12 Influential Aviation Leaders in Brisbane Today

Last updated: 6 August 2026.

Brisbane's aviation sector is shaped by people who keep airports moving, airlines growing, training standards strong, aeromedical crews ready and flight operations safe. The leaders below come from airport operations, airline leadership, aviation training, aeromedical response, flight operations, general aviation and airport consulting, and each has a current public link to the Brisbane aviation community.

This is a broad sector held together by a relatively small number of people making consistent decisions about safety, growth and training. Meeting them individually gives a clearer picture of how Brisbane aviation actually works than any single company profile could.

Why these aviation leaders matter in Brisbane.

Aviation leadership is not one job. It sits across the systems that connect people, freight, aircraft, training, emergency response and communities. Looking at the people behind those systems gives a more useful picture of Brisbane's aviation sector than a list of organisations alone.

1. Gert-Jan de Graaff.

Chief Executive Officer, Brisbane Airport Corporation.

Gert-Jan de Graaff has been Chief Executive Officer of Brisbane Airport Corporation since June 2018. He brings more than 25 years of airport leadership experience to running Queensland's busiest gateway airport.

Alongside day to day oversight of the airport, he holds board and industry leadership positions that extend his influence across the wider aviation sector. That combination gives him a voice in Brisbane's aviation future that reaches well beyond the terminal gates.

2. Ryan Both.

Executive General Manager, Aviation, Brisbane Airport Corporation.

Ryan Both has led Brisbane Airport Corporation's aviation business as Executive General Manager, Aviation since February 2022, responsible for the airport's operational and commercial aviation relationships.

His background spans Melbourne Airport, Virgin Australia, Cobham and Eve Air Mobility, giving the role an unusually broad airline and airport perspective. Few Brisbane aviation leaders have worked across both the airport and airline sides of the business so directly.

3. Dave Emerson.

Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Virgin Australia.

Dave Emerson became Chief Executive Officer of Virgin Australia in March 2025 and joined the Board as Managing Director in June 2025, bringing more than 25 years of aviation experience to the role.

Before stepping up to CEO, he served as Chief Commercial Officer, connecting his current leadership position with deep commercial airline experience. That progression means Brisbane's home carrier is led by someone who has already tested his ideas from inside the commercial engine room.

4. Glenn Ryan.

Chief Executive Officer, Aviation Australia.

Glenn Ryan leads Aviation Australia, the Queensland Government training organisation established in 2001 that works across engineering, cabin crew, pilot and remote pilot training.

Under his leadership the organisation partners with more than 60 airlines and aerospace companies and has produced more than 1,000 graduates worldwide, giving the role a clear workforce development dimension that reaches well past Brisbane's own runways.

5. Ian Smythe.

Chief Academic Officer, Aviation Australia.

Ian Smythe oversees the academic and technical training pipeline at Aviation Australia, shaping how people preparing for aircraft maintenance and related aviation careers are taught and assessed.

His work sits close to the training itself rather than only its administration, connecting curriculum design directly to the technical standards the wider Brisbane aviation industry depends on for its next generation of engineers and technicians.

6. James McIlvenny.

Founder, Chief Pilot and Company Director, Brisbane Flight Charter.

James McIlvenny founded Brisbane Flight Charter in 2016 and leads it today as Chief Pilot and Company Director, combining executive responsibility with active flying duties.

That combination of ownership, operational leadership and hands-on flying is unusual in Brisbane's charter sector, where the person setting the standards is also the person meeting them in the cockpit on a regular basis.

7. Sara Hales.

General Manager, Aviation Operations, Archerfield Airport Corporation.

Sara Hales leads aviation operations at Archerfield Airport, Brisbane's dedicated general aviation and metropolitan airport, which was named Australian Airports Association Metro Airport of the Year in both 2021 and 2024.

Helicopter movements at Archerfield have grown from around 4,000 to more than 16,400 a year under the airport's current operating model, supporting agencies including the Queensland Government Air, Queensland Police Service PolAir and LifeFlight. Keeping that growth safe and orderly sits squarely inside her remit.

