Trailblazing the travel industry
Meiava caught up with Caroline Moultrie about her career journey in the Travel and Tourism industry, being a Generation X working woman today, and her views on work life integration.
Caroline Moultrie is a Managing Director with Hills Balfour, which is part of MMGY Global, a leading integrated marketing company specializing in the travel, tourism, and hospitality industry and on a mission to ‘inspire people to go places’.
Reflecting on her first-year anniversary with the agency, Caroline elated at just how the stars aligned and that she knew as soon as she walked in that she belonged there.
“For me, the culture of an organization is everything and was the number one factor in me choosing my next role. I see this in many ways as the personality of an organization, how a company displays itself both internally and externally, the values it believes in and the morals it holds, so genuinely, I chose the role because of the people at Hills Balfour, explains Caroline. “To feel valued as a woman and working mother surrounded by incredibly talented and passionate team members, all of whom are so different, diverse and brilliant, made the decision to move roles incredibly easy. It was like all my years of experience Travel & Tourism combined with my life stage and knowing what I didn’t want in a role as much as what I did want, all came together when I joined Hills Balfour.”
Career journey
Meiava: How did you find your way into this industry?
Caroline: I have always believed in saying “yes” – by that I mean having a positive attitude and being someone that my peers and seniors saw as a ‘doer, as well as a thinker’ - to raise and put my hand to new experience and opportunities whenever I could. My mantra in life is “jump and the net will catch you” which may explain why I am fearless to try new things and ideas – even though I may not know all the answers.
I started in the Travel and Tourism industry with a business degree working for Virgin Atlantic Airways here in the United Kingdom. My very first role fresh out of University was with Virgin Atlantic; with one eye on the optics of a long term resume including such a renowned brand, it set the stage for understanding the ‘business of travel’.
“Jump and the net will catch you!”
After just a few months, I was invited to join Virgin’s management program putting to test my Business degree and learning the ropes in Sales and Marketing as well as the value of ‘culture’ in an organization. They have a phrase in Virgin when they recruited anyone called ‘Virgin flair’, if you didn’t have it, you weren’t appointed! It’s difficult to pinpoint what it really means but what I quickly learned was that culture and attitude is the lifeblood of a brand and I became an ambassador from the moment I stepped foot into the building . From there I expanded my experience and moved to a Tour Operator within Monarch Group called Cosmos Holidays where I was headhunted to join the Manchester Airports Group, looking after just one airport at first in terms of their Sales and Marketing, and by the time I left, I was Group Marketing and Aviation Director, managing the relationships and negotiations with all airlines across the portfolio of airports in the Group. After almost a decade there, my experience then spanned across communications, marketing, website development, commercial , route development and aviation.
My focus then shifted to a more Global role, operating out of London for the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) where I joined as Executive Vice President. It was a big leap of faith at the time but given its role is to advocate to governments about the economic value of Travel & Tourism with one voice, I was excited that it would expand my outlook to a global issues level and at the same time, build my private and public senior network as WTTC is a global forum that brings together over 180 global CEOs in the Travel & Tourism industry. During my 7-year tenure, I was proud to have elevated awareness of the importance of the Travel & Tourism industry with governments around the world and drove the highest levels of membership engagement. But, I was craving the responsibility of running a P&L which is when I moved to where I am now.
Meiava: What is it like being a working woman in your generation within this industry?
Caroline: In terms of the Travel and Tourism industry, it does actually over index as a significant employer of women. Like other industries, however, the percentage of women in leadership roles is not where it should be; but it is slowly changing. For example, it was difficult to find the women to be on stage when we are developing our WTTC Global Summits, despite this being one of my own personal performance goals. My view is more need to be done and we all have a role in this, making no apology for being at the table, and shining a light on other women who aspire to climb the ladder.
Grit and perseverance
Meiava: Psychologist Angela Duckworth found that talent does not equal success. She indicates that it takes grit which is a combination of passion for a goal and the perseverance to achieve it. Do you agree? How might this relate to you, and is there an example you can share?
Caroline: I agree wholeheartedly with this view and think that to succeed you need to set yourself clear and simple goals whilst at the same time, have the passion and perseverance to make it real. In addition to this, I would add a few more verbs, that of practice, preparation and planning. Having grown up in a farming family, I learnt the value of hard work. My mother also owned a riding school which is why I fell in love with horse riding from a very early age. As a child I would practice and practice repeatedly to improve my riding skills and I was rewarded with the opportunity to represent England as part of the under 18-year-old team and later to become a civilian horse rider for the British Cavalry. To this day I am a firm believer that nobody becomes excellent without practice and perseverance.
Looking ahead at goals
Meiava: Speaking about goals, can you tell us about a goal that you have set for yourself? So, within the next year, what do you hope to achieve?
Caroline: When I think of my goals now and for the next five years, it is more a picture of how I see my life ahead. Now in my mid-forties, this decade for me (so far) has been one of realization that life is really short and getting the balance right is critically important.
In my 30’s it was all about driving my career, working all hours to position myself as an ambitious and thoughtful leader. As I now enter this phase, I have a lot more goals around down time, making sure I have breaks and establishing a structure to home life and work life and sticking to those self-inflicted rules religiously. My goals now combine with those of my husband and children and what brings us happiness and to strive for the high ideals. To treat others kindly, to accept who they are and to be gentle with ourselves.
Being a Generation X Working Woman
Meiava: What is a major challenge that your Generation faces today?
