June 30, 2025 • 27 mins
In this episode of the We Are PoWEr Podcast, we sit down with Kirsty Murphy MBE — trailblazing pilot, proud daughter, and people-first innovator. From growing up on an RAF squadron to becoming the first and only female Red Arrows pilot, Kirsty shares how she carved out her own path in a world where few women had gone before.
She speaks openly about building a career that’s more like a climbing wall than a ladder — full of bold moves, challenges, and powerful pivots. From the RAF to Connected Places Catapult, Kirsty continues to break barriers, now leading innovation that puts people and purpose at the heart of technology.
We also hear about receiving her MBE from King Charles, inspiring young girls at air shows, and why visibility matters more than ever.
Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction to Kirsty Murphy MBE
02:40 – Becoming a Fighter Pilot
05:32 – First Female Red Arrows Pilot
08:57 – Representation and Responsibility
11:12 – Life After the Air Force
17:40 – Innovation and Tech for Good
20:02 – Career Lessons and Royal Recognition
24:12 – Making Human-Centered Impact Through Tech
Find out more about We Are PoWEr here. 💫
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, hello and welcome to the we Are Power
podcast.
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(00:21):
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This is where you can hearstories from all of our awards
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Mpw Awards and we Are PowerHello, hello.
(00:47):
Welcome to the podcast.
Today, I am delighted to bejoined by Kirsty Murphy, mbe.
Welcome to the podcast, thankyou for having me.
Now.
You talk about your careerbeing like a rock climbing wall.
Is that?
Speaker 2 (00:59):
right.
Yeah, that's right yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
How are we going to speed talk through this?
Because you know everyone'sgoing to know you're the first
female, or the only female,pilot in the Red Arrows.
Yes, so far.
Wow, like super impressive.
How did you get from here tothere?
Speaker 2 (01:17):
So I started off, to be honest, when I joined the Red
Arrow.
I'm sorry.
I joined the Air Force when Iwanted to join the Air Force
from about the age of 11 or 12,actually, but at no point was
the Red Arrows on my radar atall for that.
I just wanted to join the AirForce, be a fast jet pilot, be
on the front line, and that wasmy kind of ambition.
It was only actually once I wason the front line and I walked
(01:41):
out of my the office that wewere in at the time and on the
wall opposite was basically anadvert saying taking
applications for this year's RedArrows team.
And I went to look at it becausethere's some requirements you
have to fulfill.
And I went down that list ofrequirements and went, oh, I
could apply to be the Red Arrows, I've got all those things.
And walked off down thecorridor like laughing almost,
(02:01):
and then there was that littleseed in my brain, went oh, so I
could actually be a Red Arrowspilot.
And then that kind of grew andgrew and I couldn't let go of it
.
So yeah, ended up applying, butyeah, totally wasn't part of
the plan at any point.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Did you ever have a plan?
I know you said from 11, that'swhat you wanted to do, but what
point did it manifest?
Because you've got familyconnection.
That's right, yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
So I was lucky in that.
The reason I wanted to join theAir Force was definitely
because of my dad, not because Ithought he was going to make it
easy.
It was, and I'm a real believerof this.
It's just because I saw it.
I saw my dad and his friendswho were normal human beings.
They weren't godlike in any way, as much as I obviously love my
dad and think he's a god Goodbackfill there.
(02:45):
Yeah, just in case he listens,it was realistic, it was.
I saw people doing it.
It wasn't something that I, youknow, I didn't understand or
couldn't even see a route to getto.
It's relatable right.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
So again exactly that , exactly that.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
So you know you can't be what you can't see.
I could see it every day of mylife.
So that basically introduced meto the Air Force and the idea
that maybe it might be somethingI want to do.
And I was lucky in the summerholidays.
I used to go to work with dadwhen I was on holiday and mum
and dad are still working and Iused to hang out on the squadron
and the squadron was amazing.
The people on the squadron and Isay guys, because they were all
(03:16):
guys back in those days therewere no female fast jet pilots
and they used to really make mefeel so welcome.
I used to plan missions withthem.
I'd go to the control tower,I'd talk to my dad on the radio
I mean, you'd never be allowedto do this nowadays but I'd talk
to dad on the radio, I'd watchthem take off and land, I'd be
part of the debrief and theymade me feel so much part of
(03:36):
that and that's what I wanted tobe part of.
So I joined the Air Forcebecause I wanted to be part of
that, not necessarily to be apilot, but being a pilot was how
I saw myself, being able to bepart of that and that's
something I sort of reflect onquite a lot as I've got older,
because that's why I joined theAir Force.
(03:56):
When I talk to my colleaguesgenerally male friends who have
been pilots in the Air Force,when I ask them why they joined
the Air Force, it's because theysaw the Red Arrows at an air
show, they saw the Harrier at anair show.
They wanted to be a Red Arrowspilot, they wanted to be a
Harrier pilot.
For me it was a very, verydifferent reason to go into it
and I'm very conscious of thatnow when I talk to young people
(04:17):
that actually the reasons peoplego into jobs can be very
different and there's no rightor wrong way.
But it means that when we thinkabout jobs or stem roles,
you've got to think about whydifferent people might want to
be part of it.
It's not always for the samereason, so you've got to appeal
to lots of different people inthat way.
And did it live up to that?
Speaker 1 (04:35):
expectation.
Yeah, it was amazing yeah,totally.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
I mean being in the air force is is fantastic.
There's a lot of sacrifices toliving that kind of life in the
military.
Ultimately, you know, you gowhere you're told um, that's
moving around every three yearsbut also going out on operations
and detachments.
I was away a lot but equallythere's a you know there's a
flip side to that and thefriendships I've made, the
experience I've got, you know Ican sit in a bar and bore people
(05:00):
mindless with my stories ofthings that I've done in the Air
Force.
It was amazing and obviously thepinnacle for me, being in the
Red Arrows.
It was so humbling to be partof that heritage, to wear that
red flying suit.
You become a bit sort ofsemi-famous.
There's a lot of followers ofthe Red Arrows and you walk down
the street when you're at anair show and people recognize
(05:22):
you and they want to talk to you.
But it's not you as anindividual, it's the red suit.
That's the famous bit and it's,like I say, very humbling to
get to wear it for a couple ofyears and be part of that and
part of the history of it.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
It's quite how you deal with that, because it's
that sense of responsibility.
It's national pride, it'sglobal pride, isn't it?
Yeah, it is it, it's infamous.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
I'll be totally honest, I think when we I'm
talking for myself really, but Iguess a lot of other people
would be the same when I joined,it was about me being a Red
Arrows pilot, because that'sjust what I knew.
You start going to air showsand you realise it's way bigger
than me just being a Red Arrowspilot.
It's about the Red Arrows andwhat it stands for and the
feeling it creates in people thehairs on the back of the neck.
