ABTA’s Susan Deer, Director of Industry Relations, and Rachel Jordan, Director of Membership and Financial Protection, have been recognised in the Women in Trade Associations Powerlist.

The Powerlist was launched on International Women’s Day – Wednesday 8 March 2023 - to celebrate and recognise inspirational women in the Association sector.

Susan and Rachel were featured in the Powerlist in recognition of the work they do to support and deliver for ABTA members.

Susan’s role saw her team lead ABTA’s crisis response to COVID-19; supporting members with operational intelligence, liaising with UK and overseas governments to seek clarity on travel requirements and helping the industry prepare for restart. Susan has also led ABTA’s work to share influential insights to rebuild the industry in a more sustainable way, including setting out these principles in the report ‘Tourism for Good’ and providing practical guidance in the Climate Action Guidebook (a joint publication with Deloitte). 

Since joining ABTA in October 2020, Rachel has been a force for change across the Membership and Financial Protection teams, simplifying processes to save members time and money. Her influence has helped to bring senior leaders together from across the travel and financial services industries through new focus groups to discuss some of the most pressing financial protection issues facing the sector to seek solutions for the future. Rachel is a big advocate of diversity and inclusion, on a personal and professional level, sharing her own experiences of being a leader with a hidden disability. 

Susan Deer, Director of Industry Relations at ABTA said:

“I enjoy every minute of my role working on behalf of ABTA members – so it’s a real privilege to be recognised on International Women’s Day. We have a fantastic team at ABTA, my colleagues are unwavering in their commitment and endeavors to support members. Our recognition today is as much a reflection of their hard work as ours.”

Rachel Jordan, Director of Membership and Financial Protection at ABTA said:

“I feel really honored to have been included in the Women in Trade Associations Powerlist, especially alongside my trusted colleague Susan who has been a solid source of support since I joined ABTA’s senior leadership team in 2021. 60% of ABTA staff are women, with many of them working in senior leadership and senior management roles, and 58% of my department are women delivering key services to ABTA members. It’s great to work with such a fantastic group of female professionals, both at ABTA, but also in the wider industry. The travel industry is a huge employer of women and together we make such a big contribution to the sector.”