King Shaka International Airport General Manager, Terence Delomoney, speaks to Clinton Moodley about his travels, his job and airport peeves.
Describe your job in 3 words?
Bringing people together
How did you enter this profession?
I am a Chartered Accountant by profession but have always been fascinated by the transport sector. When I joined ACSA in January 2000 as a Financial Manager, I fell in love with aviation. Each year since has been a journey of discovery.
Describe a typical day for you?
One of the most interesting aspects of my job is that there is no “typical day”. While there are a number of regulated and formal governance structures that I participate in, I enjoy time with my team and colleagues from the broader ACSA network, airport-based stakeholders and non-airport based stakeholders. Most of the days are spent in meetings or attending events. The rest of the time is spent in front of my laptop reading, reviewing, analysing, planning, reporting, communicating and responding to various requests.
Your biggest achievement?
Being part of the whole King Shaka International Airport journey has been a highlight for me. Being a part in a lifetime experience, from the building of a greenfield airport, the closing down and decommissioning of an airport, and then relocating an entire operation had been amazing.
What is your favourite holiday destination and why?
India. It is such a vast country, and each city/state is unique in their own right, especially with the food options.
The one thing you would take on a deserted island and why?
My wife, she keeps me sane.
How do you unwind after a long day?
I try to relax by watching soccer, reading or having a glass of whiskey.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I want to still be in the corporate space.
If you were president for a day, what would you do?
I would scrap legislation that adds to our bureaucracy.
What is your biggest airport pet peeve?
Unclean and overcrowded bathrooms.
Best meal you had abroad?
Freshly prepared vegetable and seafood curries on a houseboat in Kerala, India.
What is the motto you live by?
Work hard and play even harder.
If you could invite anyone, dead or alive, for dinner, who would it be and why?
My maternal and paternal grandparents. They have shaped the person I am today.