alta Events
Current Events
Celebrating National Mentoring Day 2025
23 October 2025
Celebrating National Mentoring Day 2025
Conference
Registration: 18:00 – 18:30
Lecture: 18:30 – 19:30
Drinks reception: 19:30 – 20:30
Organised by the alta Mentoring Steering Group, this event celebrates National Mentoring Day and highlights the importance of mentorship in aerospace.
Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from an inspiring speaker who is a leader in their respective fields, sharing their experiences and insights on the impact of mentoring. The conference will also provide valuable networking opportunities, allowing professionals to connect, exchange ideas, and foster meaningful mentorship relationships.
Following the event, attendees are invited to join for drinks, continuing conversations, building connections, and celebrating the power of mentorship.
Registration: 18:00 – 18:30
New Events information coming soon...
Past Events
This empowering webinar, led by Professional Certified Coach Sadia Ghazanfar, brought together current and prospective Alta mentors and mentees for a transformative session on overcoming internal barriers to leadership. Drawing from neuroscience, positive psychology, and over 15 years of leadership experience, Sadia helped attendees explore the role of the inner critic, engage in self-reflection, and learn practical techniques to strengthen their inner mentor. Through thoughtful discussion and guided exercises, participants left with valuable tools to build confidence, tackle self-doubt, and continue their personal and professional development journey. The session also introduced an opportunity to deepen this work through Sadia’s upcoming group coaching programme.
Watch the full recording on the Society’s YouTube Channel here.
alta Webinar: Quieten Your Inner Critic & Awaken Your Inner Mentor.
24th April 2025
Celebrating International Women’s Day 2024 Breaking down barriers through activism, inclusion and progress
8th March 2024
This IWD was hosted by the University of the West of England and featured the following speakers:
Day opening from Professor Sue Durbin, UWE and Jenny Body, CBE, Past President Royal.
Alta updates from the alta Steering Group:
- Judith Milne, Little Blue Private Jets Limited
- Alessandra Badino, Head of Sustainability UK, Airbus
- Wing Commander Daniela Nowalski, Royal Air Force
- Lauren Barnes, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Royal Aeronautical Society
- College of Business and Law Research Showcase: The Invisible Labour of New Mothers on Maternity Leave, Dr Jenna Pandeli, Dr Mahwish Khan, Dr Chloe Terrabain
Translating women’s vulnerability from words into images: making women’s voice visible in Latin America, Professor Hugo Gaggiotti
Exploring the intersections of gender with ethnicity, race and neurodiversity in Engineering, Dr Vanda Papafilippou
The fight for equal pay: how women have made a difference, Professor Hazel Conley, University of the West of England
Panel discussion with:
- Bristol Women in Business Charter, Kristal McNamara
- Bristol Women’s Commission, Penny Gane
- Lovewell UK, Claire Dormand
- Women Researchers’ Mentoring Scheme, UWE, Jane Andrews
- Dan Wood, Head of People, UWE
- Alessandra Badino, Airbus, Head of Sustainability UK and alta founder
Julie Garland will discuss her own path to the Drone and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) industry and what the future holds, particularly for women in aviation.
About the Amy Johnson Named Lecture
The Amy Johnson Named Lecture was established to honour Amy Johnson CBE, a pioneering English aviator who became the first woman to fly solo from Britain to Australia in 1930 and broke a string of aviation records between 1930 and 1936.
All RAeS HQ lectures are free to attend for both members and non-members. To register, please click the ‘Book Now’ button below.
RAeS Amy Johnson Named Lecture 2023: The Path to Innovation – a New Era in Aviation
12 December 2023
Celebrating National Mentoring Day 2023
26 October 2023
Royal Aeronautical Society Headquarters
Networking Event
Join the alta Mentoring Steering Group and the RAeS Women in Aviation, Aerospace and Space Committee at an event to celebrate National Mentoring Day!
The evening will be a chance to network and forge links with fellow industry professionals who are passionate about mentoring.
The event will be opened by RAeS President Kerissa Khan MRAeS who will discuss the importance and power of mentoring.
Professor Sue Durbin FRAeS and Wing Commander Christine Matthews MRAeS will update you on the activities of the alta Mentoring Platform and the Women in Aviation, Aerospace and Space Committee.
Finally, our keynote speaker Katherine Bennet, Chief Executive Officer at High Value Manufacturing Catapult, will discuss “To Catapult or not to Catapult”, about making a move out of aviation and aerospace into cross-sector innovation. You will also have the chance to have your questions answered by the speakers.
Attendees will also be able to take part in a speed networking session, facilitated by the alta Mentoring Steering Group!
The Royal Aeronautical Society and Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter were delighted to present “Mentoring: A Game-changer for women in the industry”. This event will took place on Wednesday 26 October at RAeS Headquarters, 4 Hamilton Place, London W1J7BQ.
The aim of the event was to highlight and promote the alta mentoring platform, launched in 2019 by the RAeS Women in Aerospace and Aviation Committee, in partnership with the University of the West of England, Airbus, the Royal Air Force and Little Blue Private Jets Ltd. This event was an opportunity to learn more about the platform and the benefits that mentoring provides for women in the aerospace and aviation industry.
The event consisted of presentations from Professor Sue Durbin and Stella Warren (UWE and alta founding members) and Jacqueline Sutton (Farnborough and WiAAC), there was an opportunity for attendees to put questions to a panel as well as an opportunity to network and chat over a glass of wine!
