Women of Skyline

Skyline are on a mission to deliver real fun to global communities, and behind the scenes there’s a team of diverse, passionate individuals. The company is celebrating 100 million luge rides worldwide, which is testament to Skyline’s innovative spirit and positive, accepting culture. Women are at the helm of many departments at the company, spearheading exciting initiatives and campaigns – here’s the story of a few.

Sarah Ottery
Company Director

After spending time as a marketer and executive, Sarah Ottrey took up governance more than 20 years ago. She says she enjoyed it, especially as a female, because she had a young child and it allowed her more flexibility.

Ottrey was familiar with Skyline, having grown up in Central Otago and spending summer holidays here. After working internationally, she knew when making the move South, Skyline was a great option.

“The business is very operational in areas such as gondolas, chair lifts, luge, construction, etc, which traditionally will have been male-dominated roles. Our goal and work over the past six to eight years has been to change that and bring more women through the business, create more opportunities and then have them move around the world for us,” Ottrey says.

One part of the business she really admires is the fact that they’re unafraid to invest in the long-term. They often look to the future, making bold decisions for the good of the organisation and the business, which aligns with her values. She appreciates the developmental support offered to staff, especially some of the initiatives for women.

“I think it behoves us as female leaders to actually create those ladders.”

 

Katie Hensman
Future Company Director

Her day job is as a lawyer with Todd & Walker Law, but Katie Hensman feels lucky to also have the opportunity to sit as a future director and observer on the Skyline Board. She’s always been interested in governance having seen both her parents in various directors roles growing up.

As a younger woman, she thought working in governance was slightly less attainable for her at this stage of her life, so when she was approached with an opportunity by Skyline, it was a “no-brainer.”

Hensman’s really enjoying all that she’s learning putting her university skills into practice. When studying, she got involved in a programme that was helping females get into more sports’ governance roles, which helped her to understand the basics of governance.

“You’re never really taught what governance is or how it works, the intricacies and importance of it. I think it’s a natural lean for legal and governance to go hand-in-hand, but they complement each other. My role with Skyline has allowed for a greater understanding in the legal arena and vice versa.”

 

Brooke Campbell
Chief People and Corporate Affairs Officer

Joining Skyline in late 2019, right on the verge of Covid, presented its own set of challenges for Campbell and the business, but she saw this as an opportunity; a way to revisit how things were done and refocus on how they can care for their people, grow and look after them.

“It’s been a real focus for us – growing our international team globally from our headquarters in Queenstown. This is an incredibly unique proposition and a really exciting challenge,” Campbell says.

Some of the programmes Campbell has helped to implement include running of International Women’s Day Forums and a bespoke leadership development programme. She’s also getting ready to launch an emerging female leaders mentoring project, which will help a cohort of women who are new to leadership roles by pairing them with senior leaders in the business to help progress their development.

Campbell is also a mother and is really appreciative of Skyline’s family-friendly environment.