Latest posts by Martin Moodie (see all)
Do women in travel retail get the recognition they deserve? In industry generally the answer is no – certainly in terms of equality of salaries, career progression and representation levels within top management. Travel retail is, we hope, a little ahead of the curve but The Moodie Blog can think of more than a few companies that need to re-examine their perspectives.
We are delighted therefore to support Women in Travel, nicely acronymed as WIT, a new focus group for women in the travel retail industry. WIT, championed by some of the trade’s most influential and successful female executives, will host its first meeting in Cannes.
Founders of the group include William Grant & Sons Ltd Global Travel Retail Director Ylva Persson; BAA Business Relationships Director Sarah Branquinho; Travel Retail Marketing Consultant Cathryn Davis; The Travel Retail Business Director and Deputy Editor Anouska Forte; and Silja Line/Tallink Procurement Manager Shopping Jaana Heino. WIT plans to capture the spirit of women achievers in travel retail and to encourage and celebrate their future contribution to the channel.
We say Bravo. The Moodie Report has its own outstanding team of women in key roles – Rebecca Mann Associate Editor (acknowledged as the best writer on the pivotal fragrances and cosmetics category); Salina Christmas our dynamic Malaysian Online Editor, Mary Jane Pittilla our supremely-talented Brands Editor; Hui Min Neo, our Mandarin-speaking Asia correspondent; and our sales supremos Mandy Shine and Claire Wates. Each has shaped our company in a major way.
The same, clearly, applies to the industry at large – from Niveen Ibrahim to Susan Whelan to Liz Woodland to Lois Pasternak to the late Linda Hopkins to Heather Cho to Cindy Lam to Gerry Munday to Nadine Heubel to Jill McGuire to Judi Bishop to Breeda McLoughlin… and scores and scores of others. I haven’t mentioned their companies – that’s because I would wager you know them all thanks to their immense company and industry contribution.
If you only read one article (we hope you will read them all) from this month’s print edition of The Moodie Report, please read MCM owner Sung-Joo Kim’s interview. It is one of the most inspiring pieces you will ever see.
“You can’t ignore half of the population’s brain power,” says the redoubtable South Korean businesswoman. “Unless you listen to what women want you will fail.”
Travel retail you have been warned. Ms Kim will speak at the ACI Business & Trinity Forum in Dubai next March. She is not to be missed. In our view at least, travel retail needs all the WIT it can find.