(06:07):
Even I now, when I watch thered arrows displaying or a video
of them, I get hairs on theback of my neck still and I go,
wow, I was part of that.
That's amazing.
So it is a big responsibilityto uphold and how have you dealt
with that?
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Because it's interesting sort of track back
to something that you saidearlier.
You know, a there's endlessstatistics, isn't there is when
a.
You know, let's go intostereotypes when a, when a woman
looks at a job, if we can onlydo nine out of ten, then we'll
dismiss it, whereas if a guylooks, you do five out of ten,
they'll still go for it.
Yeah, but you looked at that,there was a click and you knew
(06:40):
you could yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
So maybe I was lucky in that.
Um, there were a set ofprerequisites and I could tick
all those boxes, so I wasn't inthat situation where I'm like,
well, I could do two thirds ofthat job, maybe I'll give it a
go.
I had to be good enough andthere's a big selection process.
So when I got into the team andgot that position, I knew I was
good enough and I was worthy ofbeing there, if you like.
But yeah, just to pull back onthat responsibility thing, I
(07:05):
think my attitude towards femalepilots and getting more females
to be pilots when I was new inthe Air Force, I just thought,
if I just do what I need to doand do it well, that's all I
need to do.
And you know, gradually, over aperiod of time, more and more
females will want to do this andyou know I just need to do the
(07:28):
best I can and be a great rolemodel as much as I can be.
It was only really when I joinedthe Red Arrows and I remember
my very first air show and wewere on the ground, you know,
doing signings and stuff, and Iheard this Kirstie, kirstie,
kirstie and I looked up andthese three girls literally were
running towards me and theyjumped I mean literally jumped
on me and a couple of them hadginger hair, which obviously
(07:49):
really touched me, becausealthough I'm a bit blonder or
greyer now, but I was quiteginger in those days and they
jumped on me and they're like wewant to be Red Harris, violet,
kirstie and I thought, oh my God, you know, they've never had a
female to say that.
I suddenly feel quiteresponsible about that.
And then the mum walked up andshe went oh, you don't want to
do a job like that, girls.
And I thought, wow, that'stheir home saying that to them
(08:14):
and the expectation is thatgirls shouldn't do jobs like
that.
And then I really felt right,if I just keep doing my job
quietly in the background,nobody's going to know I need to
be jumping up and down, sogirls like that get to see me
and go.
No, I need to be jumping up anddown, so girls like that get to
see me and go.
Hey, someone at my mom might besaying I shouldn't do jobs like
that, but that lady over thereis doing it, and now I know I
could do it.
So that became my sort ofresponsibility, if you like.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
You let your res and detch as well, isn't it?
Because clearly you wererelatable straight away to these
young girls and this emergingtalent.
But how?
Speaker 2 (08:51):
do we solve a problem ?
It sounds awful, this, but howdo you solve a problem like
parents?
But how do you solve a problemlike that?
That individual was like youdon't want to do that.
Yeah, because that's.
Yeah, I mean how, I don't know.
All you can do is I think, or myapproach to it, put it that way
is trying to touch as manylives as I can.
I speak to as many schools as Ican.
I'll never turn something down.
If I can, if I can possiblymake it, because because you
only need to, you know, you onlyneed to make a difference to
one child's life, just to seesomething outside their normal
(09:13):
day to day that makes them thinkmaybe they could do something
different to what their, maybewhat they feel like their track
already is their predestination,whatever you want to call it.
It's maybe they think thatactually there might be another
route that I could take and stepoutside of what is comfortable
and my normal kind of home lifeor background and that's not
just girls, boys thing I'mtalking about, you know, social
(09:35):
economic groups, backgrounds,how people, where people are
coming from, and things thatthey're just outside their
normal day to day life.
Really.
So raising aspirations of youngpeople is something I feel
really strongly about.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
And it's creating those opportunities that go with
it and even just seeing you inaction and being approachable to
chat.
Yeah, it's free right.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
Yeah, exactly, I mean I was super lucky.
My dad was in the Air Force.
I got to experience itfirsthand.
Lots of children don't get thatopportunity, but I can go to
schools and I have a littlePowerPoint presentation with
photos of like a day in the lifeof a pilot.
And it's amazing the response,because they have no idea what
you actually do as a pilot.
So you know, I I show them howwe plan a map and things like
that, and it's not all in theair, right?
Speaker 1 (10:13):
yeah, exactly, and they love it and they see the
radar screens and things likethat and at least they get an
idea of what it might be likeand they can maybe make it more
relatable and you've very muchlike instructed and given back
has been part of that, feelslike it's part of your DNA as
well to pass on and train thenext gen, or the next gen,
whether it be in the Air Force,that's quite key to you, isn't
it?
Because you've been aninstructor.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
Well, yeah, so I was.
When I was younger and wantedto join the Air Force, there
were people who told me Icouldn't do it, shouldn't do it,
and I found that reallydifficult to deal with.
Also, my mum's a teacher, so Ihave to say I've got my dad's
DNA about jeans, going into theAir Force and the military and
doing something that's impactfulin that way and quite patriotic
(10:53):
, and my mum's DNA, I think, isabout caring for people and
trying to help people to achievewhat they can achieve in their
life.
So I think the two combinedhave ended up weirdly.
That's exactly what my life hasbeen flying and helping others
and teaching.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
And at what point did you think, like was it 17 years
?
Speaker 2 (11:10):
In the Air Force yeah 16 years, sorry.
17 years in the Air, force,yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
And at what point did you went?
I'm ready for my next adventure.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
So the way I joined the Air Force, I joined up for a
set period of time and that wasbasically an option point and I
could stay in the Air Force andcontinue a career or leave, and
it was really clear to me thatI'd had a brilliant time in the
Air Force.
I was getting older.
I wanted a family.
I didn't really want to keepdeploying with a young family.
For me that's not right.
Other people do it and I've gotno strong opinions on how other
(11:40):
people live their lives, butfor me it wasn't right and it
felt like the right time to goand see something else in the
world.
I felt like there's a big worldout there and I should go and
explore it.
Wow, and you went.
Space station, not spacestation, space agency, space
agency.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
Sorry, forgive me, I didn't go to space.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
I would have loved to have done that.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
You could have just gone with that then.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Yeah, I went there I was up there with Katy Perry,
conversation would have dried upquite quick.
My knowledge would have gone,so go big or go home, just just
a small little side job so wheredid you find yourself?
Speaker 1 (12:09):
where did you think, well, right, I want this
decision for me.
Um, and my next adventure.
What do I want to be doing init?
Speaker 2 (12:16):
you, know it was really hard.
Um, and I now, when I talk toyoung people who don't know what
they, what they want to do, Ireally understand how difficult
that is.
I knew from a very early age Iwanted to be in the Air Force
and I'd always been very clear Ileft the Air Force.
