Travel Leaders Navigate AI, Culture and Change in a New Era
Travel industry leaders are facing a rapidly evolving workplace shaped by agentic artificial intelligence (AI), shifting customer expectations and new demands on talent. Preparing teams for the future now requires adaptability, strategic thinking and a renewed focus on culture.
During the “New Leadership for a New Age” session at The Phocuswright Conference last week, executives, founders and C-suite leaders gathered to discuss how to future-proof teams, manage uncertainty and lead with agility. The interactive workshop was led by Melissa Maher, CEO and founder of Pinnacle Enterprises Group, with Kimberly Newbury, VP of sales at Phocuswright, serving as host.
Mentors from across the industry—including leaders from American Express Global Business Travel, Allianz, Priceline and Sabre—guided small roundtable discussions on leadership and culture, technology and transformation and teams and inclusion.
Participants focused on the realities of leading distributed teams, maintaining company culture in remote environments and adapting to the rapid pace of AI. Groups discussing technology emphasized adopting AI responsibly, protecting space for human creativity and recognizing that leadership is evolving from decision-making to “decision orchestrating.”
Innovation, leaders noted, requires trust. Building that trust comes from clarity, appreciation and empowering teams to take risks.
To close the session, each group chose two words representing the new age of leadership. Themes included purpose, agility, courage, adaptability and remaining “humanly honest” amid technological change.
“Leadership today is less about directing and more about connecting,” Maher told PhocusWire. “People aren’t looking for perfection—they’re looking for honesty and courage. The biggest insight was clear: When leaders pair vision with empathy, teams feel braver, more committed and more resilient. That’s the kind of leadership the future is calling for.”
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