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Lynda Keene

Women are more often than not already prepared for leadership roles, according to Tourism Export Council chief executive Lynda Keene.

“Running a family, working part-time or full-time in a business prepares them to juggle 10 tasks at a time. Women have good time management, people and problem-solving skills, which are key traits to have when moving upwards to another role. We look at issues more holistically and assume responsibility over and beyond job description briefs,” she says.

“A key challenge, however, is stepping away from careers to support a family if organisations are not flexible with work hours. We need to encourage employers to think outside the box on the best way to get a balance of productivity, quality whilst achieving outcomes, which may come from flexible working hours. And be brave. Back yourself.”

Keene says there is room in the tourism industry to profile women in leadership more. “Start a database of women who are 100% or co-owners of tourism and hospitality businesses either as full-time, part-time or contracted positions. Often because women are looking after families and supporting the growth of their business with partners taking the lead, there is a perception that the business may not be run, operated or managed by the female in the partnership. Learn how to talk confidently about proposing pay rises and more responsibility in future roles. Mentor someone younger to help encourage the next generation to be inspired by your story.”

Keene says she wants to use her position to help support other women, and continue to encourage women in middle management positions to take the next step and be a positive role model.

“Encourage women to be bold. Don’t be afraid to have a different opinion to the rest of the people around the table and follow your intuition.  He aha te kai ō te rangatira? He kōrero, he kōrero, he kōrero. What is the food of the leader? It is knowledge, it is communication.”

Keene has been fully entrenched in the tourism sector throughout her career, with her family operating an inbound tour business for 15 years in the youth and education market. She began her career working for Tourist Hotel Corporation, working in the hotel sector for seven years. She then moved into tourism and hospitality teaching at polytechnics before moving offshore to the Cook Islands for UN World Tourism Organisation and South Asian Tourism Council.

She then moved into destination management and marketing roles for 12 years, and more recently with Destination Kaikōura supporting PR, comms and recovery marketing. She was named chief executive of TECNZ in December 2019, replacing outgoing chief executive Judy Chen.

“I was ready for a return to corporate life and this role seemed a good fit. I am really enjoying it despite the challenges the industry is currently facing.”

Challenges such as the Covid-19 outbreak has made her first couple of months in the role quite ‘full on’. 

“We weren’t expecting Covid-19 to become a global health emergency that has impacted on China and other markets. Things are changing on a daily basis.

“The major challenge today (and upcoming months) is about having to pivot one’s business and adapt to the sharp shift of losing China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan and South-East Asian visitor markets. Another challenge New Zealand  is beginning to see is a growing concern of personal health and safety and cancellations from UK, Europe and USA markets. We’ll keep a watchful eye on this. Businesses most impacted will be looking at areas of efficiency and reduction to ensure viability over winter months so they are prepared for return of visitors in spring and summer,” she says. 

“Pre-Covid-19 I think the key challenge was to maintain the growth levels the industry has seen over the past few years and maintain the level of quality and delivery of visitor experience. We could already see some markets softening. Due to the tragic Whakaari/White Island eruption event, I think this year a lot of businesses will reflect and look at their risk management and health and safety systems and areas of improvement.

“It is hard to mitigate against every scenario that could happen. Visitor safety and well-being is something the industry has always taken very seriously along with our role of manaakitanga (hospitality) and kaitiakitanga (guardianship).”

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In celebration of Sunday’s International Women’s Day 2020, the Ticker interviews some of the sector’s newly appointed women leaders. Today, Conventions & Incentives New Zealand’s new CEO, Lisa Hopkins, talks about her high-flying career, the importance of self belief, and supporting other women so they become role models. 

With a career that has spanned the full spectrum of business events, hotels, venues, client side, operations, sales and management, moving into the top role at New Zealand’s official business events and conference association just “felt right”, says Conventions & Incentives New Zealand’s new chief executive, Lisa Hopkins.

During her career, she has had some “extraordinary” moments learning from other women leaders, both in and out of the business events industry.

“In 1999, I oversaw the venues and spaces used for APEC that year,” says Hopkins.

“That was a once-in-a lifetime experience and an absolute privilege. Our PM at the time, Jenny Shipley, was New Zealand’s first female prime minister, and Madeleine Albright, the first female secretary of state for the USA, attended – lone females in incredibly male-dominated environments, yet both displayed intellect, graciousness and focus. It was an incredible first-hand view of women in leadership.”

However, she says the path for women to the top isn’t always easy.

“I sometimes feel that women can be their own worst enemy when it comes to supporting and encouraging each other to be leaders and I’m not sure why. Jealousy, confidence, environment? All of the above?  

“Sometimes it simply comes down to self belief. But I see that changing, from our prime minister to the chair of the board of Air New Zealand to incredible women who have made this industry their lifelong passion, like Jan Tonkin of the Conference Company.

“Jan taught me and so many others how to make a conference happen. She is a legend in the business events industry, recently serving as global president of International Association of Professional Conference Organisers and is now chair of the associations’ Training Academy.”

Hopkins says she is starting to see a real surge in women taking on leadership roles in the industry.

“This has come about from a lot of hard work from women who came before us, as well as the influence of many global organisations who are based here.  