I was flying for a civiliandisplay team, actually called
(12:37):
the Blades.
So it was perfect because it wasa sort of stepping stone out of
the Air Force.
I did that for six years.
Covid happened and it made merealise actually I wanted to do
something else, maybe a bit moreimpactful, and maybe draw on
some of my other skills otherthan just being a pilot, as I
like to say especially not just.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
We should ban the word, just um, but it was really
hard.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
I'm like, well, I know I have loads of skills, but
what could I do?
That's going to be impactful.
So, um, I actually initiallyjust thought, well, I'm, I've
got all my, I've got projectmanagement qualifications.
I would.
This was COVID, I'll take asabbatical rather than be on
furlough and I will just try andget a project management job as
a contractor.
And I did, and it just happenedto be through a contact.
I wrote to literally everybodyI knew, saying do you need a
(13:24):
contractor for like three, four,five, six months, something
like that?
And one person said yes, andyou only ever need one.
Yes, right.
One person said yes, and Iended up working in the space
agency on a project as adelivery manager for a
transformation program, and thatled to me being the secretariat
of their board.
So I got to really see howcorporates work.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
It's really been at the table, isn't it right?
Speaker 2 (13:47):
At a high level, which was really fascinating.
And then I ended up being thechief of staff for the agency as
well for the CEO.
So all of that.
Suddenly I had a feeling oflike, okay, now I know what I'm
interested in.
It's definitely still tech forme.
I want to look to the future.
I like the innovation and thatkind of stuff.
And then I found this job inthe Connected Places Catapult.
(14:09):
Again, I realized it was abusiness I was really interested
in, linked to transport,innovation and tech, but I
didn't know what I could do init.
So I basically got myself a job.
You know, I got my foot in thedoor and then I've been there
three years now and every yearI've changed role, not because
everyone's's pushing me out ofmy roles, but I keep finding out
(14:30):
.
There's something else I couldfind out more about and I've
kind of been developing myselfwithin the business and I'm now
running accelerator programs andI'm super happy doing it.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
It's brilliant and it's interesting.
Innovation is really key.
Obviously we've we've beenpartnering with connected places
cattle for a few years now andwe've really worked around the.
We've changed.
Actually, we have a as part ofour northern power women awards.
We have one of the categorieswhich is about inclusive
innovation and it is trying tore-educate.
So if you think about youtalking to young talent in
(15:00):
schools or in in academia, Ithink sometimes there can be
this perception about innovationis it a lab coat?
Is it a drone?
Innovation comes in so manyforms and so we very much focus
with CPC, sort of talking aboutwhat's human focus, what's the
human-centered approach toinnovation and what's that sort
of tech for good.
It's not just one thing, is it?
Speaker 2 (15:21):
no, exactly, you know it's very easy to focus on the
sort of technology which issolution.
The thing, whatever it is,whether it's an autonomous um
autonomous vessel that I waslooking at last week that runs
off hybrid and electric, and youknow that in itself is
brilliant, but actually it'sbigger than that.
It's about this company's basedin Plymouth.
It's about the jobs that thatcompany's creating in Plymouth.
(15:43):
It's also about the skills thatare now coming into the area,
because you know, if you end upin a little innovation center
down in Plymouth now lots ofother maritime companies are
coming into the area.
That's raising the skill levelin the area and also attracting
other innovative companies andyou know green hydrogen and
things like that.
So the impact of a single thingis quite impressive and the
(16:03):
social value of that, not justthe piece of tech that means
we're going to decarbonize.
It's much broader than that andthat's what I find quite
exciting and also makes me feellike I'm doing something that's
impactful, not just, you know,helping the planet and
decarbonizing, but actually itreaches much further than that.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
And just sort of tracking back a little bit.
So when you left the Air Forceand you wrote all those letters
and, like you say, it only takesone to say yes what did it feel
like for the nose and how didyou deal with it?
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Yeah, it's when you look at my career in the Air
Force in particular and my sortof my biog, if you like, you
know I did this and I flew inthe Red Arrows and I was an
instructor, and it all lookslike some kind of really
successful route and everythingjust sort of got handed to me on
a plate and it really wasn'tlike that.
So I think from the word go,the very first time I applied to
the Air Force, they told me togo away and they said no, you're
(17:01):
not, you're not right for theAir Force, you'll never be able
to cope in a male-dominatedenvironment and your arms are a
bit too short.
So you know, life has neverjust been one nice sort of
escalator of success.
It's always been like that.
You know, you always havefailures and challenges and
obstacles and that's fine,that's just how it is.
(17:21):
So I didn't really.
I was just like, okay, that'sfine, they were all people I
knew and they were my contactsand I knew that they would try
if they could help me.
But they couldn't, and I getthat.
It's COVID as well.
It was a very difficult timefor everybody.
So you know, I just kind ofcarried on.
Really I didn't worry too muchabout them.
I knew something would comealong at some point.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
I'm a big believer in that Everything comes to sheer
weight, but everything comes toshoe weights, yeah, but when
you're sort of putting on yourskills down, that you've learned
um over the, the, the 17 years,and then trying to piece it
into where you might go, wetalked at least all the talk
about transferable skills andstuff like that.
Uh, at what point even probablynow are you still thinking, oh,
(18:04):
I'm still using that?
I reflect back to my short ofeight years in the Royal Navy
and I came out and I was verymuch hospitality events.
I know it took me a long timeto realize the connectivity back
with the service and Idefinitely, you know, and it
took a while to realize thatactually it was because of what
I did there.
But we didn't call it projectmanagement then and we didn't
(18:27):
call it, you know, sort oftactical planning or stuff like
that.
It was just what we did.
Is the dots still?
Speaker 2 (18:32):
being joined?
Yeah, very much.
So I think for me it's peopleskills definitely that I got
from the quite quickly.
I think that comes from movingrole every three years.
Naturally, you don't have timeto spend a year getting to know
everybody and making friends.
(18:52):
You just sort of get in thereand get stuck in, and I think
that skill has been really,really helpful all the way
through my career, especiallyhaving left.
So now, especially on a projectlike this, where you kind of
arrive and you've got newpartners, you need to get to
know people and start workingquickly with them, and I feel
(19:14):
like that's what, definitely oneof my strengths.
And then, like you say, there'ssomething about the planning and
the organization and alsosomething about you know, when
we fly and we plan missions, wealways think about the what ifs.
So what if you go into thetanker?
What if you can't tank?
What if they haven't got enoughfuel?
What are the backup plans?
So I'm not talking aboutthinking about every possible
scenario, but it's about havingthat sort of agility to think
(19:35):
around problems and I've alreadygot a bit of an idea about what
you might do if something goeswrong.
So I think when you know, as Ijust said, things don't happen
smoothly in life, whether it'syour life, whether it's your job
, whether it's your project.
