John Jupp

Hello, I am Dr John Jupp OBE the author of Rise Above; Leadership Lessons from the RAF. The book was written to celebrate 100 successful years of the RAF. I was an RAF officer for 40 of those years. As with all officers, I had numerous roles over this time. I joined to become a pilot and was lucky enough to fly the F4 Phantom in all three marks the RAF had, The FG1, the FGR2 and the F4J. I became an Instrument Rating Examiner and Qualified Weapons Instructor on the aircraft, making me one of the top 10% of fighter pilots. Later I also flew the Tornado F3 on which I was also an Instrument Rating Examiner and Qualified Weapons Instructor. I rose to Command 111(Fighter) Squadron, a famous Battle of Britain Squadron, for which I was awarded an OBE.

Along the way, I investigated air accidents for the RAF, overseeing over a dozen accidents and several fatalities in two years. I managed the Tornado F3 Fleet and I was part of the Operational Requirements team for the design of the current Typhoon fighter. I went on to manage all RAF operations through the Firemen's Strike of 2002 and the Second Gulf War.

For the last 14 years of my career in the RAF, I was 'Head of Leadership' for the Service under various titles. I started as Officer Commanding the RAF Leadership Centre (which I set up) and finally became the first Commandant of the Tedder Academy which I also set up. During this time, I was responsible for the leadership taught to all RAF personnel from Aircraftsmen and women to Air Chief Marshal. Specifically, in conjunction with the Chief of the Airstaff, Sir Glenn Torpy, I set up and ran the RAF's Senior Leadership Team, the top 40 or so officers in the RAF. I also set up and taught the RAF's Strategic Leadership Development Programme for those who were about to join the Senior Leadership Team.

During my time at the RAF Leadership Centre, I edited 6 books on Leadership which were the edited papers of the International Leadership Conferences that I put on. Now I have written Rise Above which is the accumulated wisdom of leadership from the first 100 years of the RAF as well as my own practical experience of leadership and academic learning on the subject.

I now run my own company as a leadership consultant and have given my services to, inter alia, Shell, The Coastguard, M&G, The Met Office, and the NHS. I am a coach, lecturer and writer on leadership and work with the Exeter University Centre for Leadership Studies and the Windsor Leadership Trust.

I have a BA in Philosophy and Mathematics, an MA in Military Studies and a PhD in Leadership.