People of BNE: Maddison Harvey, International Terminal Facilitation Manager

Every day, thousands of passengers make their way through BNE, undertaking a complex journey that relies on a steady stream of interconnected processes and teams, all working together.  

It takes a steady hand and calm demeanour to ensure passengers have a comfortable experience, not to mention quick thinking and strong communications skills. At Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC), we are grateful to have professionals such as Maddison Harvey, our International Terminal Facilitation Manager, who fit the role perfectly.  

Having worked for BAC since 2016, Maddison brings a diverse background that includes project management, stakeholder engagement, and communications. To learn about how she worked her way into terminal operations, we sat down with Maddison to hear about her world.  

What do you do in your role?  

As the International Terminal Facilitation Manager, my main responsibilities lie in managing the processes and main touch points of the passenger journey throughout the International Terminal, including the check-in and security screening areas for departures as well as key areas such as the Arrivals Hall on return.   

I look out for anything that may inhibit the passenger journey in the terminal, ensuring they have a seamless experience. This could be making sure that queuing is extended appropriately, or that everyone is being processed in a timely and efficient manner, and much more.  

On a broader scale, I work closely with stakeholders to address challenges, seeing how we can implement any new processes or procedures as is required. I work very closely with airlines, border agencies, ground handlers and more—to make sure we’re all aligned when it comes to any updates or changes.  

How hands-on is your job?  

If we can, we are on the floor every day, helping passengers and stakeholders to navigate their journey, and making it a little bit simpler where possible. It is so much easier to understand any challenges by living them as they happen for our stakeholders.  

I love that I have the opportunity to not only work behind the scenes, planning airport processes and solving complex situations, but also interacting with people out in the terminal. It adds a unique element to my job, as I am constantly immersed in a live environment. 

How did you get such an interesting role? 

I have been very lucky in my journey with BAC, with leaders who have always supported my growth and development. I started out as an intern on BNE’s new runway project in 2016, doing all the communications and engagement. I was then offered a position in Projects, followed by a position in the Communications & Public Affairs team.  

From my time as an intern, I always loved crisis communications and issues management; however, the COVID-19 pandemic taught me that I preferred helping by being on the ground, which is what drew me to a career in operations. 

During the pandemic, I was given the incredible opportunity to really immerse myself in the operations world—assisting with the engagement and communication around the border changes. I loved the role and decided to throw my hat in the ring when a job opportunity came up. 

This was a massive change in my career path, but, to be honest, I don’t think the change really shocked my BAC leaders, who knew I loved working in high pressure environments. So whilst it was a massive shift in my role, BAC was very supportive in helping me explore my career interests in this way.  

Whilst moving from a role in Communications & Public Affairs to Terminal Operations may seem like polar opposites, I use a lot of the skills and experience from my previous roles. This includes stakeholder engagement, as I deal with a lot of change processes, working with a wide range of people through forums, meetings, and more. I’m also amazed at the diverse experience everyone in operations brings to their role; there is no one-size-fits-all background to do this kind of job.  

What would surprise people the most about working in airport operations?  

I’ve seen first-hand in my role how BAC and more broadly the whole airport environment truly comes together during challenging times. During COVID and the floods in February 2022 we saw the whole airport community come together, with people from different backgrounds and roles. Everyone is here to achieve the same goal, and I think BAC does that very well. 

This really became evident to me on a day in October last year when we were having challenges with security screening queue times. I had called an internal briefing to discuss the challenges and ask for assistance. Within five minutes I had people from all across the business on site, ready to help—handing out  plastic bags for Powders, Liquids, Aerosols & Gels, answering passenger queries and helping me manage the queue. In an airport you are never really alone, and there is something very special about that.  

What do you like most about your role? 

I naturally love the fast-paced environment of my role, but I also love the human element. At the international terminal you see such a broad range of life experiences. There are many passengers going on holidays, off to somewhere really exciting. There are some going off to get married. And then there are also people experiencing challenging moments. It’s a privilege to be able to help all these people in their journeys and make that process a little bit easier for them.  

It’s also an exciting time to be in aviation. We are emerging from an incredibly challenging period and to see it unfold in front of me—and be a part of it—is just incredible.