I had a passion and followed it!
My career path has been fairly linear, I have always had a desire for travel since an America exchange trip at school where I ended up in Memphis, this really ignited my passion. From then I pursued studies in Travel at College and University. As a post grad fresh out of university, my first role was in sales for Virgin Holidays. Which has led me to subsequent roles in business travel as an account manager and as a commercial executive for a luxury Caribbean hotel chain and an adventure travel company. I really did start at the bottom and work my way up and this meant grasping various aspects of the travel industry which has given me a very rounded experience and been extremely useful in my career.
Developing Fare Products that are fit for the future
Within my role I look after the product we offer our leisure partners, this means tour operators, travel agents and cruise liners, as well as looking after the provision of personal leisure travel for businesses.
My role sits within the Revenue Management directorate, so one of the key aspects of the role is to ensure that the product we have in the market is not only commercially viable but also aligned to market need.
In the coming months my role is evolving and shortly I will be looking after public leisure products and how we can transform them into revolutionary bundles.
Supporting revolutionary initiatives
There really is no business-as-usual work in this role. It is fast paced and constantly evolving. It is a transformational role where we look to create product to support future initiatives and improve our offer order management provisions. We are supporting the revolutionary initiatives such as Nexus and the new Revenue Management system, ensuring we have products that are fit for the future.
I love working with an array of people, as we work cross departmentally and at different seniority levels, it means meeting new people and learning new things about the business. It is also very inspiring to see that the work I do really does have an impact on the business and it feels gratifying to seeing your efforts put into action.
British Airways’ encourage colleagues to get involved in networks and projects outside of their day to day role, and something I have been really enjoying is supporting our D,E& I revenue management plan on how we can become a more inclusive department.
Do a job you love and you will never work a day in your life!
Let your personality shine - This is what will stand out to a potential employer. Other applicants may have just as much experience as you, but what they don’t have is your unique personality, so really bring that into your interview process.
Do not let the job description scare you - it is ok to not tick all the boxes. Job descriptions are full of jargon and can be confusing to an outsider, do not let this put you off, if it is a role you think you are a match for, you are probably more than capable to perform in the role, and companies are likely to offer training to get you up to speed on the aspects you don’t yet have experience in.
Don’t just be interviewed, do the interviewing – The potential employer want to ensure they are finding the right candidate, but you also need to be sure you are finding the right employer, don’t be afraid to ask questions and challenge the working environment. You spend most of your life at work, you need to be sure you are finding an environment that aligns with you personally. Be honest with yourself and the interviewer.
A mantra of mine is to do a job you love. “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs
Having a positive work/life balance
The biggest personal achievement I am most proud are my wonderful children. I am extremely proud that I have been able to be a Mum to a toddler and a preschooler alongside a successful career. British Airways have given me the support and flexibility to enable this with their Hybrid working and flexible hours, with their understanding that getting female talent means making these adjustments in order not limit their workforce, I am able to live my dream of working for this great airline.
Professionally in my role, my biggest achievement so far has been implementing a new strategy for Leisure Private Products. I have been able to see the positive impact that this has had on the business, and how simplification of product allows not only internal colleagues to better interpret our product but also our external partners.
