Anita Thomas has spent 30 years in the aviation sector, first starting at Ryanair in 1993. She currently serves as the country manager at Emirates, Ireland.
What was your first job?
My first job was washing hair at a local salon on weekends, and I loved the great perk of getting free highlights as a teenager. Following that, my first full-time role was at Ryanair in its reservations office on Dawson Street in 1993.
What pushed you to pursue a career in this field?
I’m not quite sure where my interest in aviation originated, particularly since Kilkenny isn’t known for its busy airport and global connectivity, and I didn’t fly outside of Ireland until I was a teenager. The allure of exploring new places and meeting new people got me interested in becoming cabin crew and while my career path ultimately took a different trajectory, I was certain that a career in aviation was the only one that truly interested me. Emirates wasn’t operating in Ireland when I joined the aviation industry; however, it was a company that I had long admired not only for the way in which it ran its business but also for the standards it sets for international air travel. So perhaps it was karma that I ended up working for Emirates as soon as it launched in Ireland in 2012.
What would you regard as your greatest achievement to date?
Securing Taylor Swift tickets for my daughters during her recent tour in Ireland was a personal highlight and made me very popular at home! However, more seriously, my appointment as Country Manager for Emirates marked the culmination and pinnacle of a 30-year career journey. This journey involved continuous professional development including mastering every aspect of the commercial aviation industry alongside operations and cargo business.
Career-wise, would you do anything differently?
I was so enthralled by the commercial side of the business that I never planned a direct career path and instead, I focused on opportunities and on applying for new roles that were of interest to me. This allowed me to develop a greater understanding of the different aspects of aviation and in particular, commercial operations. It’s possible that I could have chosen a faster path to management but the experience, contacts, insight and knowledge I have amassed along the way have been invaluable and I think they have made me a better manager. For the past 13 years, I’ve worked with an airline that encourages and supports career development, so given where I am today, I don’t think I would have done anything differently.
In one sentence, how would you define success?
Success means enjoying the work I do while also having quality time to spend with my loved ones and working with Emirates means that I get to do both.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
“Don’t doubt yourself, you can do it.” Throughout my career, I have often assumed that someone with more years in a company automatically possesses greater knowledge. However, I’ve learned the importance of interest and curiosity and how they can contribute to the attainment of a successful career. The more passionate you are about something, the more driven you are to learn and grow and that has been the case not just with the industry in which I have chosen to work, but in the airline I have chosen to work with.
How do you motivate yourself and your staff?
I feel very privileged to work in a role and in an industry that I love. I am also fortunate to work with a very experienced team who are deemed experts in their field because of their passion for this industry and the global airline they represent. At Emirates we place a huge emphasis on training and upskilling, giving our teams the opportunity to grow and thrive, which is hugely motivating. We work in a dynamic eco-system and constantly need to adapt and adjust our approach to our product, our operations and our service delivery with the sole focus of offering our customers a premium experience and, as we say, helping them to fly better. We have various programmes in place to recognise strong performance, which also helps motivate our staff to continually strive to perform and be part of a wonderful success story.
How do you handle adversity?
Effective communication and an understanding of the other person’s perspective are crucial, as problems often seem larger than they actually are. Once you can have open discussions and grasp the real issue, a situation is rarely as daunting or indeed adversarial as it first appeared. These moments also offer valuable learning opportunities. I believe we gain the most from challenges rather than when everything goes smoothly.
How do you relax?
I have three daughters all with very different tastes in music and I’ve noticed my playlists becoming quite eclectic, but I love hearing new music and going to concerts that I wouldn’t ordinarily be interested in. My family also has a love for travel and aviation, so whenever there is an opportunity to get away we take it, and working with Emirates has opened up so many new and exciting destinations for us. We enjoy regular visits to Dubai and one of our best trips was to Maldives. We have even been known to only make the decision to travel the day before because travel is a great way to switch off and relax.
What is your favourite (non-business) book?
Normal People – by Sally Rooney – so far!
What is your aspiration for the future of the business?
What is wonderful about our industry is that the sky really is the limit. At Emirates, we have some amazing new and innovative plans for the future of air travel that I believe will bring luxury and ease of travel for every customer to the next level, regardless of whether they are flying in First, Business, Premium Economy or Economy class.
At Emirates, we always have our eye on the next era of growth and we have 315 aircraft on order that will support the airline’s expansion goals and provide flexibility to launch new, and better serve, existing routes on our network.
Continually looking at ways in which we can reduce our impact on the environment, both on the ground and in the air is a priority at Emirates. We have done test flights with SAF, and have activated SAF agreements across various airports in our network, and while we recognise that there’s still a lot of work to do, I’m excited to see how we can improve and collectively, connect the world in a better way.
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