We caught up with Melissa Rogers, director of the new ACS office in Brisbane, Australia, to discover why the city is such a good fit for us.
Welcome to Brisbane
Earlier this year, ACS opened a new office in Brisbane, Australia, our second in the country. Located in Fortitude Valley on the outskirts of Brisbane's central business district, the office is conveniently located just 10 minutes from the airport, with ample parking for visiting clients and a great view of the city.
When the office opened, Paul Crook, CEO of ACS Australia, commented: "We have been looking to invest further in the country after such a successful first six years for our Sydney operation. It was clear that Brisbane would be the focus, as we already have a strong client base there. This new office will help to serve those clients even better and we have brought in a strong management team, with huge amounts of experience, to lead the office.
"We have been very fortunate to appoint the experienced Melissa Rogers as Director, ably assisted by Matthew Haigh as Assistant Director. Between the pair they have extensive experience in the industry and are well-respected by clients and airlines alike."
Building a team
Melissa was born and grew up in the city, but as well as being a Brisbanite through and through, she has also lived and breathed aviation for her entire career.
"I started working for Virgin Australia 16 years ago as an Airport Duty Manager, where I was responsible for driving the implementation of customer and operational strategy, while leading a team of over 60 frontline staff. After more than 11 years there – and two small children later – I stepped into the private charter space with a smaller domestic charter brokerage, where I found my new passion. My role was fast-paced and taught me a lot, but after three years I was ready for the next challenge, which led me to Air Charter Service."
Melissa is not alone in her thorough experience in the aviation industry; every member of the Brisbane team has worked for a commercial airline.
"This means we have a great blend of skills across both private and commercial aviation," explains Melissa.
The new land of opportunity
ACS Sydney has been a success since it first opened in 2016 and has continued to flourish with teams that cover cargo, private jets and commercial airliners. Last year was the office's best year to date, so opening a second office in the country to better service clients was almost inevitable. So, why Brisbane?
"ACS Australia is a quiet achiever and does many more charters in the region than meets the eye," says Melissa. "The state of Queensland is large and vast, which creates a lot of charter opportunities not only in the 'fly-in, fly-out' and government sector, but also luxury tourism with the Great Barrier Reef on our doorstep. Having an office here and a local presence makes a lot of sense.
"The business continues to reinvest in its people and technology, which I believe strongly correlates to the performance and results of the office. It is fair to say that the private aviation sector is well past recovery phase and well and truly in growth phase, here in Australia and around the world."
Brisbane's private jet team looks after a wide range of charters, from government flights and celebrities to private individuals and multinational businesses. The commercial jet team looks after sporting groups, production, workforce movements and, more recently, several large corporate incentive trips. There is also a cargo specialist team that assists with the transportation of organs, movement of equipment for oil and gas companies, and they were recently involved in moving Covid-19 test kits around the world.
Good to grow
For Melissa, the opportunity to join the team at ACS Brisbane was irresistible. "Meaningful work for me means having an opportunity to contribute, build and be part of a high-performing team, and this was the chance to work for such a well-respected and recognised global business. Some of the seemingly smaller things have really stood out for me - the systems and processes that have been built over more than 30 years of ACS truly make a positive impact on the work- place environment and the quality of output for our clients. Being able to work alongside colleagues in offices around the world, where each of them have expertise in their own region, really makes ACS market leaders."
The first year of ACS Brisbane is all about growth for Melissa, particularly organic growth. "It is the lifeblood of any business. We want to be known as a true industry partner and deliver service that is second to none.
TO FIND OUT MORE
You can contact ACS Brisbane by email at bneprivate@aircharterservice.com.au or visit aircharterservice.com.au.
Picture credit: Getty Images