Lee de Winton
Lee de Winton was appointed as the Chair of the Forum on Western Sydney Airport in 2020, post departure from Sydney Metro Airports.
Lee joined Sydney Metro Airports (Bankstown and Camden) as Chief Executive Officer in April 2017, taking on responsibility for a significant aviation and property portfolio that includes over 200,000 flights each year and a customer base of more than 100 companies.
Lee is an experienced business leader and manager. She brings an understanding of strategy and execution to all her roles, developed through experience in consulting, transformation and as a senior military officer.
With vast expertise as a strategic business leader in aviation safety, operations, airworthiness and emergency response management, Lee also brings with her demonstrated transformation experience and a deep understanding of the aviation industry from establishment to logistic sustainment.
After working as a senior military officer, Lee left the Air Force in April 2015 to take up the role of Head of Freight Operations at Qantas. Leading a team of Cargo Terminal Operations.
Whilst in the military, Lee served in Afghanistan, Iraq and Sudan in Management, Air Traffic Control and Aviation Safety related roles, leading not only an entire Base in Afghanistan but whilst in Iraq, commencement of the establishment of a new airspace and civilian aviation structure. Roles where strategic, multinational stakeholder engagement was essential to develop and implement significant changes and ensure correct change-management to embed the new strategies into each organisation.
In 2012, the then WGCDR de Winton was the winner of the Telstra Australian Business Woman of the Year (NSW Community and Government Category).
Lee is a graduate of Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds a Master of Arts (Strategy and Management) from UNSW.
Originally from St Andrews, Scotland, Lee professes to know how to hold a golf club but avoids it at all costs, preferring to nurture rather than disappoint her business associates.