But I'm very easily able tocope with these little you know
knocks, if you like, because Ijust think around the problem
and think, okay, well, how do westill achieve what we want to
achieve?
Just in a slightly differentroute.
And that again, has definitelycome from flying training and
(19:58):
the military, because that'swhat it was all about.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
And what would you say to?
So 11-year-old Kirsty knew thatshe wanted to fly for the join
the Red Arrows.
A few years later, kirsty wastold you can't join.
What would you say to thatyounger self?
Because you came back and didit and went I'm like, I'm in,
(20:23):
but someone else might havewalked away.
What would you say?
Speaker 2 (20:26):
Yeah, I think if you walk away and I have talked
about this before, where I'vesaid, sometimes there are
obstacles in your life andyou've got to figure out whether
you're going to go over them orgo around them, or you realize
they're just in the way andyou're going to have to find a
completely different route.
And I can think of examples ofall those three scenarios where
I've really gone over thatobstacle.
(20:48):
Whatever it's taken, it's beentough.
Others I've cleverly gone round, and then there's someone.
You know what.
This isn't going to happen, forwhatever reason.
I'm not going to keep floggingmyself on something that's never
going to happen, and being ableto accept that is part of it.
When I was a couple of years ago, when I first started talking
to younger people and I wasalways asked what's the one
(21:09):
piece of advice you'd giveyourself, you younger, you and I
always used to say be yourself,don't try to conform.
Because I was a real conformistand I still am a little bit the
way I was brought up, I think,and that was what I always said.
But I actually realised now,when I was young and I think
this is true of all young peopleyou do need to conform.
You need to conform, you needto be part of your friendship
group, and there are some thingsyou have to do at that age to
(21:31):
be part of your friendship group.
That's kind of okay.
But just know that if you'renot quite comfortable because
you're not quite fitting intothat group, that's okay.
Your time will come and that'swhat I now try and say.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
So it's about that really for me now so take me
back to the would have been thequeen's birthday, probably six
weeks before you got a nicebrown envelope.
Yeah, what did?
Speaker 2 (21:52):
that feel like Do you know what?
It was such a shock?
I mean, it was a total shockand I completely misread it,
because I'd actually been askedto write a citation for someone
else and so I'd done that and Ithought this letter was about
that.
Um, it was really great news,but the thing that the citation
(22:12):
you supported, the nominationyou supported, has been
successful.
So I read this with that frameof mind and then I sort of went
hang on there that says my nameat the top of it, that's me, no,
it's actually me and I.
It was so unexpected.
It was amazing, um, in themilitary I know a lot of people
who have got various awards andum very well deserved, but I
(22:34):
have to say, getting one as acivilian was particularly
special.
It really was, um, and my dadhas an OBE as well and I was
like, wow, look at us now to getsorry, my dad's got an MBE, not
an OBE, I'm promoting him um.
And yeah, I thought, wow,that's pretty incredible.
And who presented you with yourmb?
I got prince, prince charles,king charles, now prince charles
at the time.
(22:54):
Yes, and it was great because,of course, he went through
flying training in the air force.
So, um, I mean, obviously he'svery good at talking to people
anyway, that's his job.
But I got there and we startedtalking about aerobatics and how
it used to make him feel and he, he really struggled with the G
and it was really funny and Icould see some of the people
around all sniggering as he'slaughing and telling me these
stories about trying to doaerobatic training in the Air
Force.
(23:15):
It was very funny.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
But it strikes me that that award and that honour
has just driven you to do more.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Yeah, it's.
Do you know what?
I also felt very humbled byeveryone else that was there.
That's the best networking dayever, right?
But also like wow, I don't feelquite as amazing as everybody
else I mean some of the peoplethere.
What they've done over a muchlonger life than mine and over a
much longer period was quiteincredible and I did feel very
(23:42):
humbled to be part of that initself.
But yeah, it was a reallyspecial day and it's really nice
to know that.
It's nice to know deep downyou're making an impact on
children.
Like I said, if I can justchange one person's life, that's
brilliant, but actually to berecognised for it is a really
heartwarming thing.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
And what are you excited about?
You've talked about theinnovation and the tech and
what's new coming forward.
Is that what keeps driving you?
And that's what this role islike.
Motivating you now, yeah,accelerating your ambition.
Good, I love the way you gotthat in.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
I'll be completely honest, it's still the people
thing.
I love dealing with people andtech and this job and innovation
isn't just about a new toy thatwe need to sell and
commercialise.
It's about the peoplesurrounding that toy and that
story, and that's what I loveabout my job.
I get to meet partners.
I get to meet the SMEs and thesmall companies, the innovators,
(24:35):
the people within the catapultand pulling all those people
together.
The catapult is very much aconvener of all those different
organisations and government andacademia, and to be in a place
where I get to do all that it'sliterally my strength, so I love
it.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
But it's the impact that that makes.
One of my first job at theservice was working in sort of
economic development by goingcollaborating as a mass, almost,
so to speak.
It impacts on the economy, thehospitality industry, the travel
industry.
That's exactly what you'redoing when you were talking
about sort of creating somethingdown in Plymouth.
It impacts on skills, impactson how we can develop people, so
(25:11):
that's on young talent,experienced talent and the
stakeholder and the supply chainthat goes with it.
That's what's exciting aboutinnovation, isn't?
Speaker 2 (25:17):
it.
It really is, and I wascontacted literally yesterday on
LinkedIn because I'd done apost about the trip down to
Plymouth and someone hadcontacted me because they'd
supplied the green hydrogen forthat trial, for the sea trials
that are coming on, and they'rea small company themselves.
So again it was.
You know, it was great to beable to connect with them and
then hopefully we can use themagain in the future on other
projects, you know.
So it's all those littleconnections and putting the
right people together and havingthose great conversations that
(25:40):
actually bear fruit.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
And how would you describe yourself in three words
, because you are made up of somany different parts?
I've been putting them togetherin my head as we've been
chatting, if you like.
You know, convenience is one ofyour superpowers, for sure, but
how would you describe yourselfbecause?
Speaker 2 (25:58):
you're oh, that's really tricky.
I would definitely say I'vealready said it a few times
already people focuseddefinitely hyphenated.
You can have that thank you,yeah, otherwise that would be
too, wouldn't it?
Um, oh, you've really got menow.
Uh, mindful, I think life'sreally important and you mustn't
(26:19):
waste it.
Um, I'm proud amazing Kirsty.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
Thank you so much for joining me on the couch today.
It is it's.
We've covered a lot of ground,haven't we?
Speaker 2 (26:34):
a lot of earth space a lot of ground, a lot of tech,
but all driven by humans yeah,absolutely that's the killing
that is clearly in your heart,that makes you you.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
Yeah, and thank you for being you.
Thank you for being.
Inspiration, I think, isinspirational.
