Private jet chief Judith Moreton has no qualms about travelling the world on
her own, even though a potential customer once trapped her in a room for
several hours.
“I was in the Middle East, in Kuwait and this man just decided that he didn’t
want me to leave his office and physically blocked me from walking out,”
says Moreton, 44. “He said he was enjoying my company so much and wanted it
to continue, but I wasn’t enjoying his. Eventually I managed to talk my way
out of the situation and, needless to say, I didn’t see him again.”
Moreton is the managing director of Bombardier
Skyjet International, which provides private jets to the rich and
famous, including Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton and golfer Colin
Montgomery. She has a staff of 40 and the company, which does not disclose
profits, is a subsidiary of private jet manufacturer Bombardier.
Moreton has offices in London, the Middle East and Far East and travels, to
visit clients and promote the business, an incredible 50 per cent of her
working life. Although she does sometimes sample her own private jets, most
of her travel is by commercial aircraft.
Did that incident make you scared of travelling on your own?
No. I just get on with it and I’m not a big fan of, for example, ‘women only’
floors on hotels or things like that. Most people treat me with friendliness
and respect. To be honest, I think I have an advantage being a woman because
most of the leading people in aviation are men. I’m tall and blonde and
people are surprised by that, so it gets me an ‘in’ when I want to make a
contact and talk about business.
Do you often get the red carpet treatment abroad?
I was once in Pakistan when it was my birthday. An elephant in ceremonial
robes turned up at my hotel and took me for a ride around the area.
What about other mishaps abroad?
I was in Singapore and fell down some stairs leaving Raffles. I wasn’t drunk,
but I wasn’t totally sober. I broke my right elbow and chipped some bones.
It was very painful but I decided not to go to hospital and have it put in
plaster because I had to go to Hong Kong a few days later for the launch of
one of our partnership deals. I spent the day trying to protect my arm and
not shake hands with people, but at least it looked good on the photos! It
wouldn’t have looked good with a plaster on my arm.
So you’d rather be in agony with a broken elbow than wear a plaster?
Ha, that’s one way of looking at it, I suppose. But I did go and get if fixed
pretty soon after the presentation.
