A shleigh Conwell lives and breathes Flight Centre culture. She is one of the youngest committee members for Womenwise and developed the group’s first local chapter in 2016. With 10 years of experience in marketing strategy and implementation, Ashleigh is a seasoned leader and creator for positive change.
We spoke to Ashleigh about her experience being a leader at Flight Centre Travel Group and her involvement in Womenwise.
Womenwise was established in 2015 by a group of Flight Centre's senior female leaders to inspire all women by showcasing opportunity, providing role-models and offering structured support to create gender balance in all leadership teams across the Flight Centre Travel Group.
Each year, we host an annual conference and recently began creating local chapters. I’m proud to say that I am a member of the Flight Centre Travel Group Womenwise Committee and worked closely with Megan Lowe to create the Marketing, Digital and Product chapter. Our local chapters are still a work in progress but we’re aiming to roll them out nationally across all businesses.
Everything we do in Womenwise is underpinned by the four Cs – Celebrate, Connect, Collaborate and Create Change. We celebrate being the wonderful women of the Flight Centre Travel Group. We work to create positive change, and it’s great to connect with people to collaborate and share ideas.
The Flight Centre mantra is to “open up the world for those who want to see”. In the Womenwise Leadership Summit, we aim to create a world of possibility for women to learn, lead and grow.
Through Womenwise, we’ve launched our Mentoring Program that recognises our senior female leaders and provides Flight Centre Travel Group employees access to their wealth of knowledge and expertise. Womenwise greatly supports Flight Centre Travel Group’s 50-50 quota for middle management positions and up by including gender-equal panels to address unconscious bias in the recruitment process.
Additionally, we celebrate the appointment of senior females to key roles within the business. Daniella Pitts, Kelly Spencer and Allisa O’Connell are all ladies leading our flagship leisure brands. We’ve also rolled out the Womenwise format across the globe with local chapters now operating in the United States, Canada, Mexico, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
I believe knowledge is power, and I’m always participating in some form of training, whether it be formal or self-taught, to acquire new skills and enhance my existing skill set. I’m currently participating in an online program hosted by Jodi Glickman and two twelve-month training programs held for senior leaders at Flight Centre Travel Group. In 2017, Flight Centre Travel Group co-funded my participation in a mini MBA in Marketing that was hosted by Professor Mark Ritson. Above all, I always encourage people to keep learning!
Learn more about how Flight Centre Travel Group's diversity policy is ensuring the growth and development of our next generation of female leaders.