South Africa's travel industry empowers women

"There is no glass ceiling in this industry, and no way that being a woman will disadvantage you in any way, shape or form. It can only benefit you, as you work with other women every day," says Msomi.

Lynette Msomi

As a key account manager, Msomi looks after a mix of top clients, ensuring their travel spend is leveraged in the best way possible. "I have become an important stakeholder for many of my clients by advising them on how best to divide and use their travel spend strategically."

Msomi was always set on a career in travel. "I wanted to travel and work in the industry since I was a little girl. I travelled a lot with my parents, read numerous travel books and decided to study travel after school. I didn’t find myself in travel by mistake; it is what I was made to do."

Since Msomi joined FCM in 2005, the company has undergone an in-house transformation, achieving a Level 1 BEE rating in 2018. "When I first joined the Flight Centre Travel Group, I was one of just three black people in the company… I decided to leave the company. After two years, I came back and found there was a huge difference. Not only were there more black employees, but we were also being taken seriously," says Msomi.

For young women who want to make their mark in travel, Msomi shares the following advice: "The travel industry is a tough but wonderful sector. A lot of people start but don’t make it because they don’t expect it to be this tough. So, you need to have courage and perseverance but, most of all, you need to have a passion for the industry. Whatever you do in life, do it because it is what you love."