Stephen’s extensive experience in aviation as a technician and leader makes him a tremendous addition to the RS team.
Position:
Field Service Operations Manager, New Zealand
Loves:
Mountain biking, fishing, paddle boarding and anything that gets him off the couch and into nature.
Background & Experience
It was only by chance that Stephen, a newly qualified mechanic, happened to steer away from cars and into aviation.
“It was because my sister worked for Air New Zealand at the time. Working on aircraft and gas turbines seemed to be the elite – the top level – and I just thought, That’s what I want to do,” Stephen said.
And so he went for it, working his way through Air New Zealand’s internal training program and from tradesman up to leading hand.
“In 2006, Air New Zealand restructured and set up a Field Services Department to travel worldwide and do maintenance on aero-derivative engines – and I got asked to join that,” he said.
“I liked my role in Field Service because it was challenging. We’d go to different customers and sites all the time.”
While on the job, Stephen became an encouraging mentor to his younger workmates, a position he is proud of and still enjoys.
“It was good, but unfortunately, because COVID hit us, we couldn’t travel, so we were seconded to the workshop,” he explained. “Field Service was disbanded because it wasn’t viable to keep it going.”
“We were offered roles in the shop. It was a production role where you’re going in day-in, day-out, doing the same thing, and that’s not me, and I wanted something more challenging.”
Stephen’s 22-year tenure with Air New Zealand ended in February this year, and exactly one month later, he started with RS.
So, What Makes RS A Good Workplace?
After meeting Dane (RS founder) as a trainee at Air New Zealand, the pair kept in touch after parting ways professionally, and Stephen is now the first RS employee to be based in New Zealand.
“I’ve been in communication with Dane for many years. I knew he’d started up a business, but I never wanted to relocate because I don’t want to leave New Zealand,” Stephen said.
Understandable when you live in beautiful Titirangi (translating to the ‘fringe of heaven’) as Stephen does alongside his partner of eight years.
They eventually made it happen following a near six-month conversation with RS over logistics.
“It came about slowly,” Stephen said. “I wasn’t in a rush to start work, so we took it slowly and figured out how we could make it work.”
While new to the business, Stephen’s already found common ground with the RS team.
“The thing I’ve found with RS – the team I’ve met and the vision I see – is that everybody is passionate and driven,” he said.
“In a big institution, you get a lot of people that drag the chain and are not passionate; they’re just there to get a paycheque. It’s nice being in an environment that’s motivated and to be around driven people.”
What’s On the Horizon for You?
Stephen is looking forward to sharpening his leadership and management skills in his new role with RS, mentoring his peers and adding new responsibilities, like managing contracts and customers.
“I’ve always been driven by learning as much as I can. I take as much as I can out of every opportunity because you’re always going to use it,” he said.
While keenly interested in the company’s expansion into New Zealand, for now, he’s squarely focused on what’s right in front of him.
“I’ve only got short-term goals at the moment. My short-term goals are to learn how RS operates and how the systems work; just get familiarised with the business.”
Connect with Stephen on LinkedIn.