Insights From the C-Suite: Gilda Perez-Alvarado, Orient Express

As part of a new, members-only series, Women Leading Travel & Hospitality is asking industry executives about their professional journeys, mentorship, how they stay up-to-date on the latest technology and trends, how they take care of themselves, and so much more. This week, insight comes from Gilda Perez-Alvarado, CEO, Orient Express, and the chief strategy officer of Accor Group.

Women Leading Travel & Hospitality: How do you define and communicate your long-term vision for both your personal leadership journey and the success of your organization?
Gilda Perez-Alvarado: Success requires teamwork, and teamwork requires trust. At the end of the day, you need to have a solid foundation of trust in your organization to achieve optimal results. Passion is equally indispensable. Pursuing what you’re truly passionate about intertwines your professional and personal successes. Collaborating with individuals who share this passion creates a powerful force, making it significantly easier to articulate and communicate a long-term vision. By remaining true to the broader goals and core values of an organization, leaders can foster a unified approach which resonates with and inspires those responsible for executing ambitious strategies.

WLT&H: Describe a situation where you encouraged innovation or took a calculated risk in your leadership role.
GPA: Once again, trust forms the foundation. The last time I took a risk was starting my new job after 19 years with a previous employer. I decided it was important to change, to evolve and to grow, and how better to do it than to come to Paris and join the dynamic team at Accor.

WLT&H: Share an example of a successful cross-functional partnership you led. How do you build and sustain effective relationships with peers and stakeholders across the organization?
GPA: Everything I work on is cross-functional. I firmly believe in adopting a team-of-teams structure — assembling a group of experts across various disciplines who not only share a common work ethic but also exhibit an attitude of excellence.

WLT&H: What steps do you take to champion diversity and inclusion within your organization? How do you ensure that your leadership team reflects a broad range of perspectives and backgrounds? How do you measure those efforts?
GPA: I’ve always stressed the importance of diversity in any organization, particularly in terms of background. The greater the diversity in backgrounds, the stronger the team becomes. Respecting your teammates and being open to everyone’s ideas and feedback is essential. There’s no such thing as a bad question, only the one that’s not asked. Ultimately, teams work well if they have the same set of goals and values. At Accor, diversity is not only a crucial part of the company’s DNA, but also a central pillar of its wider vision for hospitality and ambition to act as a positive social elevator. Accor is firmly committed to ensuring diversity throughout the organization. With gender diversity, for example, Accor has set a target of ensuring 40 percent female participation on its executive committee, and 45 percent at the management committee level by 2025. The group also regularly measures and reports on progress against these targets to uphold accountability and transparency.

Are you a C-suite woman executive in travel and hospitality? We’d love to feature you! Reach us at wlt@skift.com.