With over 32 years of multi-disciplinary experience in both military and civilian operations, I have a lifelong passion for aviation. I have extensive exposure to United Nations peace operations including 16 years’ experience in Angola, Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as the Global Service Centre in Brindisi, Italy. Most recently, I provided aviation expertise to the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER), which was established as a global response to the Ebola Virus Disease - then the most challenging medical emergency worldwide. The Mission presented a unique opportunity to work collaboratively in a very challenging environment with numerous United Nations Agencies, Funds and Programmes and other key international partners.

My roles have been as diverse as the locations I have served in; such as Safety Officer, Air Operations Officer, Chief Mission Aviation Operations Centre, OIC Aviation Centre and Chief of the Strategic Air Operations (SAOC). My work has brought me to some of the most challenging environments in the field. An achievement of which I am particularly proud was my role in establishing the Aviation Section in the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) where I oversaw the growth of its fleet from three air assets to over 100 aircraft. Essentially, this meant that the MONUC aviation team was managing the second largest air fleet in Africa at the time. As the fleet increased steadily over the years, the mission structure evolved strategically to encompass the growth in air assets.

During my time with MONUC, I established and managed the Mission Air Operations Centre (MAOC) which was pivotal in advising on all strategic aviation fleet planning and optimization issues. With every flight, it is essential that any aircraft deployed for tactical and strategic purposes also serves to maximize fleet utilization and segment optimization. A critical task during time was managing and overseeing the largest and most complex elections in the United Nations’ history; this was an extraordinary time which I look back on with much pride.

Aviators enjoy exposure to many different opportunities in the field and so it is possible to serve in many different roles and places. There are a multitude of tasks to manage especially when you are responsible for an aviation operation in the field; it is impossible to list everything. What you need to do comes down to planning, controlling, evaluating and managing suitable air assets to meet mission requirements. Patience and flexibility are also two virtues that I need to rely on.

After some nine years with MONUC, I left to set up SAOC at the Global Service Centre (GCSB) in Brindisi, Italy. My objective was to develop a corporate, holistic approach to strategic fleet and fuel management. From the outset, SAOC was supported by the latest satellite communications technology to track the movement of United Nations aircraft worldwide. Aircraft-installed equipment sends data via satellite to GSCB, providing details of aircraft, position and speed, time of take-off and landing and the route flown. As an aviator, I find this fascinating. Everything I do, from implementing a systematic analysis of aircraft utilization, to ensuring payload optimization is always in compliance with industry best practices for global fleet utilization and segment optimization. Every day is different. Each one is often long, especially when factoring in multiple time zones. Although a typical day working in aviation always brings challenges, it is always rewarding too.