Head of Regulatory Affairs and General Counsel
Alasdair – Head of Regulatory Affairs and General Counsel
Please describe your role in ACL.
“As head of Regulatory Affairs and General Counsel, am responsible for relations with Government and regulators including the European Commission, the Civil Aviation Authority and the Competition and Markets Authority. I lead ACL’s regulatory work including ensuring that ACL has a unified position on future developments in coordination regulation and legislation. I also help to ensure that the coordination decisions we make are consistent and legally correct. I am responsible for overseeing our slots monitoring and sanctioning function.”
What does a typical day look like to you?
“My days at ACL are extremely varied. As a member of the Leadership Team (LT), I can be meeting with the LT to discuss our strategy and business objectives or helping to prepare for Board meetings. Most of my days contain a large portion of work on the regulatory side – there is a lot of interesting work going on at the moment with Brexit, plans for a third runway at London Heathrow and the Government’s consultation on the future of UK aviation. I spend a lot of time in meetings with the Department of Transport and with working groups made up of various industry stakeholders. I also get the odd trip to Brussels to meet with DGMOVE (the EU Commission department for transport and mobility) to discuss the EU Slot Regulations and possible reform. So life is never dull. “
What’s your favourite part about working here?
“Being back in the aviation industry is great – the work is very interesting and it is good to feel that I am doing something worthwhile. ACL is a good company to work for – our staff are very passionate about aviation and we have some fun on the way. “
Describe a memorable time at ACL
“Working on our response to the Government’s Green Paper on the future of UK aviation has been very rewarding, both in terms of the broad range of issues being considered and the opportunity to really engage with the issues. If our work helps to shape aviation into the future, that will be very exciting. On the less serious side, our recent summer staff event on the South Bank was very memorable – we had a beautiful sunny day and it was a great opportunity to let our hair down and socialise with our great staff.”
Do you have any advice for a new starter?
“Don’t be afraid to ask questions – especially if you are new to aviation and just enjoy the opportunity – it’s a great industry and a good company to work for.”