Speakers

Conference Speakers in 2025

The Corporate PA Summit attracts a fantastic mix of inspirational speakers, celebrity speakers and leading EAs. Confirmed speaker details are shown below:
Speaker at the Corporate PA Summit
Sarah Furness speaker at the Corporate PA Summit

Sarah Furness

After graduating from Cambridge University, Sarah followed her dream to become an RAF helicopter pilot and Squadron leader. She led operational combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. During her experiences at home and at war, she learnt that tough capable people don’t always feel as strong as they look. This prompted her to re-train and harness her experience and passion to help people use their impressive (but often mischievous) brains as a force for good.

Sarah’s experiences as a combat operational commander, helicopter pilot, mother and mindfulness coach has led her to develop her own unique Healthy Automatic Behaviours In Threatening Scenarios (H.A.B.I.TS.) Formula, a way to train the mind to be a Jedi master under pressure and accomplish zen like levels of self-belief and inner calm.

In her book Fly Higher, Sarah looks at how to train and ultimately rewire the mind in order to feel in control and resilient in adversity, and how to leverage these skills to relate to others and lead others skilfully and authentically.

Her speaking style is robust (she is combat helicopter pilot and fluent in alpha male), science-based and good-humoured.

Prof Michael Wooldridge speaker at the Corporate PA Summit

Professor Michael Wooldridge

Michael Wooldridge is an academic and author specialising in Artificial Intelligence. He is a professor of AI at the University of Oxford, and Director for AI at the Alan Turing Institute, London.

Michael will be leading a bespoke session about AI and technological advancement as it relates to EAs and PAs, and explore both the opportunities and the challenges of the fast-moving pace of technology.

Michael has received the Lovelace Medal from the British Computer Society, the leading award for a UK computer scientist, and the Outstanding Educator Award from the Association for the Advancement of AI. Previously he was President of the European Association for AI, and President of the International Joint Conference on AI (IJCAI). He is also Editor-in-Chief of Artificial Intelligence, the academic AI journal.

Michael’s books include two science introductions to AI, The Ladybird Expert Guide to AI and The Road to Conscious Machines. He frequently gives lectures on AI including at the Hay Festival and Cheltenham Science Festival and is regularly interviewed on TV, radio and print on topics around AI and technology.

Maggie Alphonsi speaker at the Corporate PA Summit

Maggie Alphonsi MBE

The face of international women’s rugby, Maggie Alphonsi is one of the most well-known names in women’s team sports. Before announcing her international retirement she represented her country seventy-four times, scored twenty-eight tries, won a World Cup, and helped England win a record breaking seven consecutive Six Nations crowns.

Through her England rugby career, Maggie became a household name and a media professional. Since retiring she has commentated on live rugby matches and featured on the BBC’s Children in Need and The One Show.

Maggie was named the Sunday Times Sports Woman of the Year, won the title of Six Nations Grand Slam Winner six times, and was the first woman to win the Rugby Union Writers Club Player of the Year. She was awarded an MBE for her Services to Rugby.

Rachael Bonetti

Rachael Bonetti was a career executive assistant for nearly 30 years.

She was a well respected, high performer who supported thought leaders, change makers, CEOs, Chairs and a high profile billionaire.

Her career spanned many  industries and sectors, both private and public companies and she physically worked/lived in 7 countries.

Rachael has experience in multiple corporate crises, Royal Commissions, serious economic downturn (the 90’s recession and the GFC), the Pandemic, leadership change (C-Suite, Chair and CEO), large scale restructures and acquisitions and sales of businesses.

Her ways of working , thinking and best practices saved 8+ hours a week for CEOs, increased efficiencies and eased friction and peak pressure periods across organisations.

She built administration dream teams through creating finely tuned capability frameworks, impactful best practices and ways of working and targeted recruitment that supported creating internal career runways. She made the development of her teams a priority in every organisation she worked in.

Rachael is now a consultant, corporate trainer, writer, international public speaker and lifelong, passionate advocate for executive assistants. 

Matt Lindley speaker at the Corporate PA Summit

Matt Lindley

Matt Lindley is a serving airline pilot who applies his experiences in leadership, accountability, and culture to the business world.

After a brief spell at Ford dealing with culture and management strategy change, Matt joined the RAF. Serving with the Air Force for over a decade he piloted fast jets before specialising in VIP transportation as well as training programmes. Moving to commercial aviation, Matt joined Britain’s flag carrier airline flying 747s on routes to the US and Asia.

Matt’s experiences in military and commercial flight have given him an insight into the human factors of performance and culture, and the way organisations view blame and error. In aviation, mistakes are rare, but when they happen, they have the potential to be huge. A combination of ever-improving safeguards and an open culture that analyses the causes of errors rather than apportion blame has proved to be an example of good practice to organisations of all types.

Additionally, Matt’s experiences as a gay man in the armed forces has informed a key part of his view of organisational culture and leadership. The RAF are a world-class, elite team, and demand the utmost professionalism and focus from their pilots. Matt realised that the stress of keeping his personal life secret from his colleagues held him back from performing at his best. When the military’s rules on openness about sexuality changed, he encountered support, loyalty, and empathy from his commanding officer – a stark contrast to his predecessor.

Matt’s experiences with the RAF enable him to understand the balance and interdependence between the personal and the professional. He also looks at the importance of good leadership, a supportive culture, and an understanding of aspects of mental health. In addition to his flying Matt has worked extensively with the NHS and the private sector on human factors and error management.

Bethan Winn

Warm, engaging and passionate, Bethan delivers training and keynote presentations like no other. With experience in secondary, tertiary and corporate education, she maintains a playful approach which her audiences love.

Not only because it’s enjoyable, it also gets results.

Whether it’s finding the right solution, gaining decision-making confidence or upping analytical skills, everyone takes away new skills and tools.

Her attention to detail and commitment to quality mean she goes above and beyond to provide bespoke, impactful sessions to improve leadership and business outcomes.

Bethan’s openness and warmth creates an atmosphere in which people feel comfortable and encouraged to experiment and challenge themselves.

“Very well organised summit. Thank you very much. Speakers are excellent. Topics covered are super.”
CocaCola Amatil

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