Oriens Aviation CEO: Never forget to debrief

Edwin Brenninkmeyer started flying at the age of 14 and gained his private flying licence aged 17. He joined his family business to start with, which took him into the world of retail, venture capital and then consultancy. But his passion for flying eventually drew him to the world of commercial aviation.

He saw an opportunity to form a company in 2015 that would work with the original equipment manufacturer Pilatus to sell their private jet planes in the UK. This became Oriens Aviation, which now employs over 50 people. It also charters and manages planes for clients.

In 2018, he acquired another business so that Oriens could also undertake aircraft maintenance work. His company is based at Biggin Hill airport in south London. The secret that Brenninkmeyer wants to share is that pilots and entrepreneurs have a lot in common.

“Both have to be optimistic people by nature,” says Brenninkmeyer, “it comes with the territory.” In the case of entrepreneurs, they are looking to find new opportunities in the market. But pilots temper that optimism with very strong discipline, adds Brenninkmeyer, which is something the business world can learn from.

In the aviation industry, you “plan, brief, execute (procedurally, based on industry experience) and then you debrief.”

Entrepreneurs sometimes struggle with structure, Brenninkmeyer believes, so can learn from pilots, who “love operating in a structured environment” – this is where they are different.

He advises that it's useful for entrepreneurs to join programmes and initiatives that will give you those “structural tools” for business, since there is “no point reinventing the wheel”.

The other great lesson from aviation for business, according to Brenninkmeyer, is that “there’s no room for people who don’t have humility”. This goes back to the need to debrief. There is a strong reporting culture in aviation because everyone is interested in making their common passion – flying – safer.

In business, you must never forget to debrief, he says, if you are committed to improving, for the benefit of yourself and everyone.