Meet Melissa Brook: General Manager of Strategy at Queenstown Airport
Melissa Brook became Queenstown Airport’s newest senior leadership team member when she was appointed General Manager Strategy last year. Melissa is responsible for all local, regional and central government planning activity and also oversees the delivery of key projects to bring the airport’s 10-year Strategic Plan to life. She holds Bachelor of Arts (Hons) and Bachelor of Law degrees from the University of Otago.
Tell us a bit about yourself.
I have always considered myself a ‘Central girl’. I grew up in Wānaka, and when the opportunity to come back home presented itself, I grabbed it with both hands. My partner and I now live in Pisa Moorings and love the opportunities the Central Otago lifestyle provides – the walking and biking tracks and being five minutes from the boat ramp for an after-work fish.
I have always been very close to my family. My Mum and Dad supported my drive for success, and it never occurred to me that I couldn’t achieve whatever I wanted to do. My brother is my reality check, ensuring there is no chance I might delude myself that I am the centre of the universe!
What led you to your current position as General Manager Strategy with Queenstown Airport?
Having trained as a lawyer, I have always had an interest in strategic planning and policy development. Most of my career has been spent in the local government sector, where I built my skills in community engagement, innovative thinking, and long-term planning. After a brief stint at Queenstown Airport in 2019-20, I returned in 2021 to the role of Strategic Planning Manager and led the development of our 10-year Strategic Plan. When the plan was finalised, I was promoted to General Manager Strategy – a new role with a focus on ensuring we deliver what we have set out in our strategy.
Have you drawn professional inspiration from other women?
Definitely! As a nation, we have many inspirational women to look to as role models. Those who have had a direct impact on what I chose to study and where I have made my career include former High Court judge and Governor-General Dame Silvia Cartwright, former Prime Minister Dame Jenny Shipley, and Dunedin barrister and King’s Counsel Judith Ablett-Kerr.
I’ve also been lucky to work with some impressive women. The one who comes to mind as encouraging my professional growth is former Invercargill City Council chief executive Clare Hadley, who taught me it was okay to be bold and decisive. She taught me that the right decision might not always be popular, but it is important to own the decision anyway.
I remember Clare inviting me to attend executive leadership team meetings, challenging me to bring my own views, and cautioning me to be ready to have them tested. This opportunity fed my desire to be at the top table.
What is one thing you wish you had known earlier in your career?
I wish I had realised earlier that it is okay to be completely and uniquely me. During my early career, I often tried to emulate people who were in positions that I aspired to. What I have learned is that good decision-making and senior leadership don’t require cookie-cutter replicas of those already in leadership roles but diversity of thought and approach. Thinking differently, bringing my own viewpoint, and seeking to understand the ‘why’ are strengths I bring to the senior leadership table.
A former boss, and ongoing mentor, gave me one of the most important pieces of advice I have received in my professional career, and that is don’t self-reject. Think of all the things you can and will bring to a role, not the areas where you might still need some guidance. The best leaders are still learning. Put yourself forward and back yourself to deliver.
What do you want to achieve in your current role?
Queenstown Airport is a fascinating place to work, and decarbonisation of the aviation sector is going to create huge opportunities and raise challenges for us to meet. I’m under no illusion that it will be easy, but the whole ZQN team is up for the task. We take our role as custodians of an important community asset seriously. Our vision is to be ‘an innovative airport that people love to travel through, and the community takes pride in’. I want to find innovative responses to our continually changing environment and work for and with the community to deliver great outcomes for future generations.
