Gillies joined the BAA Airport Rescue & Firefighting Service at Edinburgh Airport in 1988 where he went on to become the Chief Fire Officer at Glasgow Airport in 1998. He also spent 9 years as a retained fire officer in Lothian & Borders Fire Brigade before it became part of Scottish Fire & Rescue Service. When the Civil Contingencies Act was introduced in 2005, Gillies took over the new role of Head of Assurance and latterly as group Assurance Director for AGS Airports Limited. He has a wealth of experience in managing crisis situations, most notably as the crisis team leader during the Glasow Airport terrorist attack in 2007.

He is one of the founding directors of IAFPA and still serves as Vice Chair and also chairs the World Aviation Fire Chief’s Meetings. He also chaired the West of Scotland Regional Resilience Partnership Transport Group meeting for over 12 years where he gained support from the Strategic Commanders for his concern around lithium-ion battery issues which he still champions.

He has a master’s degree in Risk, Crisis & Disaster Management from the University of Leicester and is currently an external examiner on the Risk and Managing Health Safety & Hygiene courses for Glasgow Caledonian University. He is also a guest lecturer for the Senior Airport Fire Officer Course for the Singapore Aviation Academy.

After 36 years in the aviation industry, he decided to retire in 2024 and set up a consultancy service and is currently managing Director of Resilire Assure Ltd. offering consultancy services on all aspects of Airports, Fire, Risk Management, Business Continuity and Integrated Management Systems.