everywoman in Travel judge urges 'push yourself forward’

They shouldn’t be afraid to fail when new opportunities arise. Often, those who take these opportunities will surprise themselves with what they can achieve.

We should remind ourselves that while there is still much to do, we have made progress and there are some great initiatives out there.

Executive search company Odgers Berndtson and UK Hospitality are about to launch a mentoring programme for women – a great initiative in which I am involved as a mentor – while November 14 will see the everywoman in Travel awards ceremony celebrate the amazing female talent across our industry.

It’s a tough process, so watch this space to see who our fantastic winners will be in 2018 in such diverse categories as Tomorrow’s Leader, Entrepreneur, Executive Leader, Leader of Change, International Inspiration and Male Agent of Change.

From a personal perspective, I’ve had an amazing career in travel, and have been lucky to work with, and for, some truly inspirational women and men. I’ve often been the only woman in the boardroom, but I believe that if you have confidence, self-belief that you deserve to be there and a supportive network, then any problems should fall away. Deliver results in your own way, and those results should speak for themselves.

Let’s celebrate the great female talent we already have, but all do our bit to support and develop an amazing pipeline of future female leaders – then perhaps we can stop talking about it and just be proud to have a truly diverse talent base at all levels across our industry.

Being a woman in business may be a bit like ballroom dancing – you have to do all the same steps as a man but backwards and in high heels – but it’s a truly rewarding place to be.

See the full shortlist of finalists for the everywoman in Travel Awards here

The IBM iX everywoman in Travel Awards ceremony will take place at East Wintergarden in Canary Wharf on November 14. To book tickets, visit everywoman.com/events-awards