8. Ashley van de Velde OAM.

Chief Executive Officer, LifeFlight Australia.

Ashley van de Velde OAM leads LifeFlight Australia, the aeromedical charity operating helicopters and jets from a Brisbane Airport base alongside a training academy and the Clive Berghofer Maintenance Centre opened at Archerfield in 2024.

He recently led the organisation through the end of its thirty year naming partnership with RACQ, a significant transition for one of Queensland's most visible emergency aviation services. Few Brisbane aviation leaders carry responsibility for both daily rescue operations and long term organisational change at once.

9. Rod Flockhart.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, FlightScope Aviation.

Rod Flockhart founded FlightScope Aviation and leads it today as an airline transport pilot and licensed aircraft maintenance engineer, a dual qualification that is genuinely rare in Brisbane general aviation.

He brings forty years of aviation experience and more than 20,000 flight hours across over 200 aircraft types, including previous work as an airline training captain. That depth of flying and engineering experience shapes how his training business teaches the next generation of Brisbane pilots.

10. Dr Lucas Tisdall.

Managing Director and Group Chief Executive, Tisdall Aviation Group.

Dr Lucas Tisdall leads Tisdall Aviation Group, an Archerfield-based group established in 2008 that now employs around 100 aviation professionals across maintenance, repair and flight training businesses.

The group's reach across MRO and pilot training under one leadership structure is unusual for Brisbane general aviation, where most operators specialise in a single part of the value chain rather than spanning several at once.

11. Keith Tonkin.

Managing Director, Aviation Projects.

Keith Tonkin founded Aviation Projects in 2003 after fifteen years in the Royal Australian Air Force flying Caribou and F-111 aircraft and nine years with Qantas flying Boeing 747 and 737 aircraft.

That military and airline background now underpins an airport and aerodrome planning and flight procedure design consultancy whose client list includes Archerfield Airport. Few people advising Brisbane's aviation infrastructure have sat in as many different cockpits along the way.

12. Terry Rossitto.

Managing Director, PSA Infrastructure.

Terry Rossitto leads PSA Infrastructure, a Brisbane based consultancy whose airport client list includes Brisbane Airport, Archerfield Airport and Darwin Airport.

He brings more than thirty years of experience including major planning and construction roles held directly at Brisbane Airport before moving into consulting. That inside knowledge of how a major Australian airport is actually built and expanded now informs projects well beyond Brisbane's own runways.

Conclusion.

Three themes stand out across this group. The first is how much Brisbane aviation leadership sits at the intersection of operations and training, from Aviation Australia's dual academic and technical leadership to Archerfield's role hosting rescue helicopter growth alongside general aviation flying schools.

The second is how many leaders here have moved between the military, major airlines, airports and smaller Brisbane operators during their careers, carrying standards and lessons from one part of the sector into another.

The third is the sheer range of organisations required to keep aviation running safely in one city, from a major international gateway airport through to a single aircraft charter business, each with a named leader accountable for the outcome.

About the Author.

Jonno White is a Brisbane based leadership consultant, keynote speaker and Certified Working Genius Facilitator, and the author of Step Up or Step Out. He works with schools, organisations and leadership teams around the world. To enquire about a keynote, workshop or facilitated leadership session, email jonno@consultclarity.org.

Next Read.

If leadership team dynamics are on your mind after reading about Brisbane's aviation leaders, leadership team development is a useful next read on turning senior teams into a genuinely aligned unit. Aviation businesses that rely on frontline crews as much as executive teams may also find DISC leadership styles useful for understanding how different communication preferences show up under operational pressure. Leaders building their own senior team in Brisbane can also look at team building facilitators in Brisbane for a wider view of who else is working in this space.

Final note.

This is a recognition list, not a ranking and not a claim that these are the only influential people in Brisbane aviation. Roles and organisations can change, so treat this as a snapshot of the sector as it stands today.

If your organisation wants practical help turning leadership ideas into everyday habits that stick under operational pressure, I would enjoy the conversation. Email jonno@consultclarity.org to talk about a keynote, workshop or facilitated session for your team.