• Job title SVP Global Aviation Risk Management
  • Organisation CALC
  • CourseAir Transport Management MSc , 2006

Why did you choose Cranfield?

I always had the desire to work in aviation, probably for an airline, but when I graduated from my bachelors in 2001, it wasn’t a very good time to get into the airline business at all, so I tried a few jobs. Shell had one of the better graduate programmes and I was lucky enough to get an international placement to move out to Holland, to Rotterdam.

I still harboured the desire to go and work in aviation; I’d done a lot of thinking about it, about where I wanted to go in my career. I did my research and Cranfield’s name popped up pretty quickly. After a little bit more research, and talking to the course director, I decided that was the right thing.

What was Cranfield's impact

I wouldn’t have been able to have the career that I’ve had without this course. Its door opening, having the course and having the Cranfield network leads you to have the opportunity to take on new jobs. We have other Cranfield people in AerCap, we did in my old company as well, so it still opens doors even now and I dare say that if I ever want to move from this job it will do so again.

In the first job the content of the course is very useful and very relevant. But as you move on and move up through the career tree, then it becomes more about the experience that you built in the industry, rather than the academic background. What you really notice about Cranfield is that it’s still doing it, it’s still making connections, and it’s still opening doors for me.