Emma Henderson Keynote Speaker

One of fewer than 500 female airline captains globally
Founded Project Wingman, now a global health-care charity
Awarded MBE for services to aviation and charity (2021)

Emma Henderson's Biography

Captain Emma Henderson is a transformative leader whose journey spans aviation, social impact and authorship. Over more than 30 years, she rose to command Airbus aircraft with easyJet—becoming one of fewer than 500 female airline captains worldwide—and developed a reputation for calm decision-making, safety focus and teamwork.

In 2020, grounded by the pandemic, Emma launched Project Wingman, a charity providing “first-class lounge” rest zones and emotional support to NHS staff nationwide. The initiative has grown to serve over 100 NHS trusts in the UK and launched mobile lounge operations in the U.S. as Project Wingman USA, powered by thousands of volunteer air-crew.

Her leadership in aviation and social enterprise earned her an MBE in the 2021 New Year’s Honours (presented in May 2022 at Windsor Castle). Additional awards and nominations include the Points of Light Award, Aerotime Aviation Achievement Award, Moray Businesswoman of the Year (2023), and recognition in The Speaker Awards and HR Magazine’s Most Influential Thinkers in 2025.

Emma is also the author of Grounded, published in 2024, and architect of the Whole Pilot® training programme, whose first cohort graduated in mid-2025 in partnership with Leading Edge Aviation.

Onstage, Emma distils lessons from the cockpit and healthcare frontline into powerful frameworks for leadership, resilience and purposeful change. She brings clarity in complexity, humanity under pressure, and pragmatic models for audiences to apply immediately.