Air Canada & ACV Break Barriers at Women in Business Event

• At the third Women in Business event on March 25, Air Canada and ACV said, "no glass ceilings."
• The concept for this event started in 2020 and is now celebrated annually.
• It is aimed at saluting women who have made remarkable footprints in the travel industry.

At this third edition of Women in Business event being held at The Vue Event Venue in Etobicoke on March 25, Air Canada and ACV representatives declared that: "there are no glass ceilings" at their companies. The idea has matured as an annual celebration since its genesis in 2020 to recognize women who are trailblazers in the travel industry.

Imported from the AIR-FRANCE-NewPremiumCabin Initiative In-Fed (Desktop & Tablet) - March 23-30, Christine Faulkner, Manager, Sales Operations and Planning, ACV, organizer of the event, shared the overall perspective behind the event in an interview with PAX. "We really wanted to create a place in which women could come together to empower each other and discuss everything that affects their lives, personal and professional. With so many women in our industry, why not bring them together?" she explained.

The panel was then led by industry veterans Dina Bertolo, Vice President of Product and Development at Air Canada Vacations, and Rose Cosentino, Vice President of Global Wholesale and Retail Sales at Playa Hotels and Resorts, and offered open discussions and behind-the-scenes insights into women's leadership themes such as balancing work and life, overcoming professional hurdles, and embracing technological upgrades.

Rose spoke about the role of AI in travel "use AI as a tool to improve efficiency and make your job easier," she said in her talk to the audience. That is rightly said. Technology is not bad. It is an opportunity. Women, focus on the customers; personalize your approach. Both discussed their personal stories related to work-life balance. Bertolo spoke about the guilt shared by most working mothers. Cosentino talked about managing through a diagnosis of cancer, highlighting kindness, self-care, and support from one another. To encourage women in leadership, Dina said, "Supporting each other is the best leadership you could offer anybody."

Andress, founder and president of SheIS, non-profit promoting women’s sports, shared a personal story of being honored with the Women of Distinction award from the YWCA for her efforts with the Canadian Women’s Hockey League. Recalling that moment she sat next to a Nobel Prize winner just before she got her award, Andress said, "I just want to tell everybody in this room that I'm worthy and deserving of this award." That declaration silenced an entire room of over a thousand women.

She encouraged the Women in Business attendees not to downplay their achievements "As women, we are worthy and deserving, but we have to believe that ourselves," she stressed, urging everyone to know their worth. Andress also talked about the continuous battle for equity in women's sports, highlighting that "only two percent of all investment dollars go to women", notwithstanding the impressive feats achieved by female athletes.

She is setting up a datamining app for amplifying women's voices through their stories, directly and up front, rather than buried under "miscellaneous" references. This app is also going to create a safe space for young girls and women. Andress ended her speech with a question that left everyone thinking "Do you believe you are worthy and deserving? Because the language you use reflects whether you truly believe it or not."