MEET JAMIE HINCH - COO AMERICAS

Jamie Hinch is PHI Aviation’s COO for its Americas region.

HomeBase interviewed Jamie to find out more about who he is both in and outside PHI.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

The challenge and the variety of it. Many people work through their entire careers in a single discipline or singular focus, and as a COO, I have the opportunity to be involved in every aspect of the business—not just one. Whether it’s HR, operations, customer relations, administration or finance, I like knowing that every day I’ve got something different to challenge me. But what I love most about working at PHI is the people. It’s every member of our team who shows up each day, who lives our core values and who’s committed to doing the best job they can—for our customers and for each other—it’s our people and our teams who really make all the difference.

What has been your career highlight at PHI to date?

I would say, successfully navigating the business through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, we saw the first ever negative oil price and parked 26 aircraft in one month, but despite all the challenges we faced, we ended the year with the best safety record performance in our 72-year history from a lagging indicator perspective and our first profitability since 2014. That success, in no small part, goes to each and every member of our team who continued to work together to deliver the safe, efficient, quality, service that our customers and the industry have come to expect from PHI.

How would you describe your leadership style?

I would describe my leadership style as collaborative—team first. I want our team to be successful and believe that our company’s success will follow. I would also say demanding and fair. I challenge myself and every member of our team to deliver on their commitments. That means saying what you’re gonna do and delivering on what you say — no matter how big or small the commitment.

What was your first job?

My first job was at a Feed & Farm Supply store at age 14, and I worked there for 11 years. I started as general labor earning $2.85 an hour, toting 50- and 100-pound sacks of grain. I worked there through part of middle school, high school and college, and was able to pay for my own way through university studies. When I left, I was the manager of one of the stores making $5.50 an hour. In the three years that I managed the store, I grew it by 400%. When I got my first job in HR and they said all I had to do was HR stuff, I thought ‘Man, that’s easy!’

What do you think are the keys to success?

Curiosity and learning. I believe that you’ve got to have a lot of varied experience, but not just the same experience—that’s what

hurts people in advancing their careers: having too much of the same experience over and over. I feel that people need multiple new experiences and challenges that build a strong foundational and balanced perspective. I’m 49 years old, but I’ve been working for 34 years. I’ve probably learned more from the worst bosses I’ve ever had than the good bosses because I learned all the things I didn’t want to do or how I didn’t want to treat people. You can always learn, and that’s the key to success in my opinion.

What’s one thing you’re learning now or learned recently?

I continue to learn every day. I learn more and more about aviation, aviation safety, risk mitigation and our people—the individuals who bring our mission and vision to life. It’s imperative to stay curious— you can’t think you know everything, and you can’t just accept what is. Be curious. Ask Questions. Learn it, understand it and find ways to make it better. I’m a firm believer that nothing stays the same, so if you stop learning or advancing, you fall behind.

What’s the biggest misconception people have about your position?

That’s a hard one. I don’t think people see my job as easy. I’d say one of the biggest things that people may struggle to understand is all the different areas to oversee and lead. Customer relations, employee matters, supply chain, safety, operations, maintenance, etc. The only thing that holds true across all disciplines is leadership. We must all be leaders of the company.

What keeps you busy outside of work?

My family; three boys and my wife of 23 years—that’s really all I do outside of work. A lot of outdoor activities together: boating, fishing, hunting, camping and four-wheeling.

What’s the best advice you were ever given?

A few things: First, always learn no matter what opportunity is presented—positive or negative—always learn from it and take that learning as your value. Second, always give or provide more than what’s asked for. And lastly, my father told me ‘Never forget that no matter how far you climb up the ladder of success, you have to come down,’ so it’s important to treat everyone fairly and with respect. In my opinion, that’s the most rewarding part of any job— the positive impact you can have on the people as a leader.

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

Most people don’t know that I had a rodeo scholarship to McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana. I roped calves, teamroped, worked cattle and trained horses for many years.