I think it can be an overusedword, but it is.
Do you know what you are?
You are energizing and yourenthusiasm is infectious.
Thank you so much for joiningus.
Speaker 2 (26:57):
It's a pleasure.
Thank you for having me.
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
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We are power, underscore net oninsta, tick tock and Twitter,
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power on YouTube.
Hello, hello and welcome to the we Are Power
podcast.
If this is your first time here, the we Are Power podcast is
the podcast for you, your careerand your life.
We release an episode everysingle Monday with listeners in
over 60 countries worldwide,where you'll hear personal life
stories, top-notch industryadvice and key leadership
insight from amazing role models.
(00:21):
As we Are Power is the umbrellabrand to Northern Power Women
Awards, which celebrateshundreds of female role models
and advocates every year.
This is where you can hearstories from all of our awards
alumni and stay up to date witheverything.
Mpw Awards and we Are PowerHello, hello.
(00:47):
Welcome to the podcast.
Today, I am delighted to bejoined by Kirsty Murphy, mbe.
Welcome to the podcast, thankyou for having me.
Now.
You talk about your careerbeing like a rock climbing wall.
Is that?
Speaker 2 (00:59):
right.
Yeah, that's right yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
How are we going to speed talk through this?
Because you know everyone'sgoing to know you're the first
female, or the only female,pilot in the Red Arrows.
Yes, so far.
Wow, like super impressive.
How did you get from here tothere?
Speaker 2 (01:17):
So I started off, to be honest, when I joined the Red
Arrow.
I'm sorry.
I joined the Air Force when Iwanted to join the Air Force
from about the age of 11 or 12,actually, but at no point was
the Red Arrows on my radar atall for that.
I just wanted to join the AirForce, be a fast jet pilot, be
on the front line, and that wasmy kind of ambition.
It was only actually once I wason the front line and I walked
(01:41):
out of my the office that wewere in at the time and on the
wall opposite was basically anadvert saying taking
applications for this year's RedArrows team.
And I went to look at it becausethere's some requirements you
have to fulfill.
And I went down that list ofrequirements and went, oh, I
could apply to be the Red Arrows, I've got all those things.
And walked off down thecorridor like laughing almost,
(02:01):
and then there was that littleseed in my brain, went oh, so I
could actually be a Red Arrowspilot.
And then that kind of grew andgrew and I couldn't let go of it
.
So yeah, ended up applying, butyeah, totally wasn't part of
the plan at any point.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
Did you ever have a plan?
I know you said from 11, that'swhat you wanted to do, but what
point did it manifest?
Because you've got familyconnection.
That's right, yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
So I was lucky in that.
The reason I wanted to join theAir Force was definitely
because of my dad, not because Ithought he was going to make it
easy.
It was, and I'm a real believerof this.
It's just because I saw it.
I saw my dad and his friendswho were normal human beings.
They weren't godlike in any way, as much as I obviously love my
dad and think he's a god Goodbackfill there.
(02:45):
Yeah, just in case he listens,it was realistic, it was.
I saw people doing it.
It wasn't something that I, youknow, I didn't understand or
couldn't even see a route to getto.
It's relatable right.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
So again exactly that , exactly that.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
So you know you can't be what you can't see.
I could see it every day of mylife.
So that basically introduced meto the Air Force and the idea
that maybe it might be somethingI want to do.
And I was lucky in the summerholidays.
I used to go to work with dadwhen I was on holiday and mum
and dad are still working and Iused to hang out on the squadron
and the squadron was amazing.
The people on the squadron and Isay guys, because they were all
(03:16):
guys back in those days therewere no female fast jet pilots
and they used to really make mefeel so welcome.
I used to plan missions withthem.
I'd go to the control tower,I'd talk to my dad on the radio
I mean, you'd never be allowedto do this nowadays but I'd talk
to dad on the radio, I'd watchthem take off and land, I'd be
part of the debrief and theymade me feel so much part of
(03:36):
that and that's what I wanted tobe part of.
So I joined the Air Forcebecause I wanted to be part of
that, not necessarily to be apilot, but being a pilot was how
I saw myself, being able to bepart of that and that's
something I sort of reflect onquite a lot as I've got older,
because that's why I joined theAir Force.
(03:56):
When I talk to my colleaguesgenerally male friends who have
been pilots in the Air Force,when I ask them why they joined
the Air Force, it's because theysaw the Red Arrows at an air
show, they saw the Harrier at anair show.
They wanted to be a Red Arrowspilot, they wanted to be a
Harrier pilot.
For me it was a very, verydifferent reason to go into it
and I'm very conscious of thatnow when I talk to young people
(04:17):
that actually the reasons peoplego into jobs can be very
different and there's no rightor wrong way.
But it means that when we thinkabout jobs or stem roles,
you've got to think about whydifferent people might want to
be part of it.
It's not always for the samereason, so you've got to appeal
to lots of different people inthat way.
And did it live up to that?
Speaker 1 (04:35):
expectation.
Yeah, it was amazing yeah,totally.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
I mean being in the air force is is fantastic.
There's a lot of sacrifices toliving that kind of life in the
military.
Ultimately, you know, you gowhere you're told um, that's
moving around every three yearsbut also going out on operations
and detachments.
I was away a lot but equallythere's a you know there's a
flip side to that and thefriendships I've made, the
experience I've got, you know Ican sit in a bar and bore people
(05:00):
mindless with my stories ofthings that I've done in the Air
Force.
It was amazing and obviously thepinnacle for me, being in the
Red Arrows.
It was so humbling to be partof that heritage, to wear that
red flying suit.
You become a bit sort ofsemi-famous.
There's a lot of followers ofthe Red Arrows and you walk down
the street when you're at anair show and people recognize
(05:22):
you and they want to talk to you.
But it's not you as anindividual, it's the red suit.
That's the famous bit and it's,like I say, very humbling to
get to wear it for a couple ofyears and be part of that and
part of the history of it.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
It's quite how you deal with that, because it's
that sense of responsibility.
It's national pride, it'sglobal pride, isn't it?
Yeah, it is it, it's infamous.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
I'll be totally honest, I think when we I'm
talking for myself really, but Iguess a lot of other people
would be the same when I joined,it was about me being a Red
Arrows pilot, because that'sjust what I knew.
You start going to air showsand you realise it's way bigger
than me just being a Red Arrowspilot.
It's about the Red Arrows andwhat it stands for and the
feeling it creates in people thehairs on the back of the neck.
(06:07):
Even I now, when I watch thered arrows displaying or a video
of them, I get hairs on theback of my neck still and I go,
wow, I was part of that.
That's amazing.
So it is a big responsibilityto uphold and how have you dealt
with that?
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Because it's interesting sort of track back
to something that you saidearlier.
You know, a there's endlessstatistics, isn't there is when
a.
