You are a young face in a 69-year-old company with more than 500 staff across China. Can we expect to see new, innovative and youthful vibes in this grand dame of a travel company?
I am a younger face but not youthful, having been in the industry for 20 years.

Having a new managing director doesn’t mean everything has to change. We maintain the core values of Swire Travel while looking at things from a different angle. For instance, we are looking into more technology adoption, greater automation, more vibrant workplaces and stronger team cohesiveness.

What do you foresee as being your biggest hurdle in taking the company further in the next decade?
There is a lot of talk about the next new things. For example, online booking tools, direct connectivity and new measures implemented by IATA, like bank guarantee and Personal Information Compliance for travel agents. These are key areas that everyone in the trade must address.

As a travel agency, we need to focus on adding value as well as the key things we must deliver as an intermediary.

Technology will be more sophisticated but also easier to use. Yet, that can never take away the human aspect of the business. While we are implementing many online (corporate travel) booking tools for SMEs, it is always nice (for the client to be able) to pick up the phone and have someone take care of their booking and complex itinerary, and to have someone look out for them as part of crisis management.

Many leaders in the business of travel have spoken up about the importance of grooming the next generation. What are your thoughts about this, and what are you doing yourself to ensure your company continues to draw and retain true talents?
I am savvy, coming from a very structured training programme, where I got to experience different departments in Cathay Pacific and Swire Travel. When I was with Swire Travel’s leisure department, I built the team and Iater moved on to corporate travel which provided me a good spectrum of knowledge across travel operations. That’s why we now have a Travel Executive Programme that recruits young university graduates who undergo a three-year programme rotating through various departments.

We also hand-pick potential staff and put them in continuous professional development. For examples, should someone want to go for language or finance classes, we would ensure they are on track in their training plan.

Every year, we go through the training needs of each staff, then match and identify strengths in order to unleash talent. We also provide opportunities to go abroad for conferences and fam tours, (where staff could pick up new knowledge such as) as financial technology.

What about improving the work environment and career opportunities for women in travel, women like yourself?
We do a lot of mentoring. I have many mentees myself whom I meet with for coffee and face-to-face discussions about what their (general) concerns. Many of them seek not only career advice but also personal ones.

I had a talk with a staff who joined us recently as account manager. I advised her to first know her style – how she portraits herself in this industry. Being a young woman you have to deliver yourself as being more professional and knowledgeable, which is something that is of no issue to the older generation.

I’m also part of WINIT, a global women’s travel organisation that promotes women’s career opportunity within the travel trade.

(Within the company) we are doing very well with at least 70 per cent of the management team being female. We keep improving the work environment for them, such as by providing space for stretching exercises during lunch time and after office hours as well as talks on medical issues. To encourage work-life balance, lights go off at 20:30, but with (the option) to continue (working if they prefer). The system serves as a reminder for them to leave work.

What would you like to achieve in your first 12 months in this role?
I’ve got a lot to do. The first thing is to make sure staff are happy and are delivering on our core values. Secondly, I’m making sure technology is in place for all spectrums in the back and front offices for our corporate and leisure travel teams. Thirdly, we have created Chinese synergies and are now looking for new opportunities in the region by enhancing our China network. Guangzhou is our next hot spot, and we will follow (that by targeting) other secondary Chinese cities as well as other Asian countries.