The Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) has shared its stellar lineup of esteemed industry panellists for its first Women in Travel Summit, taking place at Swissôtel Sydney on Monday 13 March 2023 thanks to Major Sponsor Air New Zealand.
The AFTA Women in Travel Summit will feature two sessions with a focus on workplace and practical learnings to drive change in the sector.
Session 1 will explore how the industry can best support women in the workplace with breakout sessions among delegates to follow a panel discussion.
The three panellists are Lyn Wells, American Express Global Business Travel Consultant and winner of Most Outstanding Travel Consultant – Corporate at the 2022 NTIAs; Norwegian Cruise Line Senior Manager Sales ANZ Angela Middleton; and News Corp Editorial Director – Premium Food, Travel and Health Kerrie McCallum.
Session 2 will discuss career opportunities, challenges, solutions and inspiration with panellists Travellers Choice General Manager – Sales Nicola Strudwick, Air New Zealand General Manager Australia Kathryn O’Brien and Abbé Lunn, Intrepid Travel Key Partnerships Manager.
Express Travel Group Head of People and Process Alisha Dopper will be the MC, while Travel Agent Achievers Founder, NTIA Finalist and itravel Mobile Travel Professional Roslyn Ranse will act as a moderator for both panels.
EQ Minds Founder Chelsea Pottenger will be the keynote speaker for the inaugural one-day event.
Steering change in the travel industry
The panel discussion takeaways and attendee insights into how the industry supports women and the areas for improvement will help inform an inaugural Workforce Report, AFTA CEO Dean Long said.
“Why do so many women choose to work in travel? This is the question ATAS-accredited businesses and other suppliers will answer at the Women in Travel Summit,” Mr Long said.
“Businesses have known for a long time that inclusive workplaces deliver better results and this is backed by research data.
“What attendees and our panellists will unpack are the areas where travel gets it right as well as the areas we can all work together to drive improvement and inform our very first Workforce Report.
“This report will detail key industry-wide initiatives, identify opportunities for improvement and set ambitious targets for the sector to aspire to.
“AFTA is proud to continue celebrating everyone who makes our industry a great place to work and how we can make it even better for all,” he said.
For more info and to buy tickets, visit afta.com.au/events/women-in-travel-summit
