Recreational Aviation Australia (RAAus) has confirmed the reappointment of Michael Linke as Chief Executive Officer, following Maxine Milera's decision to step down from the role.
RAAus Chair Jim Tatlock told Australian Flying that Milera's departure from the CEO position was voluntary, made with the full support of the Board. She will remain with RAAus in a different capacity, continuing with duties she had carried into the CEO role that can now be separated out, including budget management, among other areas the Board sees her skills continuing to support.
"Her passion for recreational aviation and commitment to the organisation have been instrumental in supporting both RAAus and its members," the Board said in its statement, thanking Milera for her leadership over the past few years and her broader twenty year contribution to the organisation.
Linke previously served as RAAus CEO for six years before resigning in 2020, a departure then-president Michael Monck described at the time as bittersweet, praising Linke's role in professionalising the organisation and steering it toward Part 149 Approved Self-administering Aviation Organisation (ASAO) status. Linke was succeeded by Matt Bouttell later that year.
Asked what would be different this time around, given the organisation's statement was emphatic that the reappointment was not "a return to the past," Tatlock said RAAus had restructured internally since Linke's first tenure, with the CEO role no longer holding the position of authorised aviation person under CASA delegation. That change means Linke's focus will now sit exclusively on the business side of the organisation, improving member services, growing membership, and progressing expansion projects including MOSAIC.
The Board confirmed it did not run a market recruitment process for the appointment, with Linke the only candidate considered. Tatlock said the Board began exploring recruitment options once Milera indicated her intention to change roles, and became aware Linke was available. "He was asked if he would consider returning and enthusiastically advised he would love to return," Tatlock said. "We consider ourselves privileged to have him back. He did a fantastic job in his last term as CEO."
The Board said its immediate priorities are addressing challenges facing the aviation sector, strengthening membership, and improving RAAus's long-term financial sustainability, and that Linke's demonstrated performance and familiarity with the organisation made him best placed to lead without an extended transition period.