Internova Travel Group has announced the roll-out of its first employee resource group, "Women of Internova." The new resource group will provide opportunities for women, and their allies, across the company to support and learn from each other, and grow in their careers. The company has also been working to strengthen its commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The creation of affinity groups is a next step, it says.
"Women of Internov"a focuses on providing a supportive and informative environment in which participants can share and learn from their peers, as well as gain insights that will help them achieve executive visibility, leadership acumen and professional growth. Besides hosting regular events, the group is designed to serve as a resource for women and facilitate the exchange of ideas companywide. Each event includes guest speakers from the travel industry and beyond; an educational component; and ample time for networking and open dialogue.
“At Internova, there is a big appetite for professional development, networking and sharing of best practices in a safe environment,” said Linda Oliver-Eckhardt, VP, Client Strategies for Travel Leaders Corporate and founding ally of 'Women of Internova.' “With a diverse group of women across the organization, our employee resource group offers us—all of us, male and female, from around the world—opportunities to meet and engage with each other to learn and achieve our collective aspirations.”
Since launching last July, the group has heard from Pamela Saunders, a health and wellness coach; Cindy Schlansky, chief development officer for the Global Travel Collection; Kristin Karst, owner and executive VP of AmaWaterways; and most recently, Vicki Freed, senior VP of sales, trade support and service for Royal Caribbean International.
Upcoming speakers include Catherine Chaulet, president and CEO of Global DMC Partners; Jacqueline Dobson, president of Barrhead Travel; Jackie Friedman, president of Nexion Travel Group; Angie Licea, president of the Global Travel Collection and Sharon Concepcion, VP of leisure operations for Travel Leaders Group.
Other founding allies of Women of Internova include Angie Licea; Kris Parkin, senior VP of human resources for Internova Travel Group; Elizabeth Gaerlan, senior VP of Public Relations and communications for Internova Travel Group; and Kathy Christianson, VP of human resources for Global Travel Collection.
Events are only open to Internova employees.
This article originally appeared on www.travelagentcentral.com.
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