As a passionate advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion, and member of the travel and tourism sector for my entire career, my raison d’etre is to redress the ongoing imbalances in our workforce and support individuals from marginalized communities–particularly women–into roles in our industry.
I’m based in London, and I’m MD and Founder of social enterprise Women in Travel CIC and our industry-leading International Women in Travel and Tourism Forum.
I started in travel and tourism almost by accident, as a trainee at the European Commission in Brussels, and I fell in love with the sector because it breaks down barriers, educates on inequalities, and fosters connections, respect and shared understanding of different cultures against the backdrop of the beauty and diversity of our natural world. Women can and should be at the forefront of the industry, because of our innate gift for hospitality.
Having started as a trainee at the European Commission, I progressed in the industry and secured senior roles in companies including the World Travel & Tourism Council and KPMG. I loved my jobs, but I looked around the boardroom and didn’t see any, or enough, women in senior roles in the industry.
So in 2005, I co-founded gender focussed consulting company Shine and the Shine Awards for Women’s Achievement in Travel, Tourism and Hospitality, which was later taken over by the sector skills council.
I went on to found Women in Travel CIC, a social enterprise now in its sixth year. We’re dedicated to empowering all women – but especially marginalized, vulnerable, and underrepresented women – to fulfill their economic and individual potential. We connect underserved, diverse talent to employment and enterprising opportunities. The balance is shifting in the industry, but there is still more to do, and we believe that empowered women thrive and in turn, foster thriving communities.
There are lots of incredible people of all genders in this industry, and every day I see kindness, innovation and creativity, resilience and strength around us. I do feel supported as a woman, and growing up in the sector I was lucky to have a mentor in the early stages of my career. And now, through my advisory board, I have strong advisers and mentors to support me.
However, there were times in my career – especially as a mid-level manager – when more advice would’ve been helpful, and this seems to be a widespread issue, and it’s the level at which we see a lot of women seeking our support or leaving the industry. So this is where we need to support each other, and why Women in Travel’s mentoring circles, IWTTF platform and male allyship programme can make a real difference. We’re giving women the confidence and training to embark on and progress in roles in travel and hospitality, and I love seeing them thrive.
Things have changed a lot across my 25-year career, and we have some incredible female leaders in the industry now. We saw it particularly during the pandemic – a handful of women became the voices of the industry, offering the leadership and clarity of voice that was so badly needed.
I also see empowerment at a much more grassroots level too, in powerful, life-changing ways. Many of the women that have come through our mentoring and training programmes have no prior experience, or belief or understanding of their own capabilities, but when we help to place them in roles, they outperform their peers due to their resilience and aptitude.
One woman, who we helped to fulfill her dream of flying, said, “Since joining the programme I feel reborn, you have given me the courage to be anything I want to be.” That’s true empowerment.
For those who want to do more: You can get involved in our programmes. For example, our male allyship programme is based on the premise that we all have a role to play in uplifting women. We pair an experienced industry man with a woman that is looking to progress in their career, and they share advice, experiences, challenges and knowledge.
Not only do the mentees benefit from the conversations, but it is also very enlightening for senior leaders who are often quite removed from the day-to-day experiences of female colleagues and staff, and they learn and reconnect through their mentees. We are also looking for employers with whom to place our work-ready women – with the ongoing shortage of talent in the industry, this is an alternative recruitment strategy and a win-win for all of us.
Women’s History Month is a valuable opportunity for us to reflect on where we are and where we have come from to see the progress that has been made, understand the context and see the possibilities ahead. But we are not there yet in terms of equality, and we need to embrace equity – as is the theme for IWD this year - every day, week and month. It is also not just about gender – it is about intersectionality in all its forms. We know that it is still going to take time to reach true equity, however we all have a role to play as allies, mentors, colleagues and global citizens to make society and this industry a better place for everyone.
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