When Za Nkosi faxed her CV to Flight Centre 21 years ago, she had no idea she was about to embark on a career-defining adventure that would lead to her becoming a business travel expert. Her entry into the travel industry was as unexpected as it was serendipitous.
After a stint as an au pair in the US, Za returned to South Africa. One of her friends, who had landed a job at Flight Centre, recommended Za for a position at the company.
"I tried three times to submit my CV," Za recalls with a laugh. "The first two times it got lost in the fax. Third time lucky, they found it, and I finally had an interview with Flight Centre at a Wimpy in Richards Bay." This unconventional start kicked off Za’s journey in the travel industry, eventually leading her to her current role as a team manager at Corporate Traveller.
"Back then, you just needed to have travelled somewhere, which I had, and nothing else," Za reflects. The industry has come a long way since those early days – as has Za, who holds degrees in marketing.
Gender equality: Overcoming stereotypes in corporate travel
Initially wary of corporate travel, Za spent her first 18 months in retail. "I refused to move to corporate because the reputation was that you went there to retire," she laughs. "I'm very loud and boisterous, and I thought, 'I'm never going to fit in with corporates. I'm just too loud!'"
But a day spent shadowing a corporate travel team changed her mind. "I discovered I could actually speak to the same client every single day," Za explains. "I'm going to have my own regular travel family. So eventually, I joined corporate travel."
Over two decades, Za has witnessed seismic travel industry shifts. From faxing details to clients picking up tickets at the airport, to the current world of instant digital communication in corporate travel booking and virtual travel vouchers, the changes have been profound. "I remember thinking I was going to quit when they told me we were changing from paper tickets to electronic tickets," she chuckles. "I said, oh dear, disaster is coming!' And here we are now with virtual vouchers and everything electronic." But for Za, the core of the job for business travel experts remains the same: people.
"You learn so much about people, and from people," she reflects on customer relationships. "As long as you're open to the idea that, as much as you have experience, you'll never know everything."
Women's Day: Women in travel management
Today, as a team manager at Corporate Traveller, Za relishes the relationships she's built with clients. "I feel like I'm contributing to change in South Africa," she says proudly. "My client is an engineer; they go out and consult and make bridges. I've got a client building a church. I'm always involved in the calibration of machinery for food science. I'm very passionate about dealing with the same people, learning about them, knowing them."
On women leaders? For women considering a career in corporate travel and women in leadership, Za has some advice:
Embrace the sense of adventure
Look beyond the stereotypes
Leverage your communication skills