For Women in Travel, Tourism & Hospitality
Transforming the landscape
Run by the “Mother Daughter Duo of Boutique,” TIEWN comes from a place of compassion. Frances and Ariela have spent the last twelve years working closely together to disrupt the hospitality industry. Frances brings her deep knowledge of the travel industry and Ariela brings her eager enthusiasm to create a bright future for pioneers in the space.
The Reason Behind TIEWN
The Travel Industry Executive Women's Network (TIEWN) is an organization made up of executive women who make significant contributions to all sectors within the travel, tourism, and hospitality industry, including vendors and suppliers of products and services. We are professional women who work in hotel and lodging, the airlines, cruise lines, car rental companies, tourism agencies, travel agencies, corporate travel managers, tour operators, rail travel agencies, and travel technology sectors. Our more than 12,000 global members are professional women who have chosen to make these industry sectors their life’s work and passion.
Founded in 2008 by Frances Kiradjian, Founder & Chair of the Boutique Lifestyle Leaders Association (BLLA), TIEWN is dedicated to forming global travel industry connections through online and offline conferences and events. In addition to several events hosted throughout the year, TIEWN hosts its annual Women in Travel and Hospitality Conference. This highly anticipated conference brings together top industry executives, both male and female, who understand the needs of our members and know the trends of business and travel. Networking is also a key component of the conferences.
The focus at these important events is for attendees to stay informed about the latest developments in the fast-paced world of travel and business in general, take deep dives into areas of travel that are the most important to them, and make lasting connections with other people in the travel industry.
Lighting the Torch for the Next Generation
A generational change is slowly occurring in today’s workplace. With the oldest Baby Boomers now reaching the traditional age of retirement, we are about to see a dramatic shift as executive women begin to leave the workforce. Some organizations will face an accompanying knowledge and skills deficit if they do not take deliberate steps to learn from these industry veterans and capture their expertise.
As we look to the future of the travel and hospitality industry, it’s essential we begin preparations to pass the torch to a new generation of women leaders. In order for women to continue to be beacons of leadership, innovation, and creativity in the travel, tourism, and hospitality industry, it requires us to think ahead. Today’s industry leaders must eventually transfer their knowledge through an intentional and positive process plan. TIEWN is committed to this process.
The travel industry is forever at the center of the constant changes in the world. For the industry to continue to thrive we must provide opportunities for mentorship, education, collaboration, and leadership for the next generation. We must ensure we’re ready to take on global challenges and have the talent in place for an effective transfer of power.
TIEWN supports women in all sectors of the travel and hospitality industry, including those providing services and products, and we’re eager to light the torch to pass on our knowledge and vision to the next generation of women.
Core Goals
The travel industry is still waking up to the economic power of women. While we are seeing more women in top roles, there is still a huge gap in boardrooms and on speaking circuits at major events.
TIEWN consciously creates programs and plans events for women to inspire and support each other. Education and mentorship are at the center of TIEWN’s Core Goals and we strive to provide opportunities for growth through our working committees.
For example, our mentorship committee works to pair mentors with mentees. New members can take advantage of being mentored by a professional in their specific area of travel, while veterans of the industry will gladly pass along their insight through mentoring. It’s a win-win situation.
In addition, the education committee will work to sponsor educational opportunities, such as webinars and seminars on important industry topics, [perhaps eventually establishing a library of resources for members to access.]
As a result of our education and mentorship efforts, we hope to connect professional industry women from all around the world.
Also, a priority of the TIEWN board is to have a job board for posting job opportunities in the field. If Covid-19 has taught us anything, it’s to never take our jobs for granted again. Having a reliable network and pipeline for job openings is more crucial now than ever before.
By providing platforms to mentor, educate, network, discuss, and debate issues of importance to women in travel, tourism & hospitality, we feel we can rise to the challenge of “passing the torch.”
Ultimately, our Core Goals revolve around not only educating and supporting women in the travel industry but elevating them to positions of authority, influence, and leadership.
Our History
2008
Launch of the LinkedIn Group
2014
Launch of First Conference
2020
Launch of Initial Advisory Board
2023
Network Reaches 13,000 Members
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