Our Conversations

I am very fortunate to be in this fast-paced region with an incredible team of talented and passionate individuals. My role is to drive our growth ambitions across all of the Asia Pacific markets, recognising and focusing on our biggest opportunities. I love that no two days are the same as we focus on our partners, developing our teams, the ever-changing regulatory landscape and connecting with our central stakeholders to ensure all-around success. 

I love the energy in the Singapore office. It is a melting pot of cultures creating a wonderfully diverse canvas. We have multiple teams in this office including Partner Services, Credit Control, Finance, People, Content Agency and Booking for Business among others. The location in Marina Bay and the view are certainly some of the things that our teams enjoy too!

I came to Singapore in 2005 with a plan to stay for 2 years. 19 years later, there are still plenty of reasons to be here. It is not just our office that is a melting pot of cultures but the whole country. I love that in every group setting, be it a business meeting, a dinner with friends or a party, there are always multiple nationalities and cultures represented. I am originally from the UK, so the warmth and sunshine in Singapore holds a lot of appeal! I would highly recommend Singapore as a destination to work and live. The surrounding countries are also very easily accessible, so weekend trips are very popular! 

One of the reasons for me to join Booking.com was the very inclusive culture and it is certainly something that I value every day. We do not discriminate based on gender, background, sexual orientation or ethnicity. This means that women and men have equal opportunities.  Over 60% of our leaders in the APAC organisation are women and it is important that we focus on the ‘right person’ for the job. This allows us to get good diversity in teams and in leadership. The majority of our leadership programmes are for all employees, but in addition, we do have specific Women in Leadership courses for our women leaders across BKNG brands. While I believe all leaders should continue to develop and be coached, we do recognise that some of our women leaders struggle with different aspects than our male counterparts. This often includes self-confidence. This is why I believe that all leaders should have access to development opportunities and we should tailor some according to specific needs.

Do it! Follow your passion. I would not consider myself a ‘techy’ person but I love to be a leader in the tech industry, especially in travel. There is so much that we can influence and so many lives we can impact when we make it easier for everyone to experience the world. My advice to women is do not be afraid, trust in your abilities to do whatever it is you put your mind to and always keep a learner mindset. Whoever we are and whatever role we have, we can always improve. 

To learn more about our Singapore location click here.