In celebration of this year’s International Women's Day, we're thrilled to shine a spotlight on one of the successful women within our business.
Meet Victoria Courtney, New Zealand Managing Director and Global Supply Leader for Corporate Traveller's parent company, Flight Centre Travel Group.
For almost two decades, qualified chartered accountant Victoria (Tori) Courtney has been a Flightie.
Tori advocates for working mums and says: “The only time where my confidence has wobbled was returning to work as a working mum.”
“Motherhood was something I had always aspired to, however there really is no manual for how to juggle the needs of both roles. Coming back to work I felt guilty about asking for any allowances to accommodate the dual priorities.”
“I was so fortunate to be working in teams and for leaders who didn’t wait for me to ask for allowances and made it easy for me to contribute my fullest at work and allow me to be there for my family. They went the extra mile by chasing me out of the office if I was working late. Being able to step back into my role and juggle the two priorities ensured I continued to be ambitious and strive for career growth.”
Tori says the demonstration of supportive leadership provided her with a blueprint of how to lead: “Not everyone will make the choice to have a family, however everyone has priorities outside of work. As a leader, I recognise that you get the best out of people if you understand their motivations, both personal and professional, and that you provide an environment that supports and acknowledges those priorities. When you work in a supportive environment you bring your best self to work, work to your full potential and feel energised by both work and leisure activities.”
“Balance is a choice - it looks different for everyone and you need to define what works for you and the business.”
Tori says diversity is important and she has always seen diverse teams thrive: “The value brought by diverse backgrounds, experience and thinking always delivers better outcomes.”
“We know that we instinctively resonate with and seek out similar individuals to ourselves, so I believe we need to train to avoid ‘unconscious bias’ and educate leaders on the value of diversity and the benefits achieved by diverse teams.”