Link Travel Group’s inaugural network conference, Link Live, brought together 180 delegates for three days of conversation, connection and future-focused thinking in Brisbane. Among the standout themes was a clear investment in people, particularly mentoring and the next generation of travel leaders. Karryon’s Matt Leedham reports.
Sitting down with 26-year-old Eden Corporate Travel consultant, Jack Want, and his mentor, Dave Goldman, Co-Managing Director of Goldman Travel with three decades of experience, it soon becomes clear that this is far more than a mentoring success story. It is a glimpse into the type of leadership the travel industry needs next.
The pair had been brought together via a TIME (Travel Industry Mentor Experience) scholarship earlier this year. After a lengthy internal selection process, Link Travel Group had chosen Jack to be their preferred candidate to take advantage of the revered not-for-profit program now in its 16th year.
Jack’s path into the TIME program initially began at home in Sydney via his family business, Eden Corporate Travel.
“TIME came to me through my dad,” Jack says. “Scott Darlow (GM, Link Travel Group) had gone to my dad, mentioning there was a mentorship program, and he asked me if I wanted to put my name in the hat. I just said I’d give it a go and see what happened. I had never heard of TIME before that either.”
A few months later, Scott took Jack out to lunch and told him he had earned a scholarship and that his mentor would be Dave Goldman. Jack had never met him, but he had already heard plenty of good things.
“I’d heard things about Dave… only good things, and still only good things,” he says with a grin.
A pairing that hit the mark
Established in 2009, The TIME program has become one of the industry’s most respected development pathways, designed to elevate emerging leaders by pairing them with senior operators. The program is known for its thoughtful mentor–mentee matching, but Jack admitted he wasn’t fully convinced at first.
“At my first meeting, everyone talked about the pairing process and how well they did it,” Jack says. “I was a bit sceptical, but they did an amazing job. Having someone like Dave in my corner who had been through something similar, and being able to talk through things that not everyone is going to understand, was really invaluable.”
For Dave, mentoring for the first time was as rewarding as it was revealing.
“For me, it was such a gift to be able to give back,” he says. “I obviously knew about Jack, and it was almost like seeing myself 30 years ago. It was wonderful to impart any knowledge or skills I had.”
Their sessions started with structure but gradually became more open.
“In the beginning I was doing the agendas,” Dave says. “Then Penny (Spencer) said, ‘No, Jack has to do the agenda.’ Over time everything became more transparent. We talked about everything. I watched his confidence grow and the way he articulated himself shift over the six months. It was extraordinary.”
From introvert to industry participant
Jack entered TIME, working mainly in domestic consulting and technology at Eden Corporate Travel. Although he says he is naturally more introverted, he now carries himself with confidence and clarity that far surpass his years. He says he exuded confidence by the end of the program, a far cry from the version of himself who had begun it only months earlier.
“Dave pushed me to go into different areas and to go to Dad and ask to do more,” Jack says. “By the end, I was doing a lot more international travel, dealing with events, and stepping into things I hadn’t done before.”
He also started showing up in the wider industry.
“I probably wouldn’t have even been at Link Live,” he says. “Before TIME, I didn’t have the confidence to go to these events. I was naturally introverted, and it terrified me. But by the end, it was simply about meeting a whole bunch of new people. From where I started to where I finished… they are two very different people.”
One of the major turning points came when Jack took ownership of a significant RFP.
“Dad came to me with an RFP and the first thing I thought was, ‘I have to go to Dave,’” Jack said. “To have a second opinion, someone outside the family, gave me so much confidence.”
His dad gave him full licence to rebuild an outdated document.
“He just said, ‘Go in, do what you need to do and show me at the end,’” Jack said. “He did a few tweaks, but sending it out knowing it was my work was incredibly rewarding. Six months earlier, I wouldn’t have thought about doing it.”
Energised by Link Live and what comes next
Sitting at Link Live, alongside 180 fellow travel professionals, Jack said he had been energised by what he had seen. Mentorship sat at the heart of the room, something fostered by Penny Spencer (TIME Co-founder and Chair; Managing Director, Spencer Travel Holdings and Link Travel Group Director and Co-founder) and now deeply woven into Link’s culture.
“With Link Travel Group, it is about bringing the best together,” says Jack. “There is so much change going on in travel. What excites me is that we will all navigate that together. Travel is not going anywhere. It is going to evolve. Change is exciting. It is scary, but it is exciting.”
Dave shared that optimism and believes Jack represents exactly the kind of leader corporate travel needs more of.
“It is so exciting to see the next generation coming through,” Dave says. “We need a lot more of that. Jack could be a wonderful ambassador for the next generation, certainly in corporate travel. Corporate isn’t dry anymore. It is incredibly relationship-driven.”
Why mentoring matters more than ever
With AI reshaping traditional junior pathways into the industry, both men believe mentoring has become more critical than ever.
“When you are born and bred in a family business, there is a responsibility to carry it forward,” Dave said. “That passion is rare, and mentoring helps refine it.”
Jack agrees.
“If you are content where you are, there is no point doing TIME,” he said. “But if you want something more out of your career or yourself, it pushes you. It was invaluable.”
His final message to his peers is simple.
“I didn’t even think about getting a mentor until Dad and I sat down and had a conversation about it,” he says. “I just think it is good for anyone at any stage of their career. You could be two or three years in and not sure where you want to be, or fifteen or twenty years in and wanting to make the next step. A mentor can help guide you to where you want to be.”
Dave reflects on the experience with quiet pride.
“I wished I had something like TIME 30 years ago. I was proud of what Jack achieved, and I was even more excited about what the next six months would bring.”
And after talking to them both, so was I.
For more information on the TIME Program, click here.
Karryon has also recently launched the Next Gen Network, an initiative designed to connect, empower, and learn from the next wave of Australian travel professionals. The inaugural group brings together a diverse mix of emerging leaders from the cruise, tourism, airline, and retail industries to ensure the industry’s future remains bright, collaborative, and forward-thinking. Read all about it here.
