2021 Program

11:00am - 11:10am
Re-Centering and Reemerging: Why Diversity Matters Even More
Kimberly Newbury, Vice President, Sales, Northstar Travel Group Singapore, Global Travel Technology Group

11:10am - 11:35am
Executive Interview: How Does the “Persistent Reality of Hope” Help us to Thrive?
Blair Taylor, Managing Director Talent & Organization and N. American Lead Inclusion & Diversity (I&D), Accenture
Interviewer: Jill Menze, News Editor, PhocusWire

11:35am - 11:50am
From Crisis to Recovery: Achieving an Equal Future in a Post-COVID-19 World
How has the pandemic disproportionately impacted women and girls and how can business leaders re-align priorities and rise to the challenge of building a future that has equality at its heart?
Simon Gallow, Advocate, UN Women UK

11:50am - 12:30pm
Executive Roundtable: Re-Centering, Recruiting, and Rebuilding: The Way Forward for Travel
An expert panel evaluates the priorities facing companies large and small in the travel space asking “how do we get there from here"?
Susann Almasi, Associate Partner, Travel, Logistics & Infrastructure, McKinsey & Company
Stephanie M. Jones, Founder & CEO, Cultural Heritage Economic Alliance, Inc. (CHEA)
Susie Vowinkel, Industry Director, Travel, Google
Moderator: Kristina Liburd, Founder & CEO, Viageur

Interactive Workshops:

12:30 - 2:00pm
The Pandemic and the DEI Paradox by Expedia Group:
The Hackathon of DEI: Through interactive breakouts, the workshop aims to solve for one of three paradoxes: Remote Work and Flexibility, Shifting Family Care and Responsibilities and The Future of Hybrid Work.

Moderator: Cintia O. Tavella, Strategic Partnerships, Expedia Group

Act for Equal (By invitation only):
Sponsored by Google
Before the pandemic, we were 100 years away from achieving gender equality. And now, this virus could wipe out 25 years of advances in women's rights and empowerment. We all have a role to play to make sure these achievements are not reversed, and that women and girls across the world have the same opportunities as men. The travel, tourism and hospitality sectors have borne the brunt of the economic fallout from the pandemic, and women, often in low paid, insecure work, have shouldered much of this burden. Now is the time for business leaders to rise to the challenge of building a future that has equality at its heart. Join UN Women UK to understand effective, tangible action that business leaders can take to create a more inclusive organization, that considers the needs of all, learning from best practices case studies from across the world.

Moderator: Simon Gallow is an Advocate for UN Women UK, having been Development Director, and a Policy Analyst in the UN Women Economic Empowerment Division in New York. He is also a Strategist and the Co-lead for Women's Equality at the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), and holds a Masters in Public Policy (MPP) from Cambridge University.