SPOTLIGHT: AUSTRALIA'S NEW GENERAL MANAGER

HomeBase spoke with Bradon Schmidt, our new General Manager for Australia. We asked him about his experience in the industry, highlights of his career and what he’s most looking forward to in his new role.

Bradon and Co-Pilot

Offshore flying in Russia

Aircraft Loading

Where did your career begin and what are some of the roles you’ve had leading up to this point?

I initially trained with the South African (SA) Air Force and was involved in the SA military for nine years. Following this, I joined the civilian sector, and it wasn’t long before I went into the offshore sector, so most of my career to date has been in the offshore sector.

During my time in SA, I flew the Alouette 3 and Puma while in the military, mostly at a Maritime Squadron. I started working for CHC and flew S76, S61, Puma and H225 helicopters, supporting the business across Africa and Southeast Asia. I later took on a COO role for a helicopter company in Malaysia.

In 2013, I joined PHI for around two years in a business development role based in Nelson, NZ. Following this, I went on to join Shell in Brunei where I was responsible for flight and ground operations for five years and continued to fly the AW139 and S92. My work for Shell resulted in a secondment to Russia where I was tasked with the introduction of AW189s into service, replacing the helicopters for Sakhalin Energy.

That leads me to where I am today, now living in Perth as General Manager for PHI’s Australia operations.

How have you seen the industry change over time?

The industry has certainly evolved in terms of the equipment we use. Customers continue to seek the safest equipment, so we have seen aircraft adapt and innovate as safety standards have improved.

The offshore energy industry can also be considered quite volatile due to the ebbs and flows of demand, but this is really what makes it so unique.

One thing we have noticed in recent years is that over time the skilled and experienced workforce is harder to draw upon. It can be challenging to find qualified, skilled operators, so it is important that we foster a new wave of talent in the industry.

What are some of the highlights of your career so far?

Working in Southeast Asia was a real highlight because it’s such a varied region with multiple cultures and cuisines. You can easily travel short distances and see totally diverse places. In Malaysia I inherited a base that was being run out of three smaller hangars, so we ended up building a new purpose-built hangar from the ground up and switched the fleet from S92s and 76s to Airbus H225s – to see the new hangar along with a complete fleet change was really rewarding.

Russia was also different from anything I’ve experienced. It was challenging and rewarding at the same time. Learning the language was difficult; however, after a couple of years, I was able to get by with greetings and order meals and beverages. It’s all too real for me to say right now that when you experience the news from within Russia, it is very different from what you experience outside Russia.

While I was there, one of our tasks was to introduce AW189s into Russia from Italy, and this was during the peak of COVID when it seemed like the whole world was shutting down. However, remarkably we managed to bring the aircraft in and get them flying. Although this was stressful at times, it was also extremely rewarding.

What are you most looking forward to about being with PHI in Australia?

I’m looking forward to being involved in all elements of the aviation business. The last few years I’ve been focused on specific areas or directions, so I’m excited to be in a role that encompasses all areas of the business. I’ve also always thought Australia is a fantastic place to live—it’s very similar to where I grew up in South Africa.

What attracted you to come back to PHI?

This specific job really drew me back. I enjoy being involved in all aspects of business and operations, so it is a great opportunity to be involved in this way, rather than being focused on a particular project or operating base. PHI is an organisation that is stable and is really heading in a direction I like. It’s exciting for me to come into Australia at a time when there is so much potential and new opportunities for the teams here. PHI takes a great deal of pride in serving its customers well, and in return, I know that PHI is well appreciated by its customers.