BRITAIN’S LEADING KEYNOTE SPEAKERS REVEALED AS JO SALTER TAKES TOP HONOURS

December 17, 2025December 17, 2025 NewsDesk business keynote speakers, Champions Speakers, corporate leadership events, Director, diversity in leadership, Dr Jo Salter MBE, executive motivation, inspirational speakers UK, Jack Hayes, Jo Salter, keynote speakers UK, leadership development, leadership speakers, motivational speakers Britain, professional speakers 2025, public speaking industry, RAF first female pilot, RAF’s first female fast jet pilot and leadership speaker, women in leadership

The RAF’s first female fast-jet pilot has claimed another landmark achievement — this time far from the cockpit.

Dr Jo Salter MBE has been named Britain’s highest-rated keynote speaker, topping a new industry ranking that assessed speaker performance across the UK and Europe throughout 2025. The results reflect growing demand from organisations seeking credible leadership voices capable of navigating uncertainty, change and cultural transformation.

The ranking, compiled by Champions Speakers, analysed audience feedback from 2,245 conferences and corporate events held between January and the end of November. Speakers were scored out of 10 based on delegate satisfaction, with Salter securing a near-perfect 9.9 — the highest rating recorded this year.

The findings highlight the continued commercial strength of the professional speaking sector, which has rebounded strongly as businesses invest in leadership development, motivation and organisational resilience. Champions Speakers’ annual list draws from a broad roster that includes former world leaders, elite athletes, senior executives and technology experts.

Jack Hayes, director of Champions Speakers, said: “This list identifies the best of the best when he comes to keynote speakers working in the UK and Europe. Congratulations to Jo for coming top and underlining her position as such a superb and inspirational speaker. 2025 has been another incredible year for the sector, and 2026 is set to be even bigger and better.”

Salter’s appeal lies in the breadth of her experience. Having made history flying Tornado GR1 aircraft on frontline RAF missions with 617 Squadron, she later transitioned into senior corporate leadership, becoming a director and Chief of Staff at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where she was responsible for digital capability within the people and organisation practice.

Her speaking work now bridges leadership, high-performance culture and confidence under pressure — themes that resonate strongly with corporate audiences.

Reflecting on the recognition, Salter said: “It’s an honour to be at the top of this list, as there are so many inspirational people on there, it’s humbling really. My only wish when taking on speaking engagements is to inspire someone in the audience to have the confidence to take that big step that they’ve been thinking about but maybe have lacked the self-belief.

“If just one person can be persuaded, then that is a positive life-changing decision for them and I am delighted to be able to facilitate those transformational moments.”

The top-ten rankings also point to a notable shift in the sector, with women accounting for seven of the ten highest-rated speakers — reflecting a broader change in how organisations define authority, leadership and credibility.

The full 2025 rankings, based on satisfaction scores out of 10, are as follows:

Jo Salter – 9.9
Jez Rose – 9.8
Katy Leeson – 9.6
Derek Redmond – 9.5
Nicky Moffat – 9.5
Sarah Armstrong-Smith – 9.5
Harriet Beveridge – 9.4
Mary Aiken – 9.4
Jason Robinson – 9.4
Katie Piper – 9.3

Champions Speakers said the data was compiled from events staged across both the UK and Europe, underscoring the increasingly international nature of the speaking circuit as organisations look beyond traditional business figures for inspiration.

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