made her mark on the industry as a Peer Support Mentor, Brand Ambassador, Fear of Flying presenter, and had become known as “Captain Emma” in ITV's fly on the wall documentary Inside the Cockpit.
It was this platform and the niche she had carved for herself as a natural and empathetic leader, that allowed her to launch Project Wingman in response to the global pandemic, mobilising thousands of grounded aircrew across the country to provide well-being support to frontline NHS staff.
Now, an award winning CEO of the charity she founded, an Aviation Ambassador, award winning speaker, and with an MBE to her name, Emma draws on her experiences over more than three decades in the air to deliver lessons that are relatable from the flight deck to the board room, inspiring all who hear her with her authentic leadership and her passion for doing the right thing, delivered through storytelling with compassion and bit of wry humour thrown in.
All who hear Emma leave feeling inspired, empowered, compelled to become better versions of themselves and with a “big picture” view of life whether at school, university or in business.
Emma shares lessons from behind the flight deck door to develop an authentic, human-centric leadership culture, developing skills including decision making, risk assessment, resilience, well-being in the workplace and the importance of “Leading from the Front” and by example.
Emma lives on the Moray Firth in the north of Scotland with her RAF husband, their two labradors, her chickens and a recently acquired (without permission) puppy! Her three adult children return on a regular enough basis to make it feel like they have never moved out - mostly to get their washing done and their cars serviced.
