30 Under 30: Meet Karen Musgrave
Karen Musgrave tells Madeleine Barber everything she loves about her role as PR and communications manager at Barrhead Travel
Unlike many in the industry, Karen Musgrave hadn’t initially planned a career in travel. A childhood spent holidaying in nearby European destinations because her mother has a severe phobia of flying meant that, when the now 28-year-old accepted a role at Barrhead Travel six years ago, she hadn’t even left the continent.
“Travel wasn’t on the horizon for me and I hadn’t expected to fall into it,” she says, explaining that she studied English literature and Spanish at university and previously worked at a jeweller. “I came into the industry not knowing much, but now I can’t imagine not being a part of it.”
Musgrave’s career progression at Barrhead has seen her rise through the ranks across five roles including marketing executive, PR and social media manager, and the position she’s in now, PR and communications manager.
GAINING CONFIDENCE
This latest and current role involves managing Barrhead’s internal and external communications, from keeping staff up to date with changes in travel guidance and coordinating media enquiries to organising and attending press trips to showcase the agency’s dynamically packaged product.
“The good thing about Barrhead Travel is that they give us freedom, trust and independence in our roles, and my confidence has grown professionally and personally,” says Musgrave, who has now ticked off destinations such as India and Singapore during press trips over the years.
“I never thought that what I studied would bring me down this path, but it did and I’m glad it did.”
More recently the pandemic has created all-too-familiar challenges, with Musgrave having to quickly adapt her skillset to keep up with industry initiatives.
“I’ve found myself at the forefront of advocacy efforts, which has been a learning curve,” she says. “It’s been really tough and I’ve never seen so much resilience.”
It’s this unrelenting work ethic and dedication to teamwork that Musgrave is truly valuing during the coronavirus crisis. She explains: “The fact that people are ready to pick themselves, their customers and their colleagues back up is what spurs me on”.
But being part of the TTG 30 Under 30 is also a career move that Musgrave is hoping will push her to further success, explaining that she’s looking forward to the networking opportunities, learning about other young people’s experiences of working in travel and hearing about what challenges they’ve faced too.
“It’s important to have a network of peers in your business,” she says. “You don’t always get the opportunity to build that, but the TTG 30 Under 30 initiative will help us to stay connected as we move on to the next stages of our careers.”
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