Christine James was only 15 years old when she graduated high school in Toronto so she wasn't quite prepared to make a career decision and decided take an academic break and enter the workforce. It was during that time that a career in tourism caught her eye after flipping through a magazine.
That's not the typical career start we usually hear about in our industry, but it's a fascinating one and one that shows the determination and skill that has followed James throughout her career, where she is now Vice President of Travel Leaders Network Canada.
Born in Guyana, South America, when her family first settled in Montreal, she was given an aptitude test and put a grade ahead. Three years later, the family moved to Toronto, which was again, a different system provincially that required another aptitude test, and she was then bumped ahead another grade.
"When I graduated from high school, I was barely turning 16 and all my other friends were 18," she explains with a smile. "So, I at that point, I was still fairly young even though academically I was making the "grade", but to make a life choice as important as a career choice was difficult at that time."
Partially bi-lingual, James landed her first fulltime job as a customer service representative, which she says she really enjoyed due to being able to interact with the public. She enjoyed it so much that what was intended to be a summer job turned into a permanent one. It was at that job she was flipping through a college career magazine and found a section on travel.
"I thought this is great, what a perfect way to combine my passion of dealing with people and my love for travel. So that's how I got inspired."
James applied in a three year Travel and Tourism Program, where there were over 200 applicants and only 30 students were accepted. After a series of interviews she was accepted and in her last semester, she was put into a placement program at Thomas Cook in Yorkville.
"I remember the manager at the time was very protective of their clients, and as a student, I wasn't allowed to talk to them. But it was a busy February for bookings, and clients were getting frustrated waiting at reception waiting for a full time advisor, one couple decided to leave. So, I just walked up to them, invited them to my desk and ended up closing the sale! They purchased everything - round trip tickets to London, accommodations and an escorted tour to Europe!"
That attitude led her to various retail and corporate travel positions that included Eaton's, Travel Resources, which later was acquired by American Express and Travel Trust International where she was responsible for network development across the country. She was then recruited into the hotel industry as Director of Sales for a small Canadian chain, which she says "wasn't really my forte, but it still helped me sharpen my sales skills as it was a highly competitive environment." Shortly afterward, a tour operator approached her to ask if she'd be interested in managing the sales and marketing for the company. From there, things really "snowballed" and she ended up representing additional noncompeting suppliers on a consulting basis for over 6 years. That led to being recruited into her current position where she's been for 23 years.
When we mention to James that many of the women we've featured in our Women in Travel Series faced hurdles early in their careers, but say it's gotten better; she isn't so sure.
"It's a sad reality. I'm dating myself when I say this, but in Helen Reddy's "I am Woman" song, she says we're still an embryo with a long, long way to go. And unfortunately, we're still not quite there yet. That said, I have been very fortunate myself, rising through the ranks of executive level within the company.
Only 4% of all women in Canada are CEOs and are still making 68 cents on every dollar earned by our male counterparts."
James said it's almost forgivable back in the days when the man was the breadwinner of the family. But now there's no justification, it should always be equal pay for equal work. Women also need to be more outspoken and she feels that if you've worked hard, and you have the qualifications and the skill set that deserve preposition, you've just got to ask for it.
"In business, you don't always get what you deserve. But you may get what you asked for. So never be afraid to ask, I think that's the problem for most women, it's that sort of built in insecurity that we're afraid to ask."
"I suppose you have to credit a lot of my success to my personal mentor, my mother. She grew up in the country in Guyana, one of seven children, with not a lot of money. But a nun told her she needed to get into the city and go to university, which she did. She later opened her own school, while being a mother to 9 children and always made herself completely accessible to us."
Professionally wise, James names Patrice Bell as her career mentor and says "she really was the best boss." After one particularly big sale, Bell left her a congratulatory message on her desk which included the following PS: "they think you're wonderful. And so do I."
"I still have that note today. So that anytime I need inspiration, I take that note out and look at it."
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