You know, let's go intostereotypes when a, when a woman
looks at a job, if we can onlydo nine out of ten, then we'll
dismiss it, whereas if a guylooks, you do five out of ten,
they'll still go for it.
Yeah, but you looked at that,there was a click and you knew
(06:40):
you could yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
So maybe I was lucky in that.
Um, there were a set ofprerequisites and I could tick
all those boxes, so I wasn't inthat situation where I'm like,
well, I could do two thirds ofthat job, maybe I'll give it a
go.
I had to be good enough andthere's a big selection process.
So when I got into the team andgot that position, I knew I was
good enough and I was worthy ofbeing there, if you like.
But yeah, just to pull back onthat responsibility thing, I
(07:05):
think my attitude towards femalepilots and getting more females
to be pilots when I was new inthe Air Force, I just thought,
if I just do what I need to doand do it well, that's all I
need to do.
And you know, gradually, over aperiod of time, more and more
females will want to do this andyou know I just need to do the
(07:28):
best I can and be a great rolemodel as much as I can be.
It was only really when I joinedthe Red Arrows and I remember
my very first air show and wewere on the ground, you know,
doing signings and stuff, and Iheard this Kirstie, kirstie,
kirstie and I looked up andthese three girls literally were
running towards me and theyjumped I mean literally jumped
on me and a couple of them hadginger hair, which obviously
(07:49):
really touched me, becausealthough I'm a bit blonder or
greyer now, but I was quiteginger in those days and they
jumped on me and they're like wewant to be Red Harris, violet,
kirstie and I thought, oh my God, you know, they've never had a
female to say that.
I suddenly feel quiteresponsible about that.
And then the mum walked up andshe went oh, you don't want to
do a job like that, girls.
And I thought, wow, that'stheir home saying that to them
(08:14):
and the expectation is thatgirls shouldn't do jobs like
that.
And then I really felt right,if I just keep doing my job
quietly in the background,nobody's going to know I need to
be jumping up and down, sogirls like that get to see me
and go.
No, I need to be jumping up anddown, so girls like that get to
see me and go.
Hey, someone at my mom might besaying I shouldn't do jobs like
that, but that lady over thereis doing it, and now I know I
could do it.
So that became my sort ofresponsibility, if you like.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
You let your res and detch as well, isn't it?
Because clearly you wererelatable straight away to these
young girls and this emergingtalent.
But how?
Speaker 2 (08:51):
do we solve a problem ?
It sounds awful, this, but howdo you solve a problem like
parents?
But how do you solve a problemlike that?
That individual was like youdon't want to do that.
Yeah, because that's.
Yeah, I mean how, I don't know.
All you can do is I think, or myapproach to it, put it that way
is trying to touch as manylives as I can.
I speak to as many schools as Ican.
I'll never turn something down.
If I can, if I can possiblymake it, because because you
only need to, you know, you onlyneed to make a difference to
one child's life, just to seesomething outside their normal
(09:13):
day to day that makes them thinkmaybe they could do something
different to what their, maybewhat they feel like their track
already is their predestination,whatever you want to call it.
It's maybe they think thatactually there might be another
route that I could take and stepoutside of what is comfortable
and my normal kind of home lifeor background and that's not
just girls, boys thing I'mtalking about, you know, social
(09:35):
economic groups, backgrounds,how people, where people are
coming from, and things thatthey're just outside their
normal day to day life.
Really.
So raising aspirations of youngpeople is something I feel
really strongly about.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
And it's creating those opportunities that go with
it and even just seeing you inaction and being approachable to
chat.
Yeah, it's free right.
Speaker 2 (09:51):
Yeah, exactly, I mean I was super lucky.
My dad was in the Air Force.
I got to experience itfirsthand.
Lots of children don't get thatopportunity, but I can go to
schools and I have a littlePowerPoint presentation with
photos of like a day in the lifeof a pilot.
And it's amazing the response,because they have no idea what
you actually do as a pilot.
So you know, I I show them howwe plan a map and things like
that, and it's not all in theair, right?
Speaker 1 (10:13):
yeah, exactly, and they love it and they see the
radar screens and things likethat and at least they get an
idea of what it might be likeand they can maybe make it more
relatable and you've very muchlike instructed and given back
has been part of that, feelslike it's part of your DNA as
well to pass on and train thenext gen, or the next gen,
whether it be in the Air Force,that's quite key to you, isn't
it?
Because you've been aninstructor.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
Well, yeah, so I was.
When I was younger and wantedto join the Air Force, there
were people who told me Icouldn't do it, shouldn't do it,
and I found that reallydifficult to deal with.
Also, my mum's a teacher, so Ihave to say I've got my dad's
DNA about jeans, going into theAir Force and the military and
doing something that's impactfulin that way and quite patriotic
(10:53):
, and my mum's DNA, I think, isabout caring for people and
trying to help people to achievewhat they can achieve in their
life.
So I think the two combinedhave ended up weirdly.
That's exactly what my life hasbeen flying and helping others
and teaching.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
And at what point did you think, like was it 17 years
?
Speaker 2 (11:10):
In the Air Force yeah 16 years, sorry.
17 years in the Air, force,yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
And at what point did you went?
I'm ready for my next adventure.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
So the way I joined the Air Force, I joined up for a
set period of time and that wasbasically an option point and I
could stay in the Air Force andcontinue a career or leave, and
it was really clear to me thatI'd had a brilliant time in the
Air Force.
I was getting older.
I wanted a family.
I didn't really want to keepdeploying with a young family.
For me that's not right.
Other people do it and I've gotno strong opinions on how other
(11:40):
people live their lives, butfor me it wasn't right and it
felt like the right time to goand see something else in the
world.
I felt like there's a big worldout there and I should go and
explore it.
Wow, and you went.
Space station, not spacestation, space agency, space
agency.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
Sorry, forgive me, I didn't go to space.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
I would have loved to have done that.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
You could have just gone with that then.
Speaker 2 (12:02):
Yeah, I went there I was up there with Katy Perry,
conversation would have dried upquite quick.
My knowledge would have gone,so go big or go home, just just
a small little side job so wheredid you find yourself?
Speaker 1 (12:09):
where did you think, well, right, I want this
decision for me.
Um, and my next adventure.
What do I want to be doing init?
Speaker 2 (12:16):
you, know it was really hard.
Um, and I now, when I talk toyoung people who don't know what
they, what they want to do, Ireally understand how difficult
that is.
I knew from a very early age Iwanted to be in the Air Force
and I'd always been very clear Ileft the Air Force.
I was flying for a civiliandisplay team, actually called
(12:37):
the Blades.
So it was perfect because it wasa sort of stepping stone out of
the Air Force.
I did that for six years.
