Women in Airports Podcast

Melbourne Airport terminals training and safety coordinator Nicole Ryan initially pursued a career in teaching before deciding there might be something else out there for her. And so began her career in aviation.Nicole was one of the Australian Airports Association's (AAA) Young Airport Professional scholarship recipients in 2019, giving her the chance to attend the AAA National Conference on the Gold Coast in November. We caught up with her earlier this year to hear about her experience and find out what she loves about working in aviation. 

Jane Rotsey is the General Manager Safety, Sustainability, Environment at Sydney Airport.Jane’s early career saw her working in a consulting role on the development of what was then Sydney Airport’s new parallel runway. It was the start of an association with the airport that has continued throughout her career.Jane’s work has spanned a great many aspects of airport operations, from master planning and corporate transactions to safety and sustainability. We talked about how the industry is ever changing and why it is important to ask for new challenges when building your career.

Hobart Airport CEO Sarah Renner could fly before she could drive – so perhaps it’s no surprise she’s now running one of Australia’s major airports.She set the foundation of her career in a range of operational roles, and fine tuned her leadership credentials studying at Harvard Business School in Boston. These days, she’s charting Hobart Airport’s future as it prepares for direct international services.We talk to Sarah about choosing between being specialisation and general management, and why it’s important to work with people who aren’t afraid to say no.

North Queensland Airports (NQA) health and safety advisor Janice van der Zwaan started her working life a long way from the airfield.She spent over 10 years as a zookeeper in New Zealand and Australia and acknowledges it was “a bit of a journey” from there to a life in aviation.But on closer inspection, Janice’s “zoo life” was a formative part of her later career as a health and safety expert.Janice talks to us about her path to working in aviation and how the health and safety profession has advanced during that time.  

Lee de Winton is the CEO of Sydney Metro Airports, overseeing the management of Bankstown and Camden airports. She describes her career as "wild", taking her from defence roles around the world to the CEO of one of the country's busiest general aviation airports.Lee's career is a story in itself, but we also talk to her about her work to support girls and women developing a career in aviation, and the steps she took to become an airport CEO.The Women in Airports Podcast is an initiative of the Australian Airports Association. To contact us, email WIAN@airports.asn.au