Matt Lindley - former pilot to the UK Royal Family and one of the RAF's first openly gay pilots - on pressure, performance, and what a team loses when people can't speak up. 

To mark National Coming Out Day, The Financial Times and myGwork are delighted to co-host an evening with Matt Lindley. 

Matt flew for 12 years with 32 (The Royal) Squadron, carrying senior members of the Royal Family and UK Government worldwide, endorsed to fly Her Majesty the Queen and qualified as a flying instructor. Alongside Royal duties, he flew missions linked to Sierra Leone, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. He now flies long-haul on the Boeing 777. 

He was also one of the first openly gay pilots in the RAF following the lifting of the ban on LGBTQ+ personnel — an experience that shapes how he talks about trust, authenticity and high-performing teams. 

Aviation learned the hard way that when pressure rises, communication is the first thing to break. Matt's work shows how capable teams still get it wrong under stress, and what changes when people feel able to speak up. He speaks internationally on human performance, decision-making under pressure, leadership and culture.’ 

What you will learn: 

How high-performing teams still get it wrong. Why capable, well-resourced teams fail under pressure — and why it's almost never about competence.  

What aviation does that most workplaces don't. The habits that let the most junior person in the room challenge the most senior one, and how they translate out of the cockpit.  

The real cost of not speaking up. What gets lost (in performance, not just morale) when people filter what they say.  

Why being yourself is a performance issue. What Matt's own experience as one of the RAF's first openly gay pilots taught him about the energy people spend hiding, and what it's taken from.  

How to read a culture from the outside. What to look for, and what to ask, when you're deciding whether an employer means what it says.  

And the people, not just the policy. Time with colleagues from across the Financial Times and the chance to ask what it's actually like to work there, and to hear it from someone who does. 

Who is this event for?  Anyone interested in meeting the FT’s talent team.  

Event Agenda: 

17:30 – 18:00, Doors open & registration  

18:00 – 18:10, Opening remarks  

18:10 – 19:00, Keynote speech  

19:00 – 19:15, Q&A and closing remarks 

19:15 – 20:30, Networking reception