Covid happened and it made merealise actually I wanted to do
something else, maybe a bit moreimpactful, and maybe draw on
some of my other skills otherthan just being a pilot, as I
like to say especially not just.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
We should ban the word, just um, but it was really
hard.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
I'm like, well, I know I have loads of skills, but
what could I do?
That's going to be impactful.
So, um, I actually initiallyjust thought, well, I'm, I've
got all my, I've got projectmanagement qualifications.
I would.
This was COVID, I'll take asabbatical rather than be on
furlough and I will just try andget a project management job as
a contractor.
And I did, and it just happenedto be through a contact.
I wrote to literally everybodyI knew, saying do you need a
(13:24):
contractor for like three, four,five, six months, something
like that?
And one person said yes, andyou only ever need one.
Yes, right.
One person said yes, and Iended up working in the space
agency on a project as adelivery manager for a
transformation program, and thatled to me being the secretariat
of their board.
So I got to really see howcorporates work.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
It's really been at the table, isn't it right?
Speaker 2 (13:47):
At a high level, which was really fascinating.
And then I ended up being thechief of staff for the agency as
well for the CEO.
So all of that.
Suddenly I had a feeling oflike, okay, now I know what I'm
interested in.
It's definitely still tech forme.
I want to look to the future.
I like the innovation and thatkind of stuff.
And then I found this job inthe Connected Places Catapult.
(14:09):
Again, I realized it was abusiness I was really interested
in, linked to transport,innovation and tech, but I
didn't know what I could do init.
So I basically got myself a job.
You know, I got my foot in thedoor and then I've been there
three years now and every yearI've changed role, not because
everyone's's pushing me out ofmy roles, but I keep finding out
(14:30):
.
There's something else I couldfind out more about and I've
kind of been developing myselfwithin the business and I'm now
running accelerator programs andI'm super happy doing it.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
It's brilliant and it's interesting.
Innovation is really key.
Obviously we've we've beenpartnering with connected places
cattle for a few years now andwe've really worked around the.
We've changed.
Actually, we have a as part ofour northern power women awards.
We have one of the categorieswhich is about inclusive
innovation and it is trying tore-educate.
So if you think about youtalking to young talent in
(15:00):
schools or in in academia, Ithink sometimes there can be
this perception about innovationis it a lab coat?
Is it a drone?
Innovation comes in so manyforms and so we very much focus
with CPC, sort of talking aboutwhat's human focus, what's the
human-centered approach toinnovation and what's that sort
of tech for good.
It's not just one thing, is it?
Speaker 2 (15:21):
no, exactly, you know it's very easy to focus on the
sort of technology which issolution.
The thing, whatever it is,whether it's an autonomous um
autonomous vessel that I waslooking at last week that runs
off hybrid and electric, and youknow that in itself is
brilliant, but actually it'sbigger than that.
It's about this company's basedin Plymouth.
It's about the jobs that thatcompany's creating in Plymouth.
(15:43):
It's also about the skills thatare now coming into the area,
because you know, if you end upin a little innovation center
down in Plymouth now lots ofother maritime companies are
coming into the area.
That's raising the skill levelin the area and also attracting
other innovative companies andyou know green hydrogen and
things like that.
So the impact of a single thingis quite impressive and the
(16:03):
social value of that, not justthe piece of tech that means
we're going to decarbonize.
It's much broader than that andthat's what I find quite
exciting and also makes me feellike I'm doing something that's
impactful, not just, you know,helping the planet and
decarbonizing, but actually itreaches much further than that.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
And just sort of tracking back a little bit.
So when you left the Air Forceand you wrote all those letters
and, like you say, it only takesone to say yes what did it feel
like for the nose and how didyou deal with it?
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Yeah, it's when you look at my career in the Air
Force in particular and my sortof my biog, if you like, you
know I did this and I flew inthe Red Arrows and I was an
instructor, and it all lookslike some kind of really
successful route and everythingjust sort of got handed to me on
a plate and it really wasn'tlike that.
So I think from the word go,the very first time I applied to
the Air Force, they told me togo away and they said no, you're
(17:01):
not, you're not right for theAir Force, you'll never be able
to cope in a male-dominatedenvironment and your arms are a
bit too short.
So you know, life has neverjust been one nice sort of
escalator of success.
It's always been like that.
You know, you always havefailures and challenges and
obstacles and that's fine,that's just how it is.
(17:21):
So I didn't really.
I was just like, okay, that'sfine, they were all people I
knew and they were my contactsand I knew that they would try
if they could help me.
But they couldn't, and I getthat.
It's COVID as well.
It was a very difficult timefor everybody.
So you know, I just kind ofcarried on.
Really I didn't worry too muchabout them.
I knew something would comealong at some point.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
I'm a big believer in that Everything comes to sheer
weight, but everything comes toshoe weights, yeah, but when
you're sort of putting on yourskills down, that you've learned
um over the, the, the 17 years,and then trying to piece it
into where you might go, wetalked at least all the talk
about transferable skills andstuff like that.
Uh, at what point even probablynow are you still thinking, oh,
(18:04):
I'm still using that?
I reflect back to my short ofeight years in the Royal Navy
and I came out and I was verymuch hospitality events.
I know it took me a long timeto realize the connectivity back
with the service and Idefinitely, you know, and it
took a while to realize thatactually it was because of what
I did there.
But we didn't call it projectmanagement then and we didn't
(18:27):
call it, you know, sort oftactical planning or stuff like
that.
It was just what we did.
Is the dots still?
Speaker 2 (18:32):
being joined?
Yeah, very much.
So I think for me it's peopleskills definitely that I got
from the quite quickly.
I think that comes from movingrole every three years.
Naturally, you don't have timeto spend a year getting to know
everybody and making friends.
(18:52):
You just sort of get in thereand get stuck in, and I think
that skill has been really,really helpful all the way
through my career, especiallyhaving left.
So now, especially on a projectlike this, where you kind of
arrive and you've got newpartners, you need to get to
know people and start workingquickly with them, and I feel
(19:14):
like that's what, definitely oneof my strengths.
And then, like you say, there'ssomething about the planning and
the organization and alsosomething about you know, when
we fly and we plan missions, wealways think about the what ifs.
So what if you go into thetanker?
What if you can't tank?
What if they haven't got enoughfuel?
What are the backup plans?
So I'm not talking aboutthinking about every possible
scenario, but it's about havingthat sort of agility to think
(19:35):
around problems and I've alreadygot a bit of an idea about what
you might do if something goeswrong.
So I think when you know, as Ijust said, things don't happen
smoothly in life, whether it'syour life, whether it's your job
, whether it's your project.
But I'm very easily able tocope with these little you know
knocks, if you like, because Ijust think around the problem
and think, okay, well, how do westill achieve what we want to
achieve?
Just in a slightly differentroute.
And that again, has definitelycome from flying training and
(19:58):
the military, because that'swhat it was all about.
Speaker 1 (20:01):
And what would you say to?
