Available to book
Matt Lindley
High Performance
Transformational Leadership
Resilience
Transform high-pressure teams with Matt Lindley, speaker and former Royal Squadron pilot. Matt works with global organisations to enhance human performance, inclusive leadership, and error reduction, delivering insights from his experience flying the Royal Family and operational missions worldwide.
Pride
Pilot
Professional Development
Business Consulting
Entrepreneur
Military
Inclusion
Founder
Inspirational
IDAHOBIT
Matt Lindley is a commercial airline captain and former Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot, best known for his distinguished service flying members of the UK Royal Family and Government worldwide as part of 32 (The Royal) Squadron.
After graduating with a degree in Commerce from the University of Birmingham, Matt began his career at Ford Motor Company, where he was selected from the graduate intake for his expertise in Japanese management techniques. In 1995, he was commissioned into the Royal Air Force and trained as a fast-jet pilot.
In 1999, Matt was selected to serve on the prestigious Royal Squadron at RAF Northolt, London. As a VIP pilot, he was endorsed to fly Her Majesty The Queen and held the role of qualified flying instructor. Matt also flew many operational missions in Sierra Leone, Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
He became one of the first openly gay pilots in the RAF following the lifting of the ban on LGBTQ+ personnel—an experience that shaped his passion for inclusive leadership.
In 2007, Matt transitioned to commercial aviation, flying the Airbus A320 across Europe before moving onto long-haul operations as a Boeing 777 pilot.
Alongside his flying career, Matt is a sought-after keynote speaker and subject matter expert in Human Performance Factors—an applied science that explores how people perform under pressure and how to reduce error through better teamwork, communication, and leadership. He regularly speaks to global audiences on high-performance culture, inclusive leadership, and resilience in high-stakes environments.
Topics, sessions and talks
Combining military precision with emotional insight, Matt Lindley unpacks the practical behaviours behind inclusive leadership. Through examples drawn from the cockpit, operational missions and culture change in the RAF, he shows how empathy, communication and situational awareness improve both morale and performance. His delivery is honest, disarming and quietly powerful. Leaders come away with a sharper understanding of how to foster trust, empower teams and lead inclusively in even the most pressurised settings.
Matt Lindley explores what high-stakes aviation can teach the business world about performance under pressure. Drawing from his time as a VIP RAF pilot responsible for flying the Royal Family and Ministers, Matt reveals how elite flight teams manage stress, reduce error and make critical decisions. With insight, warmth and sharp clarity, he brings the psychology of high performance to life. Audiences gain tools to foster resilient teams, better collaboration and stronger leadership under pressure.
Matt Lindley brings a deeply personal lens to diversity, equity and inclusion, making the topic resonate far beyond policy. As one of the first openly gay pilots in the RAF, Matt experienced both the stifling impact of exclusion and the power of true acceptance. He connects DEI to human performance, mental health and company culture, offering a compelling narrative that cuts through jargon. Audiences leave challenged and equipped to create workplaces that value authenticity and allyship.
Book Matt Lindley to inspire your team with his unique insights from a career as a Royal Air Force pilot and commercial airline captain, where he mastered high-performance culture and inclusive leadership. Elevate your organization's teamwork and resilience by securing Matt for your next event today.
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frequently asked questions
Something we've not covered here?
Email matt.lindley@getapeptalk.com or call PepTalk on +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US), and one of our speaker agents will contact you within hours to confirm Matt's availability and fees. If you can, please include your budget upfront – it helps us fast-track your request. It’s also helpful to know the date, format (virtual or in-person), location, and a bit about your audience.
Matt Lindley structures his sessions around direct parallels between RAF aviation operations and business environments, drawing on first-hand accounts from the cockpit, VIP missions and culture change within the RAF to illustrate principles of human performance, leadership and decision-making under pressure.
Matt Lindley's sessions cover inclusive leadership, high-performance culture under pressure, and diversity and equity in the workplace. He is a former RAF Royal Squadron pilot who flew the UK Royal Family and Government ministers as part of 32 (The Royal) Squadron, and one of the first openly gay pilots in the RAF following the lifting of the ban on LGBTQ+ personnel.
No. PepTalk adds no booking fee, so you pay the speaker's fee and nothing beyond it. The service, from shortlist through to contracts and event-day logistics, is included. For repeat or multi-event bookings, PepTalk can agree preferential rates with your procurement team.
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Not all of them, and it makes no difference to your booking. PepTalk's network of 15,000+ speakers covers talent the team works with directly alongside speakers represented by agents and agencies worldwide. PepTalk approaches the speaker, negotiates the fee and handles contracting either way.
Three to six months ahead is comfortable for most events, and 12 months is better for large conferences, peak-season dates or one specific in-demand speaker. Shorter timelines are workable, and PepTalk regularly fills last-minute and replacement bookings within days. Availability is the constraint, so get in touch as soon as you have a date.
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