NEWS
Flight Centre executives recognised among GBTA’s Top 40 Women in Travel
14 NOVEMBER, 2019
Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG), an organisation that values, supports and inspires women, allowing female executives to grow, thrive and contribute to the ongoing success of the company, proudly announces that two of their key female executives were recognised among the Top 40 Women in Travel at the GBTA (Global Business Travel Association) WINiT Gala at the Grand Hyatt on November 7th in New York City.
Charlene Leiss, President of FCTG Americas Corporate Brands, and Vicki Parris, Senior Director of Customer Experience for FCM Asia have each played a pivotol role in the growth and success of FCTG’s business, while remaining focused on driving change as thought leaders. As Top Women in Travel honourees, both women were lauded for their efforts in reinventing, leaning in and creating momentum within and beyond the travel community and their field of expertise.
The goal of the inaugural WINiT Awards is to recognise women, men and companies, who are driving positive change for the career mobility of women in travel related industries. The awards also provided a platform to thank and recognise meritorious women for the exceptional work they carry out on a daily basis which often remains unknown or un-appreciated.
Vicki Parris
Vicki joined FCTG in 2004 in New Zealand, venturing through different roles and countries within the Flight Centre family before settling into her current role in Singapore as Senior Director of Customer Experience for FCM Travel, Asia and a member of the senior leadership team. Her comprehensive operations portfolio spans across IT and service products, and she helps to improve the experience of customers, partners and employees in Asia, all of which has helped Asia in its exponential growth, exceeding targets and delighting customers across many levels.
With an eye for innovative and unique operational narratives to help deliver fresh operational improvements, Vicki has been instrumental in the building and implementation of projects to improve customers’ experience through online and offline channels in the fragmented Asia market. These projects aim to meet Asia’s rapidly changing and multi-level customer needs and will deliver on excelling the high-touch experience between customers and consultants to drive speed, accuracy and satisfaction across all touchpoints.
In addition to overseeing the operational processes for FCM in Asia, Vicki is passionate about being a part of the growth of female employees within the group and recently launched the Womenwise chapter for Asia. As someone who has an all-encompassing understanding of the travel business, she is an invaluable mentor and inspiration to all employees, especially to the women in the FCM workplace.
Charlene Leiss
Charlene Leiss is a 30-year veteran of the travel industry, spending more than two decades with Flight Centre Travel Group. She was named leader of the Flight Centre Travel Group's Corporate U.S. business division in April 2015. As president of all seven FCTG corporate brands, Charlene oversees a team of 500 people. She has achieved double-digit, often record-setting growth year over year.
Charlene currently serves on the Corporate Global leadership team within Flight Centre Travel Group and started the company's FastTrack employee recognition and advancement programme. She also helped to start Flight Centre Travel Group Americas' Womenwise chapter. Charlene has been recognised three times as the "Top Sales Person Globally" for Flight Centre Travel Group.
Led in part by Charlene and Vicki, FCTG continues to offer award-winning travel expertise, services and resources around the globe, maintaining its position as a leader in the industry, while driving collaborative partnerships and customer growth in the rapidly changing competitive environment. Both Charlene and Vicki stand as a testament to the Flight Centre culture, and behind the organisation’s commitment to providing support, role-models and opportunities for women to succeed across all levels of the company.