KELLY LEMKE

A passionate and energetic Airport Manager with over 17 years of experience in the aviation industry delivering strategic leadership to customer-facing and operational teams with an emphasis on uplifting capabilities to achieve high standard outcomes for all metrics. My expertise lies in delivering operational and service excellence through engagement initiatives and delivering strategies that reflect brand values and business requirements. I take pride in leading by example as an authentic and genuine leader; one who is passionate about fostering a positive culture that not only upholds the company vision but also ensures that team members feel valued, respected, and heard. I believe that to deliver heartfelt service and meet key performance indicators, teams must be engaged, and I strive to ensure each of my team members approaches operations through a genuine mindset. I thrive in a fast-paced environment where I can leverage my people-oriented leadership approach to coordinate large teams and drive productivity and performance to ensure the achievements of outstanding outcomes for service delivery, operations and experience. In my current role as Brisbane Airport Manager of Operations, I oversee all ground handling for airport operations ensuring efficiency, compliance, and safety across all functions. My responsibilities include managing a diverse team of 100 staff to optimize service delivery and operational performance while fostering a culture of engagement and accountability. I work closely with stakeholders to implement strategic initiatives that enhance customer experience and operational effectiveness. The clients we currently service in Brisbane are Rex, National Jet Express and ASL. In my previous role with Virgin Australia, I was responsible for driving Guest Services and Cabin Crew operations with an emphasis on optimising service levels and productivity in addition to establishing a culture of service excellence among the Guest Services and Cabin Crew team. This also included providing the strategic direction for the team and uplifting their capabilities through learning and development opportunities as well as through coaching and engagement initiatives with an emphasis on achieving safety and security metrics for all employees, clients and passengers.

• Launched the Rex Jet Operation in December 2021 for Brisbane.
• Led my team though the Rex Jet collapse in August 2024 which resulted in 70 team members redundant.
• Rostering System Implementation from Deputy to Human Force in 2024.
• Winner of Aus Flight Handling Airport of the Year 2022, and finalist for 2023.
• Winner of Leadership Excellence award 2022
• Awarded the Brand Ambassador for Leadership Award in 2014 for performance excellence.
• Managed and coordinated strategic initiatives to minimise operational delays and enabling the achievement of on-time performance (OTP) targets.
• Led the team through a significant organisational restructure and rebranding period from Virgin Blue to Virgin Australia.