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Icons of Change International Awards 2025

Laura Benger
Chief Executive Officer, Maroomba Airlines
Non-Executive Chair, Miners’ Promise
Non-Executive Director, SensesWA
Former Senior Executive, BHP, Gelflex, Black Swan Health, Fertility North
Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt | Prosci Change Practitioner | GAICD | Executive Leadership Program, Saïd Business School (Oxford)

SDG Focus: Sustainable Development Goal 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth
Changemaker for Strategic Leadership and Responsible Corporate Transformation (Australia)

Laura Benger is an accomplished chief executive, governance leader, and transformation strategist whose cross-sector career—spanning aviation, healthcare, manufacturing, resources, and the nonprofit sector—continues to set the pace for responsible, future-fit organisational performance in Australia. Her leadership anchors capability building, workforce empowerment, and disciplined operational systems that unlock sustainable growth across complex, safety-critical environments.
As Chief Executive Officer of Maroomba Airlines, one of Australia’s most trusted charter aviation providers, Laura has activated a modernisation agenda that positions people development, safety culture, and organisational maturity as core growth levers. Under her stewardship, Maroomba has rolled out enterprise-wide training and mentoring programs that elevate technical proficiency, strengthen pilot leadership pathways, and deepen a shared culture of accountability. These initiatives propelled the airline to finalist recognition in the 2025 Australian Aviation Awards—reflecting a strategic, people-first operating model that fuels long-term productivity and operational resilience.

Her leadership directly supports the intent of SDG 8 by strengthening high-quality employment, competency development, and safe working environments across regional Australia. Maroomba’s charter operations serve remote mining communities, government agencies, community services, and corporate partners, ensuring safe, reliable, and workforce-ready aviation support in some of the country’s most challenging terrains. Laura’s operational discipline and calibrated risk management translate into business continuity, economic activity, and service access for industries that underpin Australia’s growth.

Beyond aviation, Laura influences national progress through her governance leadership. As Non-Executive Chair of Miners’ Promise, she steers an organisation delivering trauma-informed support to families experiencing mining-related fatalities and life-altering events. Her governance oversight strengthens organisational resilience, long-term program sustainability, and a model of care that aligns with safe and decent work principles.

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Transcript
00:00Hello, my name's Laura Benja, CEO of Maroomba Airlines, Chair of Miners Promise and Non-Executive
00:07Director for Census WA. Thank you so much. I'm truly honoured to receive this Icons of Change
00:13Award. Throughout my career, whether in aviation, the resources sector, or through the community
00:20organisations that I'm privileged to serve, one truth has always guided me. Leadership is service.
00:27It's the responsibility to lift others, to create opportunity, and to build systems that
00:33allow people and communities not only to function, but to thrive. The United Nations Sustainable
00:40Development Goals, especially SDG 8, Decent Work and Economic Growth, remind us that progress is not
00:48accidental. It's built through strong governance, ethical decision making, and a commitment to equity
00:55and dignity for all people. That philosophy shapes my work every day.
01:02It's reflected in the purpose of Miners Promise, where we stand beside resource sector families in
01:07their most difficult moments. It lives in Census WA, where inclusion and support change the trajectory
01:15of people's lives. And it's carried every day through every organisation that I'm honoured to
01:20influence, where we focus on strengthening culture, community, accountability, resilience, and team
01:27wellbeing. These organisations and the extraordinary people within them have taught me that real change
01:34happens when leaders choose courage over comfort, transparency over convenience, and community over
01:40self-interest. This award is a reflection of them and their work as much as mine. And I'm surrounded by
01:48teams, volunteers, board members and partners who show integrity, compassion, and collective leadership
01:55and what that truly looks like. To the Icons of Change Committee, thank you so much for recognising the
02:02importance of values-driven leadership. And to every leader listening, and every future leader, keep
02:07choosing to build the kind of world that the UN reminds us is possible. One grounded in dignity, opportunity,
02:14and hope for everyone. Thank you.
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