Nurturing staff

For Barrhead though, it is a different story. The group has attributed its gender equality to “growing and nurturing from within”. Along with the new training academy in Glasgow – designed to look like a modern agency branch – and an apprenticeship programme, the company has developed a 12-month management scheme encouraging staff to meet their professional development aspirations and help grow the business.

Munro, who joined Barrhead when she was 16 and is the daughter of founder and chairman Bill Munro, said she is committed to all employees having the same opportunities to rise through the ranks as she did. Indeed, several of the agency’s directors have been with the business for more than 20 years, starting out as sales consultants.

“We embrace diversity across Barrhead Travel,” she told TTG. “There are many things we do as a company to specifically ensure gender equality across the business including proving flexible paternal and maternal leave solutions to all our staff.”

However, Munro insisted the firm would “absolutely not” consider positive discrimination “in any capacity”. “When hiring, it all comes down to the individual – that they have a good attitude and that the chemistry is right,” she said.

“We never stand still, and through good employee engagement we continue to explore pioneering and engaging ways to educate and train our people.”

Munro said while she does not believe women have to work harder than men to reach the top at Barrhead, she is “aware” that some of her female counterparts in travel have found it tougher.

“For many industries, travel included, over the past few years there have been some really positive shifts towards gender diversity in the workplace,” she continued.

“Rewind 10 years and you wouldn't see as many women on boards, no matter what industry it was. It’s great to see multiple women chief executives, managing directors, finance directors and board members and I’d like to see this trend continue.

“I’ve been fortunate as Bill has always treated me as an equal,” Munro continued. “Although he didn’t ever show favouritism to me, his encouragement, coaching and desire to see me achieve my own ambitions has really motivated me to create my own successes.

“If anything, I was probably harder on myself because I felt that I wanted to prove myself, so I worked in every single area of the business from the ground up.”

AWTE’s board

Association of Women Travel Executives chairwoman Debbee Dale said the organisation also disagrees with positive discrimination but may eventually “have to go that way”. “Most of our members feel quite strongly about this,” she said.

“But quite a lot also say if we don’t pick up the pace and start to see a more universal equality it [positive discrimination] may be the only way to start proving how much better balanced a board is with women included. “We don’t want it to be the way… but if there is not a significant rise in equal boards it may be that we have to go that way to get the balance right.”

Commenting on Barrhead, she said: “We think Sharon striving to internally grow her people is great, and as the majority of workers are women we know this means there will be more women in senior and – we hope – executive board positions at Barrhead.”