A trans activist and campaigner, and a diversity consultant, Catherine has been breaking boundaries and stereotypes in so many different ways, and paving the way for a more diverse and inclusive workplace. “In 1972, British Airways had a woman pilot, but they didn’t know it and, at the time, neither did I.” This is how Cat Burton reconciles her 44-year career as an airline pilot with her transition in 2014, with the full support and help of her employer.

Cat was born in 1952 and progressed from Air Cadet to senior long-haul airline captain in the firm belief that transition would be a career breaker but sees her final years as her best ever. She was British Airways Flight Operations Diversity Champion and their most senior woman pilot when she retired in 2017 and is now an Independent Aviation and Diversity Consultant and a flying instructor at Cardiff International Airport.