2019 Influential Businesswoman Awards

34 Acquisition International - 2019 Influential Businesswoman Awards “At the time there was no employment in this field, and as such the only solution available to utilize my specialized training and hospital experience now was to start a company. I have remained President and CEO since the company was founded...” Best Female Healthcare Business Leader – Canada & Most Outstanding in Medical Flight Case Management 2019: Angels Of Flight Canada Inc. Under the stewardship of Registered Nurse Gail Courneyea, Angels of Flight Canada Inc. has risen over the years to become a Global Medical Solutions healthcare based company specialized in the movement of ill and injured persons both in Canada and around the world. As she celebrates her win of not one but two awards in this year’s Influential Businesswoman Awards Gail talks to us about her work and how far her business has come since it first began. aving been established in 1988 Angels Of Flight Canada has been offering its award-winning in-flight medical care services for more than three decades. Gail explores how far the company has come since she first created it in response to the air ambulance and airline need for professional, specialized air medical services. “In 1988, I founded Angels Of Flight Canada in response to a need in the medical flight environment for Registered Nurses specifically trained in aeromedical care. The flight environment has many challenges not only for an ill person but for the medical staff on board who has limited space and equipment. Prior to founding the company, I worked in a hospital Intensive Care Unit that moved many critical patients to tertiary centres. “As a staff Registered Nurse, when a medical flight was necessary, we had to provide care in both the fixed wing and helicopter air ambulances. This inspired me to seek my own education and training in this field from 1986 - 1988 - completed a college aeromedical care program and achieved a private pilot’s license as a start tomy commitment to improving patient care and outcomes in this challenging field of healthcare. “At the time there was no employment in this field, and as such the only solution available to utilize my specialized training and hospital experience now was to start a company. I have remained President and CEO since the company was founded. Drawing on the many years I spent doing flights as a nurse, developing and providing flight nursing, aviation safety for medical crews, we are able to offer these services to a wide range of patients and their families from around the world.” Discussing how far the medical flight space has come since she first started Angels Of Flight Canada, Gail highlights how the industry has diversified and welcomed even more women into its ranks, although she is keen to also showcase how much further it still has to go. H “Much has been learned over the past 30 years about how personalized professional care is an absolute must for someone whose health has been compromised in order to avoid unwanted complications during flight, and this has helped my company to flourish. Our firm’s cliental are private individuals, hospitals, businesses, aviation industry, physicians and government agencies and consulates around the world. “Whilst Angels Of Flight Canada has thrived with prominently female employees, women are still outnumbered in the profession, but they are improving in statistics. The aviation and air ambulance industry are male dominated with aircraft ownership and flight crews, but we do see more female pilots now. Moving forward I would like to see the industry diversify further and offer more opportunities to a wider variety of qualified applicants. It would be great to see easier access to expansion and development finances for women business leaders across the market, as this would help them to enter the space more easily.”