Kate Philp

Former British Army Major, Veteran & Specialist in Operational Resilience

Kate Philp is a definitive authority on operational resilience and the mechanics of high-stakes decision-making. As a former British Army Major and Afghanistan veteran, her legacy is defined by leading teams through complex environments and rebuilding her life following an IED blast.

Whilst presenting keynotes on navigating uncertainty or sharing decisive insights into the accountability required when conditions shift, Kate explores the strategic frameworks required to lead under absolute pressure. She moves beyond personal adversity to address organisational performance, demonstrating how clarity and composure act as a catalyst for cultural strength. Her perspective provides a blueprint for purposeful leadership, showing how organisations can synchronise clinical discipline with the practical resilience required to respond to crisis and maintain operational integrity within fast-changing, high-pressure global landscapes.

By anchoring frontline experience in intelligent governance, she enables senior boards to transform adversity into a measurable driver of organisational grit.

Signature Keynotes

  • Frontline lessons for leaders operating in volatile, high-stakes environments. How to stay calm, decisive and values-driven when uncertainty becomes the norm.

  • An honest exploration of adversity, mindset and agency. Why resilience is not innate but built — through action, discipline and the people around us.

  • What military teams teach us about cohesion, psychological trust and performance — especially when pressure accelerates and failure costs more.

  • A resonant keynote on owning your response to change, redefining limits and finding clarity in the hardest moments.

  • Kate shares a powerful framework for women leading in demanding, male-dominated or high-performance environments.

The Philp Effect

When Kate speaks, resilience becomes practical, leadership becomes human, and adversity becomes a catalyst for growth.


Audiences leave ready to:

  • Make clearer, braver decisions in uncertain conditions

  • Build resilient cultures where trust enables performance

  • Reframe adversity into agency, learning and forward motion

  • Lead with authenticity rather than authority alone

  • Apply military-grade clarity to complex organisational challenges

Why Book Kate

When Kate Philp speaks, organisations experience leadership and resilience stripped of buzzwords and grounded in lived expertise.


Book a military leader and expedition adventurer who turns extreme pressure into actionable frameworks for modern teams, cultures and decision-makers.

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