“Again, I think it really does come down to the right support structure, which enables women to believe in themselves, using their special skills to bring empathy and perspective into the workplace, as well as courage to be open to new things, new ideas and new policies that support the working mum, the woman who cares for ageing parents or the woman who is new to the country or industry.”

Hopkins says CINZ has two programmes that are targeted at supporting the next generation of industry leaders, which will be announced in due course.

“We have seen in the past that similar programmes have been well subscribed by women, as they are designed to share ways to be confident and to remember that their voice is important.

“But I’m also keen to support women, irrespective of their age or current role, who aspire to be role models themselves. These women show bravery and are unafraid to challenge the norm,” she says.

“I am lucky to be surrounded by women like this. The CINZ board is an even split of women to men and when I think of them, I see passion, courage, grace and talent. When I think of the business events team at Tourism New Zealand, the convention bureaux, hotel partners, Air New Zealand, there truly is a plethora of exceptional women in our industry that we can be proud of, that we can emulate, and who can offer so much as trailblazers.

“We have had many great women leaders in our industry. But what’s really exciting is that we have many, many more great women leaders who are just starting their own journey towards leadership and that is what is truly inspirational.”

Hopkins was appointed chief executive for Conventions and Incentives New Zealand in December 2019, replacing Sue Sullivan who announced her resignation in September after five years in the role.

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In celebration of Sunday’s International Women’s Day 2020, the Ticker interviews some of the sector’s newly appointed women leaders. Today, Tourism New Zealand’s director of marketing, Brodie Reid, tells us what she thinks makes a good leader, and how passion and hard work will help get you to where you want to go.

Passion, hard work and a supportive environment are the key elements in achieving success, according to Tourism New Zealand’s director of marketing, Brodie Reid.

While she may only be six months into the top marketing role at the country’s tourism body, Reid says she has already seen positive results come out of her team with the 100% Pure Welcome campaign, despite external factors such as the international visitor slowdown, Brexit, and the current coronavirus having an impact on tourism numbers.

“I’m really happy with how that is going and I’m looking forward to planning FY21 and continuing to move things along. There are huge opportunities with what we are doing at the moment and I’m really excited about what’s in store over the next 12-18 months,” she says.

Before moving into the director of marketing position, Reid spent two years as TNZ’s global manager for brand and content, where she played an integral role in delivering several big campaigns including Tiaki Promise and Responsible Camping.

Reid told the Ticker it was an easy decision putting herself forward for the leadership role.

“As I became part of our global whanau and understood what our purpose was and what we were trying to achieve in enriching New Zealand, it made sense for me to keep going along this path. So, when the opportunity arose to put myself forward for the [director of marketing] role, it was a no brainer,” she says.

In her time with the agency, Reid says TNZ has been an ‘extremely supportive’ organisation and she has had many role models help her get to where she is in her career.

“With women and leadership and the challenges they face – I think if you work really hard and you want something bad enough, I think you can achieve it. All throughout my career I have only been inspired and helped by the men and women around me. It’s all about your personal attitude, and how hard you believe in yourself and the work you do,” she says.

“I have had some amazing female role models and male role models. It comes down to personal vision and how someone can inspire a group of people. If a leader has an amazing brain, a vision, and are empathetic, that to me is what makes great leadership.”

Leadership “is about being creative in your approach with everything you do”, says Reid.

“Being kind and being a good person, and putting people first is such an important part of leadership that I think people don’t put enough emphasis on. It takes a group of amazing people to achieve a goal, so if you can inspire a whole bunch of people to get behind your vision of the future, that’s leadership.”

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To mark Sunday’s International Women’s Day 2020, the Ticker interviews some of the sector’s newly appointed women leaders. Today, Te Papa’s new chief executive, Courtney Johnston, on working as a student at the museum and how landing the “ultimate job” was 20 years in the making.

“I’ve been a part of Te Papa since it opened,” says Courtney Johnston.

“I studied at Victoria University and have been heavily involved in the museum, gallery and library sector across the Wellington region.”

Now, 21 years on from Te Papa’s opening, Johnston says she still can’t quite believe she landed her “ultimate job” last December.

“I’ve been working in the industry for 20 years and, in my mind, this was the ultimate job for someone who works in the sector. It took quite a few years to build up the confidence to know this was a job I could do,” she says.

“I still quite regularly pinch myself.”

Johnston, at 40 years of age the youngest person to hold the chief executive role at Te Papa, says the path to the top involved very deliberate decisions.

She worked as the director of Lower Hutt’s Dowse Art Museum and Petone Settlers Museum, and spent four years on the board of Museums Aotearoa, including 18 months as chairwoman. She was also a member of the advisory group for the Tourism Growth Partnership Fund, an initiative that put seed funding into innovative tourism potential across the country.

“It gave me a good insight into how tourism in New Zealand works and how it might look in the future,” she says.

“I very deliberately sought out opportunities that would help increase my knowledge and give me experience in governance, always building towards a job like this one.”

Johnston then joined the Te Papa executive team in September 2018 as the audience and insight director. Fast forward 12 months and she was in line for the chief executive role following the resignation of Geraint Martin.

