IWD 2026: Power, progress & the work still ahead. Women in travel speak out

Women have long been the backbone of the travel industry. They staff the front lines, run the agencies, and increasingly, lead the organizations. 

Ahead of International Women's Day, which lands on March 8, PAX spoke with women across the Canadian travel landscape about power, progress, and what still needs to change.

Karine Gagnon, General Manager, Transat Distribution Canada

Karine Gagnon has worked every corner of the travel industry. That perspective, she says, is exactly what her role requires.

Gagnon started her career as a travel advisor before moving through sales, marketing, and operations roles. 

She joined Transat in 2014 on the tour operating side, and when she stepped into the general manager role at Transat Distribution Canada (TDC), she inherited an organization managing multiple brands and business models.

She says TDC has a long history of women at the top. Louise Fecteau and Nathalie Boyer both led the organization before Gagnon, and Renée Boisvert currently serves as president. 

"These aren't symbolic appointments," Gagnon said. "They reflect trust, competence, and long-term vision. When women are given space to lead authentically, they deliver."

Getting there, though, hasn't always been straightforward. 

Early in her career, Gagnon says she noticed that women often had to work harder to establish credibility while navigating different expectations around leadership style. 

"That awareness pushed me to be very intentional about how I lead," she said, "staying true to who I am, focusing on results, and valuing collaboration and listening as real strengths, not weaknesses." 

One of her first moves as general manager was building a leadership team balanced between women and men. "It is not about opposing one group to another," she said. "It's about recognizing that diversity of perspectives, whether in terms of gender or cultural background, leads to better decisions and stronger organizations."

The broader industry, she feels, still has work to do. Despite women's strong presence throughout travel, Gagnon feels too few hold positions where their voices carry real decision-making power, particularly women from diverse cultural backgrounds. 

The momentum, she believes, is shifting. "The next generation is not waiting to be invited," she said. "They ask questions, challenge traditional models, and want careers that are meaningful as well as successful." 

It's a vision she hopes the broader industry will share. 

"Travel has the power to open minds and transform perspectives. If we truly believe that, then our workplaces should reflect that same openness and diversity."

Denise Luciani, Owner, Marlin Travel Brantford

Denise Luciani has been in travel for 37 years. Her mission, she says, has always been bigger than booking trips.

She started as a travel consultant in the 1980s, at a time when she says the industry's leadership was overwhelmingly male. Over the decades, her focus shifted from selling travel to building something larger. 

In 2024, she launched a travel entrepreneur program designed specifically to help women build profitable careers on their own terms. 

"I realized I wasn't just passionate about selling travel," she said. "I wanted to build something meaningful."

From the start, she noticed a gap between who did the work and who held the power.  "I learned that travel was a female-dominated industry as far as the front line goes," she said.  "Early on, I did feel a lack of representation, if I was looking at a leadership role." 

Women were often the face of service, but not always the voice at the decision-making table. "There's a difference between participation and power," she said.

The barriers are both structural and internal, according to Luciani. "We are very competent as women, but we lack confidence sometimes,” she said. "We underestimate our value." 

Too many, she says, under-charge for their expertise or hesitate to take up space at the leadership table. 

Beyond confidence, there's the weight of expectation. "I think another barrier would definitely be the expectation that women should do it all,” she said. 

“We lead teams, we grow businesses, we support our clients, but we're also managing households. We have children, we're caregivers."

That's where mentorship comes in. "That's why I feel so strongly about women helping women in this industry,” she said. 

“Surround yourself with women who celebrate collaboration, that share knowledge and that love to elevate each other.  When women mentor women, great things happen.”

Jane Clementino, Senior Vice President and General Manager, TRAVELSAVERS Canada

Jane Clementino started her career in accounting, but quickly realized she wanted something more people-focused. 

Three decades later, she runs one of Canada's leading travel networks.

Clementino began in account management at Rider Travel, where she oversaw corporate travel programs worth millions — sometimes billions — of dollars for Fortune 100 companies and the Government of Canada. 

From there she moved through senior roles at Navigant International and CWT, crossed into retail with Sears Travel, and spent time on the supplier side as global director of sales for WestJet and WestJet Vacations. 

Each shift broadened her perspective. Starting out in corporate Canada in the early 1990s, Clementino learned quickly that demonstrating value was non-negotiable. Senior stakeholders at major banks and global firms expected you to come prepared, communicate clearly, and show exactly how you could contribute to their goals. 

"Once you demonstrated your expertise and showed how you could contribute to their goals, the dynamic shifted," she said.

Today, she sees a meaningfully different landscape. 

Women now hold senior leadership roles across the industry, from major suppliers to distribution organizations. The remaining gap, she argues, is more about caregiving pressures than capability. 

The industry also has a tendency to associate women with service-oriented roles, overlooking the strategic and financial leadership they bring. 

"Recognizing and supporting women across all areas of leadership is important for the continued growth of the industry," she said.

Her advice to women starting out is direct: invest in education, build broadly, and don't hesitate to ask for the job. 

"What stands out most is their confidence," she says of the next generation. "Overall, the future for women in travel leadership looks very bright."

Kemi Wells-Conrad, Founder & President, Wells Luxury Travel

Kemi Wells-Conrad didn't plan on being her own boss. 

She opened her doors in January 2021, when the industry was still grappling with the impacts of the pandemic.

Wells-Conrad joined the travel industry in 2014, landing at North South Travel in Vancouver where she spent six years learning the business alongside agents with decades of experience. 

She helped develop the agency's luxury offering. It wasn't long before people were telling her she should go out on her own. 

In January 2021, she did, launching Wells Luxury Travel with a fee-based model and a deliberately curated client list in the luxury and ultra-high-net-worth space. 

