Over his two decades in the Royal Air Force, John Peters flew Tornado GR1 on various squadrons, and then within the MoD, he led programmes on safety, leadership, and human error in aviation.
After his RAF training, he became a staff pilot in 1987 at the Air Navigation School in RAF Finningley, before he moved to XV Squadron at RAF Laarbruch the year after. On his first mission during Operation Desert Storm at just 29 years old, on an ultra-low level daylight mission, his plane was hit at fifty feet by a shoulder-launched missile and he and his navigator, John Nichol, were captured by the military of Iraq. Upon his release, he stayed with the RAF for another 10 years.
In 1993, he moved to RAF Cottesmore and became an instructor; he was made Squadron Leader in 1997 and moved to Türkiye.
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JOHN PETERS – CORPORATE AND COMMERCIAL WORK
Upon leaving the RAF in 2000, he founded the management performance improvement consultancy UPH Ltd, providing business critical development and coaching. Here he stayed as Director until 2009, when he became Director of Performance at Aston Business School. Since 2009, he has been the founder and owner of Monkey Business, an organisation that provides expertise on leadership, strategy and innovation for senior business teams.
Alongside his entrepreneurial work, he is a former Chair of the Association of MBAs, a Visiting Professor of Kingston Business School, and an Associate Professor at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA) in Moscow. He has an honorary doctorate in education, is a Trustee of the RAF Club, a RAF Ambassador, a Governor of Worcester Royal Grammar School, and a Patron of KidsOut – a charity supporting abused children.
As of 2024, John Peters had co-authored two books with his navigator, John Nichol. Tornado Down is the incredible story of their part in the war against Saddam Hussein’s regime, with Team Tornado exploring their routes to becoming pilots and what their life has been like since being in the forces. His documentary Tornado Down was named the Independent Documentary of the Year and was nominated for a BAFTA in 1992.
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JOHN PETERS – KEYNOTE SPEAKING
John is now an experienced keynote speaker of international repute, working for corporate companies, public sector organisations, and charities.
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JOHN PETERS – SPEAKING TOPICS
- Resilience
- Agility
- Leadership
- Dealing With Uncertainty
- Agility
- High-Performance Mindset
- Performance Under Pressure
- Grit and Mental Wellbeing
- Managing Pressure
- Mindset of a Fighter Pilot
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John Peters is also an experienced event host, contributor, and award presenter, experienced in anything, from presenting the Sir James Martin lecture at the Royal Aeronautical Society in the presence of the late Prince Philip and being the sole representative of the British Armed Forces at the National Gulf Memorial Service in front of her late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.
Clients include Captain One, Lloyds Bank, NDS, and Virgin Media.
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To check fees and availability for Former Squadron Leader leadership speaker John Peters, contact Great Business Speakers on 0044 (0)1753 439289
