My Career: Head of Emirates in Ireland Anita Thomas

Did you always want to be a country manager for Emirates?
I knew I wanted to work in travel, and at the age of 16, my go-to career was cabin crew or check-in agent as my knowledge of the aviation industry was very limited. Aside from those two roles – and the pilot – I believed that was the full complement of staff that an airline needed to operate.  I joined Emirates in December 2011, prior to the launch of its inaugural Dublin-Dubai flight in January 2012.  It was an airline that was always in my sights, not only because of its strong global reputation but also because of its reputation as a really good employer.  

In college, I studied… prior to college, I did an eight-week course in Waterford with a well-known business trainer, Frances Roche, which covered reservations. I then went on to study Travel and Tourism in WIT – it was the first year they ran this course. Before finishing the course I had applied for a number of roles, not expecting to be successful in any of my applications. However, to my surprise, I interviewed and got accepted for a reservations role with Ryanair at a time when they had a retail office on Dawson Street in Dublin.

My most formative work experience was… in December 2011 just prior to Emirates starting its Dublin to Dubai service. At this stage, I had almost 20 years’ experience with three different airlines but it is extremely rare to be part of an aviation start-up operation in your own country. This was an incredible opportunity and also a steep learning curve. However, we were supported and guided by Emirates’ Head Office in Dubai to ensure that commercially and operationally we had everything in place to be able to deliver the highest standard of service for the new operation. This gave me great exposure to the full operation as opposed to just the commercial area.

My first real job was… with British Airways. While my first role in the industry was with Ryanair, this was just for a four-month period. I was then successful in securing a role with British Airways in Glasgow and swiftly after, I moved to London where I spent the next 10 years working in various departments in Head Office.

The most invaluable thing I learned early on in my career was… listen, learn and ask questions. The assumption is that once you have worked in this industry for a length of time you must have seen it all. However, every day presents new challenges and the aviation/travel industry is no stranger to this. When things look hopeless you have to re-think how you do business. A great example of this is when we were unable to fly passengers during the pandemic.  Emirates, despite being the largest airline in the world, acted with agility and speed. We adapted quickly and cargo became front and centre of our business over this period. To be successful, you need to have an interest in what you are doing, a desire to learn and adapt and ultimately deliver.  

A common misconception about what I do is… as soon as I say I work for Emirates the assumption is that you are Cabin Crew and generally the next question is, “Do you wear Emirates’ iconic uniform?” Another misconception is that I’m constantly flying to exotic destinations in Emirates First Class. The concessions and benefits of working with Emirates are fantastic, but my feet are firmly on the ground for my working day! 

My main responsibility in work is to… ensure Emirates’ double daily flight between Dubai and Dublin is profitable and maintains significant relevance to our customers.

 

Do you have a career mentor or someone you look up to/seek advice from?
I have many mentors, from previous managers to industry leaders in the Travel Trade and the corporate industry. My role is so diverse that it is important to have mentors who are experts in their field.

The biggest risk I have taken in my career so far is… making the move from Ireland to the UK, because I was still only learning the ropes in the aviation industry. I needed to complete and pass an 8-week induction in the UK before I could be taken on permanently, I had no money coming in at the time and was completely reliant on my family financially. However, it was the best decision I ever made and I fell in love with the industry and progressed from there. 

I wake at… 5am every morning. It’s easier in the summer than it is in the winter! I put my make-up on, have a cup of tea and, generally, 50 minutes later, I am on the road.

I can’t go to work without… a cup of tea, and a sneak peek at emails.

I travel to work by… car. My working day is quite varied and can involve me being in different parts of the country on different days, so it is essential I have the flexibility to move around when required.

On an average workday, I… this is what I love about my role – there is no average workday! My role is so varied, I could be in any part of the country, or indeed the world. We are very lucky at Emirates that we have access to a number of global sporting sponsorships such as Arsenal, Rolland Garros and, locally, The Irish Open too. These are fantastic opportunities to meet with key clients and often offer an experience money can’t buy. 

I start my working day around… 7:30am.

The first thing I do at work is… at the end of each working day I put two items on my priority list and I tend to get to these the next morning before anything else. These are usually time-sensitive items or something that requires research and running reports. Then, no matter what turn my day takes, I feel like I have accomplished something.

I usually spend the first portion of the day… catching up with the team and reviewing the workload for the day and week ahead, checking to see if my support is required in any areas. I then move on to emails and some mornings I am out visiting clients. 

I break for lunch at… 1pm. What I eat really depends on how organised I am the night before. If I manage to prepare something to bring with me, I usually make pasta or a salad. If I haven’t brought lunch with me, I’ll grab a sandwich at the airport. I’m also easily persuaded to eat fast food! 

The most useful business tool I use every day is… an internal reporting system that allows me to review daily sales and forward bookings.

I save time by… writing down my to-do list the evening before I leave the office and ensuring that those items are completed first thing in the morning.

I rarely get through my working day without… many cups of tea. I find myself making several cups of tea even though I don’t always get to drink them. 

The best part of my day is… the departure of our first flight of the day to Dubai in the afternoon. Every day when the team hears our B777 aircraft push back, we all take a moment to confirm it’s our flight and then there is a conversation around how much we’d love to be on that flight, enjoying a movie and perhaps a glass of champagne, and visiting exotic destinations across the world. It has become something of a ritual in the office. 

The most challenging part of my day is… delegating, but I am getting better at it! When you have a supportive team around you – I’ve got the best in the business –  it makes it all the easier to let go.

I know it’s been a good day if… I listen to the radio instead of my Spotify playlist on the way home.

I usually end my day at… 5pm.

I switch off from work by… catching up with family and friends. I also love hurling and rugby so if there is an opportunity to watch a game, then I am on it.

Before I go to bed, I’ll… organise my clothes for the next morning and triple check what I have in the diary.

After a long work week, I destress by… going shopping – it works every time!

The accomplishment I’m most proud of is… my appointment to the Country Manager role for Emirates. I started as a sales executive with Emirates in 2011 and since then, I’ve worked hard to learn, upskill, and prepare myself to be in a position to go for the role of Country Manager. I was really lucky that Emirates supported my career ambition. They really do back their workforce and provide support for career development and progression. 

If you want to get into my line of work, my advice is… even if you are still in school, get as much experience in customer service roles as you can and ensure you are comfortable dealing with people. Ideally, if you could get some experience at an airport, that would be fantastic – just to get an insight into how an airport and airlines operate, their requirements and customer requirements. It will also open your eyes to the various roles within the industry. What course/path you take from there will depend on what area of the business you are most drawn to but from the moment I started working for Emirates, I knew that I had secured my dream job. 

I’ve just finished working on… planning our corporate hospitality at The Irish Open. Emirates has been the official airline partner of the European Tour for over 10 years now. At the moment, I’m working on our commercial Ireland plans for the final quarter of the year.