As a step to strengthen its commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) efforts, Internova Travel Group unveiled Women of Internova, its first employee resource group.
"As we continue our work on DE&I, we have come to realize that there is a strong desire among our team members to hold space and community with those of shared affinity," said Internova President Gabe Rizzi.
"With that in mind, we are proud to announce the rollout of Women of Internova, our first employee resource group formed to unify our company and our brands under one collaborative umbrella."
Women of Internova was designed to offer a "supportive and informative environment in which participants can share and learn from their peers, as well as gain insights that will help them achieve executive visibility, leadership acumen and professional growth," Internova said.
The group will hold events that include women speakers who hold leadership positions both inside and outside of the travel industry.
"At Internova, there is a big appetite for professional development, networking and sharing of best practices in a safe environment," said Linda Oliver-Eckhardt, vice president, client strategies for Travel Leaders Corporate and founding ally of Women of Internova.
"With a diverse group of women across the organization, our employee resource group offers us - all of us, male and female, from around the world - opportunities to meet and engage with each other to learn and achieve our collective aspirations."
Future speakers will include Catherine Chaulet, president and chief executive officer of Global DMC Partners; Jacqueline Dobson, president of Barrhead Travel; Jackie Friedman, president of Nexion Travel Group; Angie Licea, president of the Global Travel Collection; and Sharon Concepcion, vice president, leisure operations of Travel Leaders Group.
The group technically launched in July and has featured such speakers as Pamela Saunders, a certified health and wellness coach; Cindy Schlansky, chief development officer of the Global Travel Collection; Kristin Karst, owner and executive vice president of AmaWaterways; and Vicki Freed, senior vice president, sales, trade support and service at Royal Caribbean International.
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