Mentoring: A Game-changer for Women in the Industry. 26th October 2023
26 October 2023
Royal Aeronautical Society Headquarters
Networking Event
This presentation is aimed at female members of the Royal Air Force who are interested in finding out more about mentoring and how the alta mentoring platform can help those looking for a mentor from outside of the Royal Air Force. The session will begin with a discussion of ‘mentoring’, specifically, its meaning and benefits, as well as identifying the potential barriers to mentoring. Alta is based upon a relational approach to mentoring, that views mentoring as a two-way process where mentors and mentees learn from each other.
This approach and its benefits will be explained with a focus on the role that both mentors and mentees have a role to play in the mentoring relationship.
We will then explain the rationale for alta, how and why it was designed, its key objectives and how it is currently operating within the industry, including how to join. The session will end with a Q&A session.
You can watch the event on our YouTube channel here.
alta Mentoring Event - The Power of Mentoring.
28 April 2022
Online event
Sustainable Aviation @ Airbus
November 2021
Online event
Alessandra Badino, Head of Sustainability & Environment for Airbus in the UK presented the top level Airbus sustainability strategy and then introduced three successful Airbus female colleagues who talked about their current roles in developing the next generation sustainable solutions for aviation:
- Ria Murphy-Tanner – Future Wing Programme Leader – with over twenty years of experience in the industry, Ria is currently working on the Airbus flagship Wing of Tomorrow programme, leading multifunctional teams to identify, research, define and develop Wing technologies for the future.
- Beth Moreton – Hydrogen Programme Fuel System Integrator – with experience in fuel and control systems, in-service support, airworthiness and programme engineering, Beth is currently working on the first hydrogen powered zero emission aircraft planned to enter into service in 2035.
- Chelsea Willetts – Fuel Properties Scientist – with her degree in Chemistry, Chelsea has been combining her passion for science and for sustainability in the development of solutions to allow the utilization of Sustainable Aviation Fuels and improving emission control. She will also present some innovation projects she has been involved in and how some of her work will also transfer to the development of hydrogen based technologies.
There will also be introductions from members of the RAeS Women in Aerospace & Aviation Committee and time for a Q&A at the end of the talks.
The RAeS hosted a joint workshop with the Women in Aerospace & Aviation Charter on 23 November, to showcase the recently launched Resource Hub which promotes key resources to support gender balance, including alta.
This event was aimed at anyone who would like to know more about alta, which also included sessions on other useful resources including careers, diversity and inclusion training and ACAS support.
RAeS and Women in Aviation and Aerospace Charter Joint Workshop
23 November 2021
Online Workshop
alta Mentoring Webinar - National Mentoring Day
October 2021
Networking event
The RAeS hosted this event to celebrate the success of the alta mentoring platform, a collaboration between the Society, Airbus, Royal Air Force, University of the West of England and Little Blue Private Jets, to mark National Mentoring Day 2021.
The event featured a talk by Judith Milne, one of the founding members of alta and the founder of her own private jet business, also consulting throughout the aviation industry on business development, diversity and planning.
Judith’s talk focused upon why she decided to become a mentor for other women, her early experiences of mentoring, challenges along the way and how she has helped other women through mentoring. Judith also talked about what she has learnt from mentoring, the successes, the impact mentoring has had on her own career and the power of female networks.
We also heard from Alessandra Badino, a founding member of alta and Head of Sustainability & Environment for Airbus in the UK with over twenty years’ experience in the industry, and Erika Ramos, a research engineer at Airbus currently leading innovative developments in commercial aircraft manufacturing processes.
The Covid-19 pandemic has forced many people in the UK to work from home, turning them into flexible workers. While some have embraced this new way of working, others have struggled to make it work for them. Deriving from British Academy / Leverhulme Trust-funded research into boundary management among flexible workers, this presentation will outline the tenets of boundary theory and show how you may apply these ideas to help you manage your work-nonwork boundary more effectively.
This webinar featured Dr Stefanie Reissner who discussed her research on the impact of home working during the pandemic and creating work-life boundaries.
Watch the webinar here.
alta Mentoring Webinar- How do you manage the work-nonwork boundary?
May 2021
Online webinar
alta Networking Event- The Post Pandemic Pilot Landscape.
March 2021
The power of connectivity and how female pilots have come together during these challenging times.
International Women’s Day (IWD) is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women, to share experiences and to come together to raise awareness about gender equality. The past year has been a challenge for us all. The impact of the pandemic has been profound, especially within the aviation industry and for pilots, with a disproportionate impact upon women across industries.
This event was presented by Captain Marnie Munns, and was a story for all women. This event was especially poignant as it was held on the second anniversary of the launch of the alta Mentoring Scheme in the aviation and aerospace industry.
Watch the event here.
This was the second mentoring session held by the alta team following the success of the first session in June 2020. This session allowed attendees to explore different areas including:
- How to make new networks work and breaking into existing conversations
- Making the most of on-line networking
- Why women only networks?
alta Mentoring Webinar- The Power of Networking.
September 2020
Online event
alta Mentoring
June 2020
Online Webinar
This event was the first virtual Alta mentoring session offering Alta mentees the opportunity to connect online during the lockdown, share thoughts and concerns about their career progression and offer some peer-to-peer mentoring in an relaxed and informative environment, similar to a virtual coffee morning.
This was the first online networking session, leading to more specific or specialist discussions going forwards.