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The<br />
L<br />
UNGE<br />
A mother, lawyer &<br />
aviation executive rolled<br />
into one loves spending<br />
time with family, reading<br />
and traveling<br />
Sonja Strand<br />
VP and General Manager<br />
Honeywell Global Airports Business<br />
Sonja Strand, VP and General Manager, Honeywell<br />
Global Airports Business, is one of few women in modernday<br />
aviation who holds a senior executive role that impacts<br />
airports and passengers on a global scale.<br />
The daughter of the former CEO of Paderborn Airport in<br />
Germany who owns a private plane, Sonja developed a<br />
passion for aviation as a child. She spent her Sundays with<br />
her father and her siblings flying for leisure across different<br />
places, widening her perspectives in life and the<br />
possibilities for women in different fields.<br />
“My father was the CEO of Paderborn Airport in<br />
Germany and he owns a private aircraft,” Sonja fondly<br />
recalls. “We were allowed to fly with him every Sunday so<br />
that’s where the passion came up at an early age for<br />
aviation.”<br />
She took up practical training in a travel agency as a<br />
young adult, later completing her undergraduate and<br />
graduate studies in Business Administration before<br />
pursuing a law degree. Linking both professions with<br />
aviation, Sonja’s knowledge and experience in the industry<br />
further grew and today she leads Honeywell’s Global<br />
Airports Business, highly regarded for its innovative tech<br />
solutions.<br />
“I was always passionate about the aviation industry. I<br />
pursued everything that I had to know about it,” Sonja<br />
shared with Air Cargo Update.<br />
At the recently concluded Airport Show 2019 held in<br />
Dubai, Sonja, representing Honeywell, signed a<br />
Memorandum of Understanding with Dubai Air<br />
Navigation Services (DANS) to collaborate on mutually<br />
beneficial projects on advanced IoT-enabled solutions<br />
that empower safe and efficient air traffic operations for<br />
Dubai, one of the busiest regions in terms of air traffic.<br />
Honeywell’s global expertise in providing innovative<br />
solutions will bring benefits to DANS through enhanced<br />
knowledge transfer on airport ecosystems, airport<br />
operations, Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs) and<br />
understanding the combined, complex challenges faced<br />
by the industry.<br />
Sonja’s position is extremely challenging that requires<br />
constant traveling, managing offices at different time<br />
zones and making major decisions. And yet this mother of<br />
two young boys aged 5 and 11 still makes it a point to<br />
enjoy quality time with her family.<br />
“I spend my time mostly outdoors. I have two kids—five<br />
and 11 years old—both boys. When we’re in Dubai, we go<br />
swimming, go to parks or play basketball. And I surely read<br />
a lot, especially on aviation, to get new ideas,” she said.<br />
“And we love to travel. When you travel and you’re head<br />
is free, you can share so many ideas with the team,” she<br />
added.<br />
As a woman in aviation, Sonja says it’s quite difficult but<br />
with confidence, creativity and passion, women will shine.<br />
“First it’s hard work. Whether you’re a woman or a man<br />
doesn’t matter. You have to be ready to work hard,” Sonja<br />
shared when asked what advice to give women who would<br />
like to follow her career path. “Second: Be passionate about<br />
it. Don’t accept something that is said to be impossible<br />
because it’s not. Think differently. What is important is to<br />
never give up. Have that mentally and use it as your<br />
strength. And remember that women have unique<br />
creativity.”