Lucy McAuliffe, 36, tells us why there’s never a dull moment in her role as Head of Passenger Security at Gatwick Airport.
After university, I joined the National Express graduate scheme. I’d always been interested in the transport industry – connecting people and cities – and I saw that there was scope to really make a difference.
Through the scheme, I had good opportunities to take on leadership placements across coach, bus and rail divisions of NX Group. This involved relocating across the UK and was a really valuable experience for my development; being in charge of safety and people taught me about my leadership style and helped me develop my career.
I joined Network Rail where I progressed through to running St Pancras International – the most beautiful station in the world, in my opinion – and working there during the Olympics was fantastic. I then moved out of my comfort zone again into signalling and railway operations with Network Rail, before being headhunted 2.5 years ago for my current role at Gatwick.
It was a difficult decision to change industries, but I always want to challenge myself, and moving from rail to aviation has afforded me great opportunities to do different things.
I enjoy the high level of responsibility – heading up a team of 1,200 people who are accountable for the safety and security of the 46 million passengers that pass through our airport annually – but the variety the role offers is the biggest highlight.
On any given day, I could go from spending time in the operation listening to staff, to a budget meeting where we talk about how to make sure we’re providing the best value, to looking at the latest technologies that could help enhance our security, then meeting stakeholders, whether that be the training team, HR, IT or engineering, talking about everything from talent development to compliance issues. Plus it’s exciting – what we do matters, every minute of every day, so you have to be on the ball all the time.
In terms of challenges, the biggest is probably leading in times of change. We’re a business and so we need to maintain agility in order to grow, and at Gatwick, we continue to attract more passengers which is great news. A big part of my role is translating the strategic direction so that people are empowered and confident in their roles. Creating a diverse workforce is also very important to me and I have seen in my career the positive difference it makes to performance and culture when people feel supported and able to be their best selves at work.
I have two-year-old twins, so time management is even more critical these days. But I think I have a good work/life balance on most days! I think it’s important for a workplace to ensure there are open and honest conversations about people’s priorities outside of work, as these lead to creating a more balanced culture.
More women should get involved in this kind of role because it is hugely rewarding. Any large operational and people business is a fantastic opportunity to lead people; to have such an important role is an honour, which motivates me every day.
