General News
9 May, 2023
Women take the lead at airport
Movers and shakers in male-dominated industry are tops in management with more to come
MORE women are becoming leaders in the once male-dominated aviation industry. Cairns Airport is proving to be a trendsetter for women breaking through the glass ceiling in areas of airport management, aircraft service and maintenance, flying and border control.
Cairns Airport chief executive officer Richard Barker said, while there was still a way to go, it was promising to see more women in senior aviation roles.
“In the Cairns Airport office, 40 per cent of the leadership team is female and 20 women hold management positions,” he said.
“A diverse workforce helps to power greater collaboration, creativity and innovation, which is crucial for a business to adapt and thrive.”
Alana McKenna is the chief executive of Skytek, a Cairnsbased business specialising in aviation maintenance and repair. She has noticed more women in leadership roles now than before.
“Aviation offers many opportunities for both women and men and, while it has been a male-dominated industry, this is changing slowly,” Ms McKenna said.
“With the variety of roles on offer along with flexible hours there are many roles within aviation for skilled and non-skilled females looking to start a career path or make a career change,” she said.
“With no two days ever the same, and the ability to travel with some roles, it’s an exciting industry to work in. Playing a part in people’s career journeys is extremely rewarding for me.”
Sheree Gall is the airport’s airside infrastructure manager and is involved in engineering and management of major infrastructure assets, including aerodrome lighting, pavements, drainage and electrical.
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“As an engineer, my entire career has been within industries viewed as male-dominated, some more than others,” she said.
“We have a great mix of men and women in various roles and at differing levels at Cairns Airport.
“If viewed as a male-dominated industry in the past, it is certainly not that today.” Natalie Cross is the team leader of the Far North Queensland detector dog unit and has been with the Australian Border Force (ABF) for more than 20 years.
“Women are well represented in the ABF detector dog program, and I’m very grateful for it,” she said.
“I really appreciate the strong female role models within the ABF, both as leaders and colleagues.
“There is a strong sense of community at Cairns Airport.
“No matter who you work for or what your role is, everyone knows each other and has the same goal of facilitating seamless travel for the public, while also helping keep the community safe.”
North Queensland Airports Group (NQA), owner and operator of Cairns Airport, has a 44 per cent female workforce.
NQA’s diversity, equity and inclusion plan features gender diversity as a key focus area.
