MEET THE BOSS | Captain Louise Pole | Australian Federation of Air Pilots (AFAP) President & QantasLink Q400 Pilot

Drinks with the Boss gives you an opportunity to virtually connect with an aviation/aerospace leader in an online environment. Grab your favourite drink and listen from the comfort of your own home, as Louise talks about her experiences as she's taken on ever more responsible leadership positions, and ask Louise the questions you often don’t get the chance to in more formal settings. 

Who is invited 
In the spirit of keeping everyone connected, A/AA would like to extend complimentary attendance to all, not limited to our members. So, if you’re in the industry or keen to be a part of it, join our (Virtual) Drinks with the Boss’.

How to join Virtual Drinks with the Boss 
This event will be accessed via Zoom link that will be emailed upon registration. If you need any information please contact us at [email protected] 

Biography

A QantasLink Q400 pilot, Captain Pole is the first woman in Australia to lead a pilot’s union (and only the second in the world after Austria).

 The Australian Federation of Air Pilots (www.afap.org.au) elected Captain Louise Pole as the first woman president in its 80-year history at its annual convention in October 2018. 

Captain Pole began flying as a teenager and attained her Commercial Pilot Licence in 1989. In fact, she has held her pilot’s licence for longer that her car licence!

 A passion for flying has taken her across Australia over more than three decades. Captain Pole joined QantasLink in 2001 at a time when women pilots were a minority at the airline. Almost 20 years later, women still make up just over 5% of commercial pilots in Australia and worldwide.

In 2009 Captain Pole was elected AFAP Vice President of Administration and Finance, becoming the first woman Federal Officer to be appointed in the pilot federation’s history – a position she held for ten years.

She also has extensive experience in industrial relations having represented QantasLink (Sunstate Airlines) pilots in enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA) negotiations over many years.

Furthermore, Captain Pole also established the AFAP Women’s Network to provide a unique forum for identifying and pursuing industrial and professional issues relevant to women members. Since 2010 the number of women members has increased by more than 300% while she has been the convenor.

Before embarking on her piloting qualifications and training, Captain Pole studied at the University of Western Australia completing a Bachelor of Arts (Languages) majoring in French and Italian.