ELIZABETH GAINES

TO call Elizabeth Gaines a high achiever is an understatement. With a CV that reads like a business report, she is no stranger to executive roles. But her current position as CEO of one of Australia’s largest travel agency groups is arguably the meatiest role of her career that has also earned her the title as one of the most influential women in the Australian travel industry. Taking some time out of her hectic schedule to speak with travelbulletin, it’s clear that Gaines is the right person for the job as she rattles off an impressive acumen spanning decades in commerce and senior management positions. But her journey to the top has come with risk, perseverance, and a lot of bloody hard work. After scratching plans to pursue a career as a professional French horn player many moons ago, Gaines completed a commerce degree in Perth before becoming a chartered accountant with Ernst and Young. But like many recent graduates, itchy feet soon took her to Europe with a loaded backpack and plans for an adventure. A temp job with a merchant bank in London saw her travels turn into a five year jaunt before the pull back to Australia got the best of her and she opted to complete a Masters in Applied Finance at Macquarie University. The decision worked in her favour and she soon joined a large conglomerate, Heytesbury, as general manager, working her way up to CEO before making the move back to the UK to take on the role as CFO for an IP media rights company in London. But the cards all lined up for Gaines when CVC bought Stella in 2008 and she was head hunted for the role as CFO of The Stella Group. Joining just months before the GFC hit hard, Gaines remembers the early days as an intense period of restructuring to bed down the business including 24 hour stints in legal offices. But the experience also put her in good stead for the subsequent merger that has been Helloworld’s key focus for the past 18 months. “It’s been a big task and a bold move but brand consolidation was absolutely fundamental… Our marketing spend was so fragmented and we weren’t getting the same share of voice,” she says. The move ruffled the feathers of some agencies who felt the firm would be best placed to run with an established brand such as HWT, but Gaines isn’t one to dwell on the past: “The initial response was understandably mixed and everyone had something to say about it. But sometimes you have to wait to bring these things to life and convince [agents] that you have their best interests in mind.” It’s taken more than a year for helloworld to woo some agents onboard, but the firm is edging closer to its goal of 1000 stores Australia-wide – spread across fully branded stores, affiliates and associates. Certainly the merger has its skeptics within the industry, but Gaines is unphased, seeing it as a challenge that will resolve itself in time. More pressing, she says, is the need to tap into global trends to stay on the front foot in the retail space. “Change is hard when you’re going through it, but it’s not us versus them [agents], we’re in it together. The challenge for us is stressing that these are long term decisions and we’re not cutting corners,” she says. While pragmatism and balance sheets are at the core of Gaines’ job, her softer side is clearly apparent as she explains the intricacies of her role which covers all aspects of financial management, mergers and acquisitions and integration. “It’s easy in my job to just look at figures and balance sheets, but what we do has a genuine effect on people and staff – it’s their livelihoods and their businesses, and I’m very mindful of that,” she says. No stranger to 12 hour days, Gaines admits that her job consumes most of her time. Throw into the mix supplementary roles on the AFTA board and as Fortescue Metals

It’s easy in my job to look at just figures and balance sheets, but what we do has a genuine effect on people staff...’ and

non-executive director, and it’s not surprising why. But behind the tailored suit and the business talk, she’s a relaxed woman from the Kimberley who likes to reconnect with nature with her husband, Kevin. With an impressive array of high profile roles under her belt, Gaines challenges the paradigm of a glass ceiling, but she acknowledges that gender diversity is a “real issue” that is often hindered by inflexibility in allowing talented women to progress. As a step mother of three, Gaines is no stranger to the pressures of balancing a family and career, but she refuses to see gender as a barrier. “I do understand the gender diversity issue, but you have to manage your own career whether you’re a man or a woman. Ultimately, it’s your own responsibility,” she says. Gaines’ advice to ambitious travel business owners, managers or consultants is to set goals, improve your skills, take risks and work damn hard. But above all, she says people should stay true to themselves, pursue opportunities and have a strong definition of their own success.