Today, the agency has ten people and a business model built on quality over quantity.

She's clear about what holds women back in the industry, and it's not talent. "There's always that joke that the man will apply for a big leadership role, even if they're not qualified. Women feel imposter syndrome," she said. 

The pattern extends to how women price their services. "I think women as a whole still undervalue their expertise," she says. 

In an industry built largely on women's labour, too many are reluctant to charge what they're worth or hold the line with clients. "We have to stop chasing and begging for the client," she said. 

The shift she wants to see starts with individual conviction. "No one's going to fix this industry for us. Change has to come from within." 

That means setting fees and standing behind them, pursuing leadership roles that have traditionally gone to men, and refusing to treat travel as a hobby business. 

"We need to be more confident and speak up," she said. 

Her optimism is real, though, particularly around the rise of women-owned independent agencies. 

"If you believe in your expertise, if you believe and don't have fear to set boundaries, you'll have the life you want."

Zeina Gedeon, COO of Trevello World Holdings & CEO of Trevello Canada

After more than three decades in the travel industry, Zeina Gedeon has built a career defined by resilience, curiosity, and a willingness to take on the challenges others avoid.

Today, as CEO of Trevello Travel Group, she leads one of the industry’s most recognized travel networks. 

But her path to the top — which also included executive roles at Air Canada, Air Canada Vacations, and TravelBrands — was anything but straightforward.

For Gedeon, careers are less like ladders and more like puzzles. 

“You know, it wasn’t a straight line,” she says. “Think of a jigsaw puzzle. All careers are like filling a few patches that link together. Then the hard work is turning that patchwork into a picture or tapestry that makes sense.” 

That philosophy has guided her through more than 30 years in an industry she describes as both deeply rewarding and, historically, dominated by men.

Gedeon began her journey on the front lines as a travel agent, steadily moving through roles in operations, strategy, and leadership. Each position gave her a new perspective on the business — and on people. 

“I learned the business from the ground up, not just in the boardroom,” she said. “Growth happens when you step outside your comfort zone and take risks.” 

Her approach to opportunity was simple: if a challenge seemed too big, or a job seemed too difficult for others, she was willing to try.

“I created opportunities by being willing to take on the jobs that others thought were too challenging or that nobody else wanted,” she explained. 

That mindset ultimately led her to her first CEO role in 2006, at a time when female leaders in the industry were still rare.

“Back then, there weren’t many of ‘us’ at that level,” she said. “But believing in yourself and knowing gender is not a leadership factor as a CEO — that keeps you going. Perseverance and grit are key.” 

Like many women in leadership, Gedeon recalls moments early in her career when it became clear that gender would shape how her ideas were received.

“I remember the awkward moments,” she said. “I’d share an idea in a meeting and the feedback was silence. Ten minutes later, a male colleague would say the exact same thing, and suddenly it was brilliant. These moments stick with you.” 

Experiences like that left a lasting impression — not with anger, but with clarity.

“I realized I had to walk into every room ready to own my space,” she said. “Not aggressively, but with quiet confidence. I belong here.” 

Those lessons extended beyond the boardroom. On business trips, she says, people would often assume that a male colleague — sometimes more junior — was the leader.

“It showed me that gender wasn’t the only issue,” she said. “Culture was the much larger issue.” 

Rather than retreat, she focused on results. “I did have to work harder to be heard, especially in rooms where I was the only woman. But I used that as fuel,” she says. 

“I knew that if I delivered, the work would speak for itself. And over time, that didn’t just open doors for me — it created space for other women coming up behind.”

The travel industry has changed since Gedeon first entered it, but in her view, progress has been slower than it should be. 

She points to the numbers: female CEOs have grown from roughly two per cent in 2000 to around 12 percent today.

“Looking at that data, humanity has failed to incorporate the invaluable gender diversity brings to any leadership position and boardroom,” she says. 

In travel companies today, women are increasingly visible in senior roles — particularly in marketing, communications, and HR. 

But the positions tied most closely to revenue and operations still skew male.

“We’ve moved from being invisible to being visible,” she said. “But we’re not yet equal partners at the very top. The progress is real, but it’s still fragile.” 

Still, she sees reasons for optimism.

“There’s more conversation, more awareness, more intention,” she said. “Women are supporting each other in ways that didn’t happen before. We’re not just grateful to be executives, we belong. The shift is gradual, but it’s happening.” 

One of the biggest barriers preventing more women from reaching executive leadership, Gedeon believes, isn’t talent or ambition. It’s access.

“Women get mentorship,” she said. “But fewer get sponsorship — someone in the room advocating for them when big decisions are made.” 

That difference matters. Sponsorship helps talented leaders gain visibility and opportunities at critical moments in their careers. Without it, many capable professionals stall in mid-level roles despite strong performance.

At the same time, Gedeon argues that organizations must rethink how leadership pathways are structured.

“Retention shouldn’t depend on who can work 12-hour days,” she said. “It should be about performance and impact.”

True equity, she believes, requires leadership models that allow people to succeed without sacrificing their lives outside of work. 

For Gedeon, it’s about reshaping an industry she loves.

"Travel connects people, opens minds, and builds resilience,” she said. “That sense of purpose has guided every decision I’ve made.”

Her message to the next generation of women leaders is both candid and empowering.

"We didn’t come this far to be polite,” she said. “We came to lead, to disrupt, and to rewrite the rules.”

And if the old systems weren’t designed with women in mind, it may be time to build new ones. 

“The table wasn’t built for us,” she said. “So we’re building our own. And this time, we’re putting women in the driver’s seat of travel, not just along for the ride.”

With files from Michael Pihach

Don't miss a single travel story: subscribe to PAX today!  Click here to follow PAX on Facebook.