Changed
Changed
“I came out here for a few days, just to see what it was all about.”
That was over 23 years ago for Helen Clarke, a key member of our planning team whose career has progressed from taking a curiosity in how an airport works to influencing how it grows.
As the Program Manager for Brisbane Airport’s 2026 Master Plan, Helen oversees a complex web of information and forecasts that is distilled into a digestible document showing likely future scenarios.
“That’s the amazing thing about Master Plans,” states Helen. “The change you are forecasting is real—it actually happens.”
That kind of planning is no small feat, requiring a broad understanding of airport systems and requirements. For Helen, it’s a challenge accepted and one that she has built her career to achieve.
Shortly after graduating in Environmental Engineering from Griffith University in 2001, Helen started working at Brisbane Airport in a consulting role. And from the start, the airport spoke to her.
“Immediately, what drew me to working at the airport was the variety of what you do on any given day. I didn’t want to work in a city high-rise, and the airport just felt like a perfect fit.”
This interest soon led to Helen’s first job at Brisbane Airport Corporation, which at the time was still in its infancy, where she worked as an Environmental Engineer.
“At first, I was out doing water monitoring, construction site audits, that kind of thing. The Environment Team was part of the Operations Department at the time, so that’s how I started learning about aviation. I was based in an office, which itself was demolished to make way for a new taxiway, and it was here where we got to look out at planes in the airfield all day. And of course I got addicted to that.”
That first office, which offered both a glimpse of the airfield and the reality of development, stood as a sign for the career to come as Helen moved through several key positions that led her deeper into the planning world.
This included a formative time as the Environmental Manager, from 2005 to 2012, and afterwards the Program Manager for the 2014 Master Plan and then the Aeronautical Capacity Manager, where she worked directly on the new runway project.
“There was a big learning curve.
“The new runway project was under construction, and we needed a team to focus on flight paths and aircraft noise. Being able to see it evolve from planning to opening—it was a wonderful project to be a part of.”
Together with team members across the airport, Helen tackled the complex world of aircraft noise modelling. This led to a secondment to work with Airservices Australia, where she further expanded her knowledge, and then to a role as Statutory Planning Manager, which struck the balance between airport operations and developments.
And finally, her current role overseeing the 2026 Master Plan.
You’d be forgiven for thinking Helen succinctly planned her career; after all, her job is to methodically plan the Master Plan. But when asked, she is quick to clarify.
“I’ve kind of evolved into jobs as I have gone along.
“I could never have planned my career so far.”
Helen reflects this perspective outside her work, preferring to keep things less planned and more open to exploring her interests.
“Outside work, I’ve got a rough outline . . .”
“What motivates me changes. At one point it was to see the world and travel. At another it was to pay off my house. Those types of things that motivate many people.
“At the moment, I have a young daughter who is going on seven. And so a big part of what motivates me is providing a life and a foundation for her so she can succeed . . . and still going on holidays—I love to travel.
“When I was younger (with more free time), I loved to go to the remote parts of the world. From seeing polar bears in the Arctic to the tip of South America . . . any holidays that are a bit offbeat.
“I still do this. I often travel to Chile, as my husband is from there. But these days we focus more on seeing Australia, including its cities, so he can become more familiar with our country.”
With 20+ years behind her at the airport and a plan for 20+ years ahead, Helen is in an interesting position of having lived great change while knowing what’s coming.
“That’s what I really love about the airport—that no two days are ever the same and that there’s always something going on.”
The biggest challenge in her job: “helping people see what’s possible in the longer term.”
The biggest reward: “seeing how an airport can evolve and being part of a legacy.”
“What drives me at work is thinking about the future, thinking about how people will interact with the airport, and contributing to a broader legacy for the coming generations.
“When my daughter comes through BNE, I like to tell her that I’ve been part of its development.”