Toni Vallenduuk
Operations Manager
Meet Toni, our experienced Regional Operations Manager at FCM. With 21 years of dedicated service, Toni is a force to be reckoned with in both the Leisure and Business Travel industry.
When she's off duty, Toni could be found reading at lightning speed (on average 2 books a week!) or living it up at music festivals. If you ever need a book recommendation or someone to accompany you to the next big gig, you know who to call.
What inspired you to pursue a career in the travel industry?
It was actually a bit of an accident, I had been travelling for a few years when I ended up in the UK and found an advert in the Guardian Newspaper, it sounded like something I would like to do, sharing my passion for seeing the world, at least for a while I thought ... that was 21 years ago.
Do you have any advice for women supporting women at work?
Be kind and raise each other up, we are only as strong as the shoulders we stand on and the tribe who support us so we need to be that tribe and those shoulders to each other.
Who is a woman that has inspired your journey, and what’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from her?
In my FCTG story I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by, and still am, some of the strongest, kindest and most inspiring woman anyone could hope to meet. These woman have helped shaped my career but more so are some of my closest friends, they hold me up and support me unconditionally whilst still calling me out when I need it. One of these woman who has been an integral part of my journey would be Lindsey Young who has been my Manager, My Area leader, My Brand Leader and my Trainer over all my years in the company and the biggest lesson I have learnt from her is how to Listen, listen to understand and not just to respond and how powerful that is.
What’s been your most rewarding career moment at FCM?
In 21 years I have had so many but I think out of all of them the one that tends to stand out to me is taking on a failing store and managing to turning that business around to a profitable and thriving business in a year, but more so in that process I got to work with, mentor and learn from some incredible people, in fact my ATL from back then is one of my best friends today.
Who’s a woman (past or present) you’d invite to dinner, and why?
The woman of the Black Sash movement in Apartheid South Africa, they were an incredibly brave group of woman who stood up against their own husbands, fathers and brothers to protest the inequality that was happening around them. They are not very well known globally but their impact had a ripple effect that was an integral part of dismantling the Apartheid government. I am fascinated by their story and the courage that it took for them to stand up and fight for a cause no one else in their community would.