So 11-year-old Kirsty knew thatshe wanted to fly for the join
the Red Arrows.
A few years later, kirsty wastold you can't join.
What would you say to thatyounger self?
Because you came back and didit and went I'm like, I'm in,
(20:23):
but someone else might havewalked away.
What would you say?
Speaker 2 (20:26):
Yeah, I think if you walk away and I have talked
about this before, where I'vesaid, sometimes there are
obstacles in your life andyou've got to figure out whether
you're going to go over them orgo around them, or you realize
they're just in the way andyou're going to have to find a
completely different route.
And I can think of examples ofall those three scenarios where
I've really gone over thatobstacle.
(20:48):
Whatever it's taken, it's beentough.
Others I've cleverly gone round, and then there's someone.
You know what.
This isn't going to happen, forwhatever reason.
I'm not going to keep floggingmyself on something that's never
going to happen, and being ableto accept that is part of it.
When I was a couple of years ago, when I first started talking
to younger people and I wasalways asked what's the one
(21:09):
piece of advice you'd giveyourself, you younger, you and I
always used to say be yourself,don't try to conform.
Because I was a real conformistand I still am a little bit the
way I was brought up, I think,and that was what I always said.
But I actually realised now,when I was young and I think
this is true of all young peopleyou do need to conform.
You need to conform, you needto be part of your friendship
group, and there are some thingsyou have to do at that age to
(21:31):
be part of your friendship group.
That's kind of okay.
But just know that if you'renot quite comfortable because
you're not quite fitting intothat group, that's okay.
Your time will come and that'swhat I now try and say.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
So it's about that really for me now so take me
back to the would have been thequeen's birthday, probably six
weeks before you got a nicebrown envelope.
Yeah, what did?
Speaker 2 (21:52):
that feel like Do you know what?
It was such a shock?
I mean, it was a total shockand I completely misread it,
because I'd actually been askedto write a citation for someone
else and so I'd done that and Ithought this letter was about
that.
Um, it was really great news,but the thing that the citation
(22:12):
you supported, the nominationyou supported, has been
successful.
So I read this with that frameof mind and then I sort of went
hang on there that says my nameat the top of it, that's me, no,
it's actually me and I.
It was so unexpected.
It was amazing, um, in themilitary I know a lot of people
who have got various awards andum very well deserved, but I
(22:34):
have to say, getting one as acivilian was particularly
special.
It really was, um, and my dadhas an OBE as well and I was
like, wow, look at us now to getsorry, my dad's got an MBE, not
an OBE, I'm promoting him um.
And yeah, I thought, wow,that's pretty incredible.
And who presented you with yourmb?
I got prince, prince charles,king charles, now prince charles
at the time.
(22:54):
Yes, and it was great because,of course, he went through
flying training in the air force.
So, um, I mean, obviously he'svery good at talking to people
anyway, that's his job.
But I got there and we startedtalking about aerobatics and how
it used to make him feel and he, he really struggled with the G
and it was really funny and Icould see some of the people
around all sniggering as he'slaughing and telling me these
stories about trying to doaerobatic training in the Air
Force.
(23:15):
It was very funny.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
But it strikes me that that award and that honour
has just driven you to do more.
Speaker 2 (23:21):
Yeah, it's.
Do you know what?
I also felt very humbled byeveryone else that was there.
That's the best networking dayever, right?
But also like wow, I don't feelquite as amazing as everybody
else I mean some of the peoplethere.
What they've done over a muchlonger life than mine and over a
much longer period was quiteincredible and I did feel very
(23:42):
humbled to be part of that initself.
But yeah, it was a reallyspecial day and it's really nice
to know that.
It's nice to know deep downyou're making an impact on
children.
Like I said, if I can justchange one person's life, that's
brilliant, but actually to berecognised for it is a really
heartwarming thing.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
And what are you excited about?
You've talked about theinnovation and the tech and
what's new coming forward.
Is that what keeps driving you?
And that's what this role islike.
Motivating you now, yeah,accelerating your ambition.
Good, I love the way you gotthat in.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
I'll be completely honest, it's still the people
thing.
I love dealing with people andtech and this job and innovation
isn't just about a new toy thatwe need to sell and
commercialise.
It's about the peoplesurrounding that toy and that
story, and that's what I loveabout my job.
I get to meet partners.
I get to meet the SMEs and thesmall companies, the innovators,
(24:35):
the people within the catapultand pulling all those people
together.
The catapult is very much aconvener of all those different
organisations and government andacademia, and to be in a place
where I get to do all that it'sliterally my strength, so I love
it.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
But it's the impact that that makes.
One of my first job at theservice was working in sort of
economic development by goingcollaborating as a mass, almost,
so to speak.
It impacts on the economy, thehospitality industry, the travel
industry.
That's exactly what you'redoing when you were talking
about sort of creating somethingdown in Plymouth.
It impacts on skills, impactson how we can develop people, so
(25:11):
that's on young talent,experienced talent and the
stakeholder and the supply chainthat goes with it.
That's what's exciting aboutinnovation, isn't?
Speaker 2 (25:17):
it.
It really is, and I wascontacted literally yesterday on
LinkedIn because I'd done apost about the trip down to
Plymouth and someone hadcontacted me because they'd
supplied the green hydrogen forthat trial, for the sea trials
that are coming on, and they'rea small company themselves.
So again it was.
You know, it was great to beable to connect with them and
then hopefully we can use themagain in the future on other
projects, you know.
So it's all those littleconnections and putting the
right people together and havingthose great conversations that
(25:40):
actually bear fruit.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
And how would you describe yourself in three words
, because you are made up of somany different parts?
I've been putting them togetherin my head as we've been
chatting, if you like.
You know, convenience is one ofyour superpowers, for sure, but
how would you describe yourselfbecause?
Speaker 2 (25:58):
you're oh, that's really tricky.
I would definitely say I'vealready said it a few times
already people focuseddefinitely hyphenated.
You can have that thank you,yeah, otherwise that would be
too, wouldn't it?
Um, oh, you've really got menow.
Uh, mindful, I think life'sreally important and you mustn't
(26:19):
waste it.
Um, I'm proud amazing Kirsty.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
Thank you so much for joining me on the couch today.
It is it's.
We've covered a lot of ground,haven't we?
Speaker 2 (26:34):
a lot of earth space a lot of ground, a lot of tech,
but all driven by humans yeah,absolutely that's the killing
that is clearly in your heart,that makes you you.
Speaker 1 (26:44):
Yeah, and thank you for being you.
Thank you for being.
Inspiration, I think, isinspirational.
I think it can be an overusedword, but it is.
Do you know what you are?
You are energizing and yourenthusiasm is infectious.
Thank you so much for joiningus.
Speaker 2 (26:57):
It's a pleasure.
Thank you for having me.
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (26:59):
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