Social enterprise Women in Travel (CIC) is producing a series of podcasts to showcase and grow senior BAME talent in the travel industry.
The Breakthrough to Excellence podcast series, which starts this week, is being launched to celebrate Black History Month.
The podcasts will highlight current exceptional female talent from a BAME background in the industry.
During the month the women will share their experiences and advice for the next generation of BAME talent.
The line-up for this month includes Ola Fadipe, head of recruitment, Google EMEA; Patrice Mantey, head of joint ventures and commercial planning at Virgin Atlantic; Mo Talukder, sales director, Geo Tourist; Dee Gibson, hotelier and interior designer; Farina Azam, partner and travel lead, Kemp Little; and Laverne Walker, managing director, Sackville Travel.
Executive director Jamie-Lee Abtar said: “BAME men and women are still under represented in the UK travel industry, and often young BAME talent overlooks the travel industry as they don’t see many who ‘look like them’ in positions of authority.
“This podcast series aims to address that. In a similar vein, we are calling on other BAME senior role models to get in touch and volunteer to become mentors. Help the next generation to see what they can be and can achieve.”
The podcast series is hosted on multiple platforms including Spotify, SoundCloud and Apple Podcasts. Anyone interested can register for details of the podcasts, while an introductory episode is already available.
Women In Travel’s Abtar is also hosting a panel at the Abta Virtual Travel Convention on October 14 on workforces of the future and how employers can tackle issues such as inequality and discrimination.
Women in Travel will also be creating a list of 25 BAME Female Highfliers in conjunction with World Travel Market to showcase BAME talent.