Melanie Harrison's FCM Employee Story
“There are opportunities at Flight Centre for anyone willing to reach for them.”
My career has taken many twists and turns, especially since I began working at Flight Centre. But my employment within different companies in our parent company has allowed me to be the architect of my own career goals.
I began my journey as an Agent in 2009, after making a switch from hospitality in restaurant training and development. My 15 years in my previous career were great, but I was looking for a job with a more manageable schedule. I quickly made my way up from Agent to a Team Leader and, eventually, I saw on our internal job posting board in 2013 that FCM was looking for a trainer. Since that’s what I did in my previous career, I jumped at the opportunity.
The highlight of my career
My background in training and development allowed me to craft a training program for Operations and the Agents at FCM. Building that program from the ground up is one of my career highlights – I did everything from creating library documents and validation processes to refining online interactive training modules and classroom modules. It was very satisfying to train over 100 Novice Agents – quite a few who went on to become very successful.
During my time in training, I developed an interest in technology, and I did a deep dive in educating myself about it. This led to yet another incarnation of my career within Flight Centre in technology and, in 2018, I transitioned to a Technical Business Analyst. This past year, I was promoted to Enterprise Solutions Architect and Team Leader. In my role, I lead a team of business analysts who focus on identifying and delivering technology solutions to corporate brands. We focus on looking for opportunities to increase productivity and profitability as well as to enhance current products.
This jump is another career highlight, but if I’m honest, my biggest pride is my team of three individuals. They do great things every day and I’m so proud of them. A proud moment I have of someone on my team that sticks out is when one woman spent nearly four hours digging through reports to find a root cause of a problem. She was so excited to be able to deliver a solution and that kind of enthusiasm is quite prevalent in our workplace.
A culture of go-getters
The culture at FCM is very unique. I know it sounds cliché, but it’s a “work hard, play hard” culture. I remember wondering at my first Flash Friday, which allowed us to enjoy cocktails if we wanted, whether it was some quirky corporate test. I soon learned that this is just how Flight Centre rolls, as they say. There are lots of regular, fun events where we can bond with our colleagues and celebrate our accomplishments – whether it’s a team outing to grab a meal, a coffee or our annual Global and National Balls. For reference – the Global and National Balls are annual events where we travel to a fun destination, dress up, celebrate our accomplishments, and dance the night away.
Always open to more opportunities
I have seen so many embodiments of my career just in one workplace. Who knows where I’ll end up next? I’ve already been looking to upskill by getting some certifications in data science utilizing our new tuition reimbursement program. Something I live by, as well as something I tell my team, is that there are opportunities at Flight Centre for anyone willing to reach for them.
For the love of travel
Part of what drew me to Flight Centre was that it’s in the travel space. Like everyone who works here, I love to travel. One of my favorite places to visit is Scotland. I don’t know if it’s my heritage that spoke to me or not, but I love the landscapes, culture, history, and the people.
But for now, the next trip I’m planning is an epic, 10-day road trip along the Pacific Coast Highway from northern to southern California. I want to see the Red Woods and cute small towns and vineyards. Meanwhile, my husband can get his movie-buff fix in Hollywood and L.A. It’s the perfect trip with a little something for both of us to enjoy!