To celebrate International Women’s Day at Magma Aviation we are shining a spotlight on women in aviation and the huge variety of roles available in the industry. Our Celebrating Women in Aviation series holds space for the experiences of our wonderful colleagues, giving you an insight into their roles, how they got to where they are today and their advice for other women and girls considering a career in the aviation industry.
Abigail Clarke has worked in aviation for 4 years, 1 of which has been as a Commercial Executive at Magma Aviation. As a child she grew up in Dubai, and vividly remembers travelling to and from the UK during school holidays,
“Back in those days you were able to sit with the pilot in the cockpit!”
Whilst studying for her Business Management degree at university Abigail didn’t necessarily plan to work in aviation, however she feels that fate may have played a part;
“Growing up with a father working within the aviation industry it somewhat seemed inevitable that I would follow that path too. Now that I’m in I don’t think I’ll leave – once you enter the industry it becomes your life and you don’t know where you would be without it”.
Abigail’s role at Magma Aviation is to manage and quote on the requests that come into the business in a timely manner, developing strong and trusting customer relationships in the process.
“I contract the flight, brief the operations team on the requirements and then monitor the flight from start to finish to ensure customer satisfaction.”
Her job doesn’t end there, however;
“Once the flight is complete I produce the post-flight budget for the accounting team, and I always keep up to date with business intelligence by completing marketing research, monitoring industry activity and proactively maintaining relationships with my clients”.
It is the people aspect of her job that Abigail especially enjoys. She explained,
“My favourite part of my job is having the opportunity to work with colleagues all over the world from all different and amazing backgrounds”. She also enjoys the variety, as “each and every day is different. You can be sure a curve ball will be thrown your way, but it opens up the opportunity to learn something new every day!”
Abigail worries that some women may be put off by aviation being a male-dominated industry, as “it may feel hard to fit in or find common ground. Furthermore, with the majority of positions in the wider industry being filled by men it may be the case that some companies make their work benefit schemes more male-oriented”.
She feels that it would be beneficial to provide a platform for women in aviation,
“By giving women a forum to speak to younger females about their success in an aviation role, it will enable them to aspire to do the same.”
Abigail advises women considering a career in aviation to be brave;
“Us women are strong and independent. Never be afraid!”
