Senior Civil Servant to Ground Handling Agent to Dispatcher. The journey. The Childhood Ambition.

So you decide to hang up your boots in the Civil Service, after successfully having served senior Politicians of all 3 major parties. Managed complex policies; relationships; and politics.

You give yourself a rest and you take a step back and think - what is next?

I have to be honest. The choice was simple. Aviation, of course.

I had spent the last 3 years of my 28 years in the civil service working in the Wales Office, persuading Wales Office Ministers to engage more with the aviation sector. All were very receptive. Airbus in particular was the focus of my attention, particularly as Airbus UK operation for the A380 was based at Broughton, Wales.

Airbus - Broughton and Toulouse - received, its fair to say, an increased share of Ministerial attention, and that wasn't just Cheryl or David, but from the then Prime Minister down to other senior Ministers within the then Coalition and the Conservative Government post election.

GE Aviation, Boeing, and other suppliers within the sector all had visits. Why not? Its one of the most successful and growing industries within the UK, for which I am extremely proud.

So, off on my adventure I went.

After 18 months of trying to penetrate the aviation market - including applying for and being unsuccessful for the position of Chief Executive at the British Air Transport Association (BATA) - I thought, why not start as you did in the civil service - the bottom - and work your way up. The feedback from BATA, and many of the major airlines was that the key stumbling block to a job was the perceived absence of commercial experience within the industry.

You don't really get that experience unless you are within it, surely? Slightly self defeating if you are not going to employ talent from elsewhere, particularly a former public sector employee who has a passion for aviation!

So in the absence of any firm job offers from airlines or airports for mid to senior management positions, I thought, as I have suggested earlier, there must be a way into the sector.

Ground Handling provided me with what I needed. A foot in the door!

Swissport (Stansted) Ltd, welcomed me with open arms. Someone with my skills set, I was told, tends not to apply for such posts at such a junior level.

I have always been known as being resilient. I think its a strength of my character that I was prepared to do it. Get my hands dirty. Develop new skills. Share my experiences and skills with others within the organisation. Learn how a ground handling operation works. Work with an airline. Observe the management of the airport. The dynamics between all the component parts. Its strengths as well as its weaknesses.

All of it was fascinating.

Thats why, after 9 months on the "ramp", it is with some mixed emotions that I say goodbye to Swissport; Ryanair and Stansted Airport. 

The aviation industry is even more complex than I first imagined. 

Doing this job has taught me a lot. Key thing is that until I joined, I didn't - and fellow travellers don't - have an idea how critical the Ground Handling Operation is, to the smooth and effective running of an airlines operation at every airport. 

From the business critical deadline of the "25 minute spin" for our principal customer, Ryanair; managing and motivating your own workforce; ensuring equipment is in good order to deliver the service the customer requires; working alongside the Airport authorities; the Civil Aviation Authority who regulate and quality check our work; and not forgetting those who travel each day with Ryanair - one of the true highlights of the job - their customers. 

To those colleagues that helped - Thank You!  

I simply couldn't have done my job without specifically recognising

• all the trainers (who taught me a great deal and got me across the finishing line to being a Dispatcher);
• Gate Staff (who are key to managing challenging passenger behaviours and closing the Gate on time);
• GHAs (who relentlessly and with their own unique uncensored brand of humour, do the heavy lifting and made my job all the more manageable and entertaining); 
• my partners in crime - Dispatchers - who motivated, supported and guided me through each day;
• .....and those responsible for recruiting me and giving me the opportunity to fulfil a childhood ambition. 

Your friendship kept me going!!

There is a whole network of additional people and procedures to follow, whether that be the hidden engine room that is the Undercroft (that load your bags ready for transportation to the aircraft); the Freight Team (essentially what it says on the tin); Mainline (who look after other customers other than Ryanair); Ops (who feed data on each flight to the next station); and the Allocators (who schedule flights to teams for Arrival and Dispatch). 

I also really valued and appreciated all of the direct and indirect support, advice and direction from management. You listened in return!

I will miss the place; all the gangs; the buzz; the opportunity to play with aircraft every day...and lots more. 

The hard work has not diminished my passion for Aviation. For working at an airport. For managing teams or networks for an airline.

It's further strengthened my childhood passion. 

This experience will only drive me harder to secure that senior position within the industry where I can use the whole plethora of my skills to great effect - whether that be the working environment; interaction with customers; or delivering a much better outcome.

To all of you - I wish you the very best for the future.