Navigating the future
Heesterman and the management team looked at the options and draft proposals before them. Options to buy shareholdings in airports, own runways and control towers, and more than 80 suggestions by staff for innovative projects and ideas all presented opportunities for success, profit and expansion, but also potential risks of failure and financial loss if the right choices were not made. Reflecting on Airways' past, and considering its future, thoughts turned to other state-owned enterprises whose international investments, although profitable, had come with the high cost of very public criticism. Heesterman's gaze returned to the proposals on his desk as he contemplated which projects would be viable for Airways commercially, politically and publicly. Airways needed to look at all the options, but perhaps look at them from different perspectives. What guiding principles would underpin Airways future success?