She becomes the second woman to hold the top position at Te Papa after founding chief executive Dame Cheryll Sotheran.

“It means a lot to me on a personal level. Cheryl was CEO when I worked here as student and I find the example that she set for women in leadership really inspiring,” says Johnston.

“The four largest museums in New Zealand were all run by men last year. In our sector, museums and galleries, we still have a bit of a glass ceiling when it comes to our largest museums. I was really fortunate that I have had strong female leaderships. I have benefited from other people’s generosity and leadership so I want to do what I can to help support that.

“Governance groups that I’m a part of encourage having entry level positions for people new in their careers, who want some insight into governance and what it means. I’m now in a position to start thinking about a bigger strategy in more depth. I’m really fortunate that I have been supported by a network of strong women and now I can pass on those benefits.”

Courtney Johnston and Te Papa host Roger Gascoigne. Image: Jack Fisher, Te Papa

Looking forward to her first year leading the museum, Johnston says Te Papa is focused on bringing the “best of the world to New Zealand”.

“We are in the final reach of our big summer exhibition, Wonderland, and this week we announced the Dali exhibition for summer 2021. I’m happy to be part of that opportunity to bring the very best of the world to New Zealand so New Zealanders can experience that kind of experience without having to travel too far.

“We’re the only museum in Asia Pacific to receive [the Dali] collection, and that’s a real opportunity to see what we can do there for tourism. We’re also on the verge of announcing a big artist for the middle of the year, which is exciting.”

While the museum has experienced growth in visitor numbers for the past five years, Johnston says she is not expecting to see growth in 2020.

“We had a big bump a couple of years ago with the Lions rugby tour, and a bump before that with Gallipoli. The Terracotta Warriors exhibition gave us very strong results. Wonderland, on the other hand, was put together knowing it wouldn’t have those same big numbers,” says Johnston.

“I’m not expecting to surpass the recent visitation figures, however, having said that we are pretty thrilled with the visitation that we do get, considering the size of our country.”

Issues facing the sector such as the current coronavirus outbreak will also have an impact on numbers.

“There is a big ambiguity there that we are managing. The saving grace is that the whole of New Zealand is currently preparing and we are getting great advice from the Ministry of Health,” she says.

“It’s a big live issue for us at the moment. The whole tourism sector is thinking about this incredibly hard; we know it will have impact on our numbers but we cannot predict what that is going look like, so we are planning for all scenarios.

“We have seen a bit of softening in our numbers, however, our Wellington region visitation is up. International is down, and we are trying to get some insight from other Wellington operators if that is something being shared. It’s still a little early on to see what we can attribute that to, so we are watching it closely.”

Our series on newly appointed women industry leaders, marking Sunday’s International Women’s Day 2020, continues in Monday’s Ticker.

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New Zealand is among the worst performing countries for the number of women in senior leadership positions at companies, according to consultancy Grant Thornton International’s latest Women in Business report.

The annual report released today – International Women’s Day – showed only 20% of senior executive positions such as chief executive, managing director, chairperson and other senior decision-makers were held by women in New Zealand last year.

That ranks the country 33 out of the 35 nations surveyed and compares to a global average of 25% in 2017.

Worryingly, the figure for New Zealand has already fallen to 18% this year, which is a significant drop from the 30% reported in the very first Women in Business survey in 2004.

So, how do New Zealand’s largest tourism businesses compare?

A Tourism Ticker survey of the country’s 14 biggest operators – including Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown airports – showed 30 of the 104 chief executive and boardroom positions were held by women, or 29%.

At boardroom level only, the proportion increased to 33%, reflecting a dearth of women in chief executive roles with only the recently appointed Karen Crabb at Rainbow’s End in place.

Only three women were at the very top of their operations in board chair positions: Prue Flacks at Queenstown Airport, Sarah Smith at Ngāi Tahu Tourism and Catherine Drayton at Christchurch Airport.

Tourism Holdings Limited was the only company with more women than men on its board – 4 out of 6 – followed by Auckland Airport with 4 out of 8.

Below chief executive and boardroom level, women accounted for 33 senior management positions out of 114, or 29% again.

Overall then, women accounted for 29% of senior management, chief executive and boardroom positions at the country’s largest tourism operations.

That compares favourably to the current overall New Zealand proportion of 18% but is still below the 30% reported by Grant Thornton in 2004. And, at chief executive and board chair level, women accounted for just four of the 28 positions, or 14%.

Grant Thornton said the number of New Zealand businesses with no women in senior management roles jumped to 56% this year from 37% in 2017. Of the 14 operators surveyed, just one had a male-only boardroom and there were no male-only senior management teams.

Stacey Davies, a partner at Grant Thornton New Zealand, said: “In 2015 when the proportion of women in senior management roles dropped significantly from 31% to 19%, we hoped this was a ‘blip’ and we would see positive change in the coming years. We now have a four year average of 19% which suggests this is our new norm, and it’s really not good enough.

“There is compelling evidence of the link between gender diversity in leadership and commercial success. The current volatility in the global economy and ongoing technological innovation and disruption makes the issue more important than ever.”

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