Caroline: We tend to push and keep pushing ourselves thinking that we are invincible. Yet, it takes an intervention such (in my case) the death of a loved one or a physical level of exhaustion that makes you pause and reassess and figure out what it is that YOU want out of life.
I have learned that being present is critical, seeing and really listening to what is going on around you is ever more important.
There is one poem that has such a profound effect on me each time I read it, and it is called "Desiderata" (Latin: "things desired") by Max Ehrmann. It reminds us to have faith in ourselves and to develop trust in the way things unfold, it talks about being “gentle with yourself” and “be cheerful”—no matter what life throws your way.
Meiava: In what way, if any, is this challenge more pronounced for women?
Caroline: Being a Generation X working women, I think that we are always under pressure to prove ourselves. We are a generation of women who are always on the go, getting things done, and miraculously managing everything. For me, becoming a mother of two has been a powerful gift. It teaches me every day to be more confident in my own skin and believe in who I am. They are my world and my central force of gravity, everything I do is now for them and I find I am stronger and more whole as a business woman because of them.
Meiava: What might be practical solutions to address this challenge?
Caroline: It might some cliché but is about finding the work and life “balance” that works for you. This changes over time and is different for every woman. What I have learnt is that you also need to pause more to enjoy the moment of today, and not race to always be thinking what is next.
I feel that also as a leader, we need to set some principals that can be mirrored throughout the organization. Family first is my motto, and it is my job as MD to recognize the triggers for everyone in the organization, as the solutions for my colleagues in their 20’s will be different for colleagues in their 30’s and then in their 40’s and 50’s.
Meiava: What advice would you share with working women of your Generation?
“We all have super powers, we just need to figure out what they are.”
Caroline: For me, my 40’s have been my favorite chapter so far. There are three things I would share. First, to be your authentic self – and if you do not know what this is yet, spend some time really drilling down into what make you happy and do more of it. I sleep at peace at night knowing that I am genuine to myself and in my interactions with people. Secondly, know that it is ok to be vulnerable and do not be ashamed to show it. We are all human and do not know it all. And thirdly, having emotional intelligence is critical, for now and the future and women are naturally strong at this ; The ability to recognize one's own and other people's emotions, to guide your thinking and behaviour is going to be a super power of the future.
Defining moments
Meiava: What has been a pivotal moment in your career or life? What impact did this have on who you are today?
Photo source: Caroline Moultrie
Caroline: It is a difficult question to answer as there have been so many influences and influencers in my career. On the one hand, the incredible mentors I have in my life have shaped and guided my through some of the watershed moments in my career. However the most defining chapter for me was meeting my husband and having our children. Before which I felt I didn’t have time to have a family of my own, my career was too fast moving – but the irony is that when I combined all three things it gave me the most balance I have ever felt in my life and as a result my career has gone from strength to strength.
In terms of that ‘moment’, it has to be when I met former U.S. President, Barak Obama last year. I had the enviable job of chaperoning him during a WTTC Global Summit in Seville, Spain. He was in person, everything I had hoped he would be, and what struck me was that he really ‘saw’ me, and everyone he met. I also trod on his toe as I rushed excitedly to greet him and whilst apologizing, the photographer snapped a very casual and once in a lifetime photograph of us with me apologizing and chatting like we were old friends.
Having it all
Meiava: What is your view on career and life - Can you have it all?
Caroline: I do think it is possible, however not without some basic principals in place. Firstly, hard work pays, saying yes within reason and having the right attitude to taking on more in your 20’s and 30’s will catapult you up the career ladder very quickly. Being flexible and positive all the time is the secret.
Second, when the time feels right and not being bound to traditions, take time to find a role that suits you and at the same time, make sure your home life is fulfilled and gives you that balance.
If you are inclined to have a family, build a support network both with your partner and the people around you. For us we have no family close-by, but we found help and friends locally to help create an environment full of love and nurturing for our children to thrive.
What I would say is, as in every walk of life, it’s all about balance, making sure the important things in life are done in some sort of equal measure and make sure you have some ‘you’ time, whatever that looks like.
Reflections of 2020
Meiava: When you reflect on the global events this year, what has it highlighted to you as a working woman?
Caroline: As a female leader in the Travel and Tourism industry, which has been hugely impacted by COVID-19, I have learnt that you can find opportunity through adversity. The Travel & Tourism industry has shrunk significantly being uniquely exposed and severely impacted with the lockdowns and travel restrictions. However, in the words of Rahm Emanuel ‘never let a good crisis go to waste’, I am a firm believer that we can build back better and focus on the aspects of life that are important.
Many businesses are going back to basics to focus on their core, while strengthening debt positions, and doing what they can to sustain a strong workforce in time for the uptick. But out of this crisis has come opportunity and for us a team, it has forced us to think differently and pivot as a company to becoming real thought leaders in the communications space. One of the things we did in June this year was to launch the #TogetherInTravel campaign which was an ideal borne out of the desire to mobilise a global community at a time when our sector (Travel) needed it most. It was a simple idea with a strong message “travel is a force for good, it builds communities, breaks down barriers and has the potential to create a better world for the future.” The results were remarkable; the campaign went viral in the first week with 51 million people engaging across 160 countries and goes to show, the power of getting out a perfectly timed message at exactly the right time.
Communication is absolutely key. Those long-term relationships, deep rooted in a culture of putting the customer and colleagues at the heart of what we do consistently and proactively, has been invaluable. Having a ‘grip’ on the business, costs and revenue is critical but not being too short term focused. And finally, being able to pivot and be brave to try new things will lead to greater and more meaningful conversations in the future.