From Operations to Innovation: Nurley's Journey at KLM

Twenty years at KLM—and Nurley is still as passionate as ever. What began as a job in Passenger Services has evolved into a versatile IT career. Today, she wears three hats: Scrum Master, IT Project Manager, and Product Manager. Her mission? To help shape KLM's future through automation and digitalization.

"I initially started at Passenger Services," Nurley shares. "Around 2006, we introduced self-service check-ins and electronic tickets. That was when I first truly became captivated by technology. While others were wary of change, I saw opportunities. And where colleagues feared for their jobs, I thought: how can I use this to my advantage? I believe that curiosity has ultimately taken me far."

Best of Both Worlds

The transition from operations to IT was smooth for Nurley. "Precisely because I know both sides, I can bridge the gap between business and technology. This combination is the most enjoyable thing there is." For Engineering & Maintenance (E&M), Nurley and her team are building a Customer Portal. "E&M maintains the aircraft for KLM as well as for external parties like Jetstar, Qantas, and Virgin Atlantic. In our portal, they can request invoices, schedule maintenance, and manage their administration. All of this has to be as seamless as possible."

Streamlining Processes

Nurley navigates daily between what is technically possible and what the business needs. She aims to devise efficient IT solutions for operations. A prime example is the SAP integration Nurley's team managed to build for customer support managers. Nurley delves into SAP and applies her acquired knowledge in practice: "Previously, many steps were manual. Now, a large part of the flow is automated—from the initial maintenance request to invoicing. This saves a lot of actions and reduces the chance of errors. We continuously strive to reduce manual work."

Nurley also plays a key role in larger migration projects. She recently led the transition to a modern SaaS environment. "We built a bridge between the old IT architecture and the new digital standards, enabling us to work more compliantly and efficiently." Many of the applications developed by Nurley's team run on the Salesforce platform. "We intentionally choose platforms that are both scalable and flexible," she explains. "This allows us to quickly respond to new business needs without reinventing the wheel each time."

Best Before

Lifecycle Management is also an important theme, both for aviation and Nurley's team. "We are developing tools to track and predict the entire lifecycle of aircraft components, from installation to replacement. This makes maintenance cheaper, more predictable, and more reliable. Huge gains—for KLM and our customers."

Team First

Nurley says firmly. "My job is to ensure they can work well and happily. I keep all the noise away from them." This protection is intentional, she explains. "In a complex organization with many stakeholders, people can be quite demanding and overbearing. Not on my watch. My developers don't need to talk to the business—they should focus on what they're good at: writing code. The rest? That's my responsibility."

Her human approach pays off. "I need people to get things done, and maintaining relationships is essential for that. For some reason, I'm good at it." This hasn't gone unnoticed. Nurley was recently nominated for the Blue Heart, an award given to employees who have made exceptional efforts for others. "An enormous honor!"

Aligning Directions

Change sometimes brings resistance. Understandably, the familiar is safe, and the new can be intimidating. How does Nurley handle this? "I always organize workshops when we implement a change. This way, I involve people in our decisions and listen to them: what are your needs? What challenges do you face?" She emphasizes that these workshops are not one-way streets. "I tailor them to the team or business unit and explain the impact on their daily work. This creates mutual understanding and trust, making it easier to get people on board."

Looking to the Future

Why is Nurley still so content at KLM after two decades? "Just driving to Schiphol in the morning and seeing those planes take off—that remains a magical feeling. Besides, I've been given so many opportunities here, making me feel very connected to the KLM family. Moreover, there's always room for improvement or innovation here. A lot is happening, and the pressure is high: we must keep pace with the times. That dynamism, speed, and stress? I enjoy it."

Nurley also looks further ahead:

And what does the future hold? "We'll see! I'm definitely not afraid of change. I'm mostly curious."