Emma Henderson MBE
Decision-Making in Turbulent Change | AVIATE

PROFESSIONAL SPEAKER

Former airline captain and award-winning speaker Emma Henderson MBE helps leaders make confident decisions under pressure using AVIATE — a practical framework for turbulent change.

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Award-Winning Speaker

Winner of the 2025 Bookers' Choice Award at The Speaker Awards.

“Emma Henderson is an authentic and excellent storyteller with a very natural stage presence. An inspirational journey, told with humour, not only does Emma already have some strong bureau friendly material, her speech has very clear messages which really engages an audience and makes her someone we can suggest in confidence to our client base.” - The Speakers Award

Problem → Promise

When the world is moving fast, hesitation is expensive.

Leaders tell me their biggest pain isn’t information, it’s making the next right decision amid competing risks, limited time, and noisy stakeholders.

  • Gain Control and Stability. You will replace the emotional paralysis of stress with a reliable, systematic approach to crisis, instantly knowing how to triage any challenge, prioritise core operations, and commit to the next right decision.

  • Achieve Unbreakable Inner Calm. Become the unshakable anchor that stabilises any situation. You will project a commanding confidence that cuts through chaos, instantly building trust and ensuring everyone around you performs with resilience and focus.

  • Unlock Decisive, Unified Momentum. You will master the ability to quickly cut through data noise and conflicting risks to reach a clear, definitive conclusion. You’ll know how to communicate that vision so effectively that your entire team executes the plan without hesitation, driving progress immediately.

My Promises

Ready To Start?

Download the AVIATE Guide for free!

Trusted By

What Makes Emma Different?

As one of only 500 female airline captains in the world, Emma was trusted to fly multi-million pound passenger jets, working in a high-pressured, male-dominated environment, where a momentary lapse in leadership and performance risked catastrophic results.

These challenges are not unique to the aviation industry.

Leadership is A Privilege

A role which comes with great responsibility and yet today’s leaders are dealing with challenges of stress, overload, imposter syndrome - and burnout.

As a leader, who do you turn to in times of crisis?

BOOK EMMA FOR YOUR EVENT

From Global Platforms

To Your Mindset: Insights that Travel
Delivering the crucial mindset shifts from the world's most innovative stages.

To Signature Keynotes

Command, Clarity & High-Performance. Powerful events fuse real-world gravitas with actionable leadership.

And Action-Based Workshops

Sessions that deliver structured frameworks and practical skills teams can implement today.

Emma Gives You Measurable Outcomes

Measurable impact, not fluffy theory. Emma brings cockpit-tested frameworks that sharpen how teams decide, communicate, and recover — creating calm, confident performance under real pressure.

Faster decisions, fewer reversals

Better risk calls and trade-offs

Stronger brief/debrief habits

Greater calm and cohesion under pressure

What Do Our Clients Say?

testimonials

“Emma is a natural storyteller and had everyone gripped! Feedback from the group has been so positive, everyone left feeling inspired and ready to fly high! You set clear expectations and tailored the content to make it relevant to the audience and event.”

Alison Read
President, Moray Business Women

“Emma shared her experience and insights with us in an engaging and compelling manner. Thoughtful, yet inspirational, she made a profound impact on all those she engaged with during her time with us at the University. I cannot recommend her highly enough.”

Sir David Bell KCB DL
Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive, University of Sunderland

“Sometimes you meet someone who makes an impact on you and you need to share them because you know how powerful it could be for others.”

Fay Weir
Entrepreneurship Education Manager, NatWest Group

“I cannot recommend Emma enough for your speaking events, whether it is in person or on a podcast… She consistently goes well above and beyond the brief and the members of my audience love her to bits. If you are thinking of someone to delight your audience, you must speak to Emma Henderson.”

Paul Tizzard
Founder of LoveFly Fear of Flying Podcast & Seminars

“Emma is an incredibly talented leader and her natural storytelling ability is absolutely inspiring - mesmerising audiences she engages with. I could listen to Emma speak all day long. A wonderful talent!”

Dr Noel Dennis, Associate Dean
Teesside University Business School.

“Her talk was engaging, inspiring and provided lots of food for thought. We have had many people telling us how much they enjoyed the session and it will be great if we can work together again in the future.”

Sue O'Boyle
Leadership & Learning Manager, Leeds Beckett University

“Emma's incredible story provided a unique perspective into change-readiness and the importance of self-belief when dealing with adversity... hers is a challenging and inspirational message that anything is possible if you practice gratitude and care in all things, make time for yourself, and always look to learn. A true leader in all she does.”

Josh Winfield
Regional Enterprise Manager, NatWest Group

“Emma was brilliant, and the ladies loved her! And quite frankly, of course they did! Thank you so much for your preparation and openness in answering the ladies questions... thank you, thank you!”

Rachel Curry
Royal College of Defence Studies Spouses

Book a discovery call now!

Let’s make things happen. Book a quick discovery call so we can explore how I can help — whether it’s speaking, coaching, or collaborating. It’s a relaxed chat to find out if we’re the right fit.

Email emma@emma-henderson.com or